The 2026 NFL regular season’s opening weekend wrapped up with the Kansas City Chiefs beating the Denver Broncos and making a statement along the way.
Let’s see how the national media responds in this week’s sampling of power rankings:
NFL.com: 10
For the first time this decade, the Chiefs have a legitimately fearsome rushing attack. Kenneth Walker III won’t run for a career-high total every week, but he brings a punch that Kansas City’s backfield has lacked for most of the Patrick Mahomes era. That should make
folks respect the Chiefs, even as Mahomes shakes off the rust accumulated by a lengthy recovery from knee surgery.
— Nick Shook
ESPN: 8
Week 1 result: Beat the Broncos 31-10
Preseason ranking: 13
Non-QB newcomer debut: RB Kenneth Walker III
For one game at least, Walker was everything the Chiefs could’ve hoped for, bringing more explosive highlights to their rushing attack. Walker produced a career-high 173 rushing yards, with his best moment being a breakaway 60-yard touchdown on fourth-and-inches early in the third quarter. His best trait against the Broncos was his elusiveness, as he forced 14 missed tackles, the most by any Chiefs player in a game since 2018. Walker caught a short touchdown pass, too.
— Nate Taylor
The Athletic: 7
Last week: 14
Monday: Beat Broncos 31-10
What we learned: They have a running game!
After dealing with an inconsistent ground attack last season, the Chiefs went out and signed reigning Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III. It took Walker one game to make a big impact. All eyes in the opener were on Patrick Mahomes’ return, but it was Walker who stole the show, totaling 191 yards of offense and two touchdowns, and adding a new dimension to the K.C. offense.
— Chad Graff and Josh Kendall
Pro Football Talk: 8
Kenneth Walker III earned every penny of his contract in his debut, and then some.
— Mike Florio
CBSSports.com: 10
Many buried this team, saying the dynasty was over. No it isn’t. Patrick Mahomes didn’t have to do a lot against Denver, but he’s healthy. That’s the good news.
— Pete Prisco
Yahoo! Sports: 7
Kenneth Walker III was excellent and will transform the Chiefs’ offense. He had 173 yards rushing. Patrick Mahomes will be better as he get further removed from a torn ACL. He had just 184 yards passing and was off on many throws, but that didn’t take away from a successful return. But one of the best stories of the opener was left tackle Kahlil Benson. He is an undrafted rookie out of Indiana who got no guaranteed money to sign with the Chiefs and did not play left tackle in college. He was forced into the lineup due to a Josh Simmons injury and there was rightful concern over him protecting Mahomes’ blindside. But Benson, the first undrafted rookie to start Week 1 on the offensive line since Terence Steele with the Cowboys in 2020, played well and the Broncos rarely got any pressure on Mahomes. Offensive linemen don’t get too much attention, but Benson deserves a lot of credit for stepping up when he had to.
— Frank Schwab
USA Today: 6
Return of the King? Having a Super Bowl MVP tandem backfield of Patrick Mahomes and Kenneth Walker III was even more than it was cracked up to be in the opener, when K.C. made an emphatic statement that it’s ready to reclaim its AFC West throne from Denver. And maybe more.
— Nate Davis
Sports Illustrated: 5
I think one of the singular most frustrating parts of covering professional football is spending an entire offseason attempting to understand what will be effective and will not be, and determining that Kansas City—a team starting an undrafted free agent tackle against one of the best defenses in football, having made a wing-and-a-prayer addition of a veteran running back to salvage the offense and starting a QB just nine months after a torn ACL—will struggle. Only to have the Chiefs absolutely demolish last year’s conference runner-up. The prediction game is a painful one, man. Don’t let your kids live this life.
— Conor Orr
FOX Sports: 12
They’re baaaaack. Patrick Mahomes didn’t even look like his old self Monday night and the Chiefs still dominated the Broncos. When Mahomes rounds into form, KC might be ready to reclaim its throne.
— Ralph Vacchiano
