Denver Broncos will begin their season on the road against division rival Kansas City Chiefs

The Broncos are kicking off the season in primetime. Denver will travel to Kansas City to play the Chiefs in Week 1 on Monday Night Football.

The game at Arrowhead Stadium will be on Sept. 14 and will be the first game of ESPN's "Monday Night Football" schedule.

It's a true rivalry matchup to start the season. The Broncos and Chiefs have won the last 16 AFC West division titles. The Broncos are the ones who snapped the Chiefs' recent 9-year run as AFC West champions.

The Broncos are undefeated on Monday Night Football since Sean Payton took over as coach in 2023.

It's not known whether two-time NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes will be available for the Chiefs' season opener. His goal is to be ready for Week 1. The Chiefs quarterback tore the ACL and LCL in his left knee on Dec. 14 in the final minutes of a loss to the Chargers, which effectively eliminated the Chiefs from playoff contention.

Quarterback Bo Nix is expected to be ready for training camp after breaking a bone in his right ankle on Jan. 18 during the AFC playoffs. Denver finished last season losing the AFC championship game to New England.

The full 2026 NFL schedule will be released on Thursday.