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We are closing in on the Kansas City Chiefs’ season opener against the Denver Broncos on “Monday Night Football” in Week 1. Both quarterbacks are preparing to play after offseason surgery on leg injuries.
Broncos head coach Sean Payton previewed Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes by expressing that he “doesn’t expect any limitations on Sept. 14.”
Sean Payton on how Broncos are preparing for Chiefs’ Patrick
Mahomes in opener | The Kansas City Star
“We have to face him. All right? Because I’ve answered that before. When I took this job it wasn’t like I was looking for the division with Pat and Andy, but the ownership structure was the reason,” Payton said. “It’s a fair question though: earlier or later. I think you have to be ready and prepare for what you know is his best, and that’s in the pocket, that’s the extended plays, that’s him running like all of those things. And so you don’t give a lot of thought to it because you can’t control it. It’s kind of one of those things where, all right, that’s not going to occupy my thinking because I have no control over it.
‘It’s over’ – Rob Gronkowski drops brutal Kansas City Chiefs prediction | HITC
If anyone knows what it is like to play in a dynasty football team, it is Gronkowski following his years with the New England Patriots.
Having won three Super Bowls in recent years, Gronk truly believes the Chiefs’ mini-dynasty enjoyed with players like Tyreek Hill has already come to an end.
“The first era of their dynasty, they had a mini-dynasty, there is no doubt about that, it’s over,” he said on the Up & Adams Show.
How Does the Chiefs’ Offensive Line Stack Up Ahead of the 2026 Season? | Sports Illustrated
On the interior, the Chiefs kept one more player than I expected, but the names are familiar.
Benson seems to be the first man up, at least behind Smith at right guard. Ezeudu could play some tackle, but his acquisition felt like a move to improve the interior. Former fifth-round pick Hunter Nourzad appeared to be the team’s best backup center. Mike Caliendo has been the Chiefs’ sixth lineman at times, but he clearly tumbled down the depth chart this summer.
8 bedrooms, 11 bathrooms: See Travis Kelce’s new $5.35M Ohio mansion | Scripps News
The eight-bedroom, 11-bathroom mansion is nicknamed Moyenage. Its past owners include a former president of the Sherwin-Williams Co. and a onetime executive director of Cleveland Clinic Innovations, according to the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History.
Real estate records show Figurati Construction Group, a Northeast Ohio renovation firm, purchased the roughly 21,000-square-foot house for $1.95 million in 2023 and restored it. The renovated property hit the market in mid-2023, at an initial asking price of $6.99 million.
Chiefs DB is part of an exclusive group from the 2026 NFL Draft | Chiefs Wire
11 high schools had multiple players drafted. IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) and St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Md.) led the way with 4 players selected, followed by Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), which had 3 players drafted. Eight high schools – Archbishop Spalding (Severn, Md.), Clearwater Academy International (Fla.), Marist (Chicago, Ill.), McClymonds (Oakland, Calif.), Pickerington Central (Ohio), St. Xavier (Cincinnati, Ohio), Westlake (Atlanta, Ga.), and Westlake (Austin, Texas) – each had two players selected.
The Chiefs’ first-round selection and sixth overall pick, Mansoor Delane, is one of two players drafted from Archbishop Spalding in Severn, Maryland. Delane was a 3-star prospect at Spalding in the Class of 2022,
Around the NFL
Josh Jacobs’ initial court date moved up 2 months, now before Packers’ season opener | The Athletic
Jacobs, placed on the commissioner’s exempt list Sunday, can’t practice or play until NFL commissioner Roger Goodell removes him from the list. Packers coach Matt LaFleur has told reporters that he expects Jacobs to remain with the team after his legal proceedings.
The earlier court appearance could clarify Jacobs’ playing status sooner than would have been possible under the original court date. Thursday is three days before the Packers’ season opener, while the original date fell after Week 10. Any punishment from the league, such as a suspension, could begin and end earlier with the revised court date.
Pro Football HOF makes sweeping changes to selection process | ESPN
He said Thursday that coming out of Arizona State, he thought about what he would do if he suffered a major injury in the NFL.
“Coming out of college and going into the NFL, I think I gave myself one rule and it was if I ever got a major injury I was done playing,” he said. “And that happened seven games into my career, so it kind of sucked.”
However, the monotony of his recovery, during which he said he would “do absolutely nothing” for 14 hours a day “for weeks on end,” helped him to “find who I am as a player and a person.” And that has reenergized him to play football this season.
NFL’s top 10 defenses in 2026? Texans, Seahawks, Rams headline ranking; don’t sleep on Jags, Bucs | NFL.com
There it is: Prompt purity! Basically, I’m looking for true scoring defense. For reference, these were the NFL’s 10 stingiest units by that measure in 2025:
1. Seattle Seahawks: 16.41 ppg allowed
2. Houston Texans: 16.53
3. Minnesota Vikings: 17.94
4. New England Patriots: 18.0
5. Denver Broncos: 18.18
6. Kansas City Chiefs: 18.65
7. Los Angeles Rams: 18.71
8. Los Angeles Chargers: 18.76
T-9. Jacksonville Jaguars: 19.0
T-9. Philadelphia Eagles: 19.0
In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride
Chiefs schedule: Game-by-game predictions for the 2026 season
Week 1: vs. Denver Broncos
Right off the bat, we get a game that could decide the fate of the division. There are a couple of things the Chiefs have going for them in this one.
1. It will be quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ first game back from injury, and I expect him to be highly motivated.
2. I have faith in the Chiefs’ improved secondary to limit what Dever can do through the air.
Still, Denver boasts one of the best defenses in the NFL. My gut says this is a low-scoring affair that will be decided by a field goal.
Verdict: Win
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