The Denver Broncos head to Arrowhead Stadium to take on the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football. This will be a huge Week 1 test for the Broncos who are looking to start the season on a high note and defend their AFC West title. Here are three players that will need to perform well in order for that to happen.
Bo Nix — Quarterback
Entering his third season with the Broncos, quarterback Bo Nix is poised for his best season to date. In his first two seasons, the former first-round pick has shown a lot of moxie,
produced at a high level, and developed a penchant for fourth quarter comebacks.
This offseason, Denver added multiple playmakers on the offensive side of the ball to help further his development. Alongside that, Offensive Coordinator Davis Webb has been working hard all offseason to craft a play calling dynamic suited to his strengths. Additionally, working alongside him to help improve areas where he can be more efficient.
Steve Spagnuolo’s defense was a Top 10-unit last season. Going up against them will be tough challenge for Nix and the Broncos’ offense who are hoping to start off much faster and better than the past two seasons. With several new additions to their revamped secondary, I expect Denver to challenge Kansas City through the air and look for some explosive plays down the field.
Jaylen Waddle — Wide Receiver
The Broncos made a splash sending a first and third round pick to the Miami Dolphins to acquire wide receiver Jaylen Waddle. His addition to their wide receiver corps gives them a dynamic talent who should bolster the productivity and efficient of the group. I’m hopeful we can see that happen in Week 1 versus the Chiefs.
As mentioned earlier, Kansas City has some new starters in their secondary. It’d be smart to challenge that early and often. Unleashing Waddle in his first regular season game with the Broncos will likely be a part of the gameplan. His flexibility to play inside and out should cause some issues for their defense.
Whether it’s dialing up the deep ball with his deep speed or letting him make plays after the catch with his elusiveness, finding a way to feed Waddle will be crucial to come out of Arrowhead with a notch in the win column.
Nik Bonitto — Edge Rusher
The Broncos have topped the National Football League in sacks in back-to-back seasons. A big reason for that has been the play of fifth-year edge rusher Nik Bonitto. After a slow start to his NFL career, Bonitto has dialed up the heat on opposing quarterbacks the past two years, notching 13.5 sacks in 2024 and 14 sacks in 2025.
With Jonathon Cooper sidelined on the NFL Commissioner’s Exempt List to start the year, there is more pressure on Bonitto to help create pressure on Patrick Mahomes. There is a chance starting left tackle Josh Simmons won’t be able to play due to a lower back injury. If that transpires, either Jaylon Moore or undrafted rookie free agent Khalil Benson will be protecting Mahomes’ blindside.
Either way, that should provide Bonitto with a favorable matchup and opportunity to register some big plays. The Broncos’ chances of victory will catapult if he can create some havoc in the backfield with sacks—or even better—finding a way to force a fumble to give the defense a big takeaway.
