The Kansas City Chiefs and the Denver Broncos have yet to kick off their respective seasons. That will happen when the two face off tonight at Arrowhead Stadium for a primetime showdown to close out Week 1 of the NFL's 2026 season.
Every year, since the Chiefs have had Patrick Mahomes as the starter, the end goal has been winning the Super Bowl. But before all of that, winning the AFC West division has been at the forefront of what to achieve. Because in doing that, it gives the team a better chance of actually reaching the mountain peak.
And after what happened Sunday afternoon, the path for the Chiefs to take control of the division is looking much clearer, after the Los Angeles Chargers got bludgeoned by the lowly Arizona Cardinals.
Justin Herbert and LA lost to the Cardinals by a score of 26-14 at home in SoFi Stadium. Despite Jim Harbaugh prophesying that Herbert would be discussed as the best quarterback of all time when his career is all said and done, he once again looked mediocre. And so did his entire team.
A Week 1 victory would launch the Chiefs into very favorable standing within division
Herbert threw for a meager 209 passing yards on a below 63% completion percentage and just one score, while also tossing an interception. His wide receiving corps, as expected, did not do him any favors, with Ladd McConkey being the only wideout to tally more than 20 yards.
While the Las Vegas Raiders, the basement team of the division, beat the Miami Dolphins, I feel comfortable saying that it will be one of their very few victories of the season. And if you take a look at the Chargers' upcoming schedule, it's an absolute gauntlet of high-level teams, save for the Raiders next Sunday.
Week 2 | vs Las Vegas |
|---|---|
Week 3 | at Buffalo |
Week 4 | at Seattle |
Week 5 | vs Denver |
Week 6 | at Kansas City |
Week 7 | Bye |
Week 8 | at LA Rams |
Week 9 | vs Houston |
Week 10 | at Baltimore |
The Broncos also have a tough stretch of games to begin the season. Of course, they play the Chiefs tonight, then have matchups against Jacksonville, the Rams, San Francisco, the Chargers, and the Seahawks.
Kansas City, if they secure a win tonight, has a real shot at starting the year off 5-0, with upcoming games against the Colts, Dolphins, Raiders, and Chargers. It would put them in pole position to take back the division that they once owned under Andy Reid and Mahomes.
The Chiefs know all too well, after starting off 0-2 last season, that a poor beginning in the NFL creates an otherworldly difficult hole to crawl out of. Let's hope that they learned their lesson and snatch the hope from the Broncos' souls early.
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