The NFL season is officially underway; Week 1 began last night with a 13-10 win for the Seattle Seahawks over the New England Patriots. The league’s opening slate of games will finish on Monday evening with all eyes on the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos.
There is a lot of anticipation to see quarterback Patrick Mahomes back in action, but his predecessor will be in the spotlight at Arrowhead Stadium that night as well.
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The latest Kansas City Chiefs news
Former Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith selected as Drum Honoree | KCTV 5
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Former Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith has been selected as Drum Honoree for Monday night’s game.
Smith is expected to return to Chiefs Kingdom to help kick-off the game versus the Broncos.
Smith played with the Chiefs from 2013-2017 and lead the team to four playoffs appearances and 41 wins before being traded to the Washington Redskins in January 2018.
2026 Kansas City Chiefs Team Preview | The Mothership
Overall
Kansas City’s offseason and preseason have provided plenty of encouraging signs as the roster prepares for Week 1. The Chiefs added explosive talent on offense, infused youth into the defense and continue to see Mahomes progress toward his return.
With a blend of proven championship experience and fresh talent across the roster, Kansas City has plenty of pieces in place to make a strong push back into the AFC playoff picture. Mahomes inching closer to seeing the field only raises the ceiling for a Chiefs team looking to bring its familiar magic back to Arrowhead in 2026.
Kansas City Chiefs 2026 Award Predictions: Trio of newcomers in the running back room take home prizes | A to Z Sports
Assistant Coach of the Year: RBs coach DeMarco Murray
If two running backs land on this list, there’s no way I could give the Assistant Coach of the Year award to anyone other than DeMarco Murray. He has a lot of things going for him already. For instance, the return of Eric Bieniemy and the Chiefs’ heavy investment at running back. There’s virtually no way this unit will be worse than it was a season ago. There’s only up from here.
If Walker wins Offensive Player of the Year, the team’s investment will have paid off. If Johnson wins Offensive Rookie of the Year, it’d say a lot about the future. In this imaginary predictive world, Murray deserves the flowers for coaching up the players to make it happen.
Chiefs can still be an NFL dynasty. But their 2026 season will determine that | The Kansas City Star
“It’s going to be easy to note, five years from now: Do the Chiefs belong with the Patriots?” said Peter King, longtime NFL journalist and analyst. “I think they already belong with San Francisco.”
King’s reason? One that’s common to nearly every dominant stretch the league has seen: a generational talent at quarterback.
“As long as Mahomes stays upright, they’re going to contend,” said King, whose book “The Game” revisits his 40-year career covering the sports’ greatest moments and personalities. “I don’t know if they’re going to win one (more) Super Bowl, zero Super Bowls or five more, you just don’t know.
Predicting the 2026 NFL playoff field, plus Super Bowl pick | ESPN
Without the ability to pin their ears back and strictly go after Mahomes as a passer, the Eagles might not be quite as dominant on defense this time around. Jalen Hurts has been spectacular in the Super Bowl matchups against Mahomes, but his one fumble in Super Bowl LVII helped swing seven points back to the Chiefs in a 38-35 victory. This one wouldn’t be quite as high-scoring, but let’s say that the Chiefs let Kelce (and potentially other members of the organization) ride off into the sunset.
Predicted division winners: Buccaneers, Chiefs, Eagles, Lions, Patriots, Ravens, Seahawks, Texans
Predicted wild cards: Bills, Broncos, Cowboys, Giants, Rams, Steelers
My Super Bowl pick: Chiefs 27, Eagles 24
Around the NFL
Seahawks overcome loss of Sam Darnold, rally to top Patriots in season opener | The Athletic
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, last season’s MVP runner-up, struggled mightily in the second half against the tough Seahawks defense. He tossed three fourth-quarter interceptions, including one in the end zone with 21 seconds remaining.
Darnold injured his hip while being tackled on the final play of the Seahawks’ first drive. He played only five snaps and did not return. Coach Mike Macdonald said afterward that Darnold did not suffer a fracture but will have more tests.
But backup Drew Lock stepped up admirably in his place, going 16-for-22 passing for 187 yards, including a 45-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter on fourth-and-1 to reigning Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Raiders TE Brock Bowers undergoes knee procedure, expected to miss a game or two | NFL.com
Wednesday’s news represents the latest health-related hurdle encountered by Bowers over the last year. Fresh off a stellar rookie season, Bowers suffered a knee injury early in the 2025 season, forcing him to miss three games in October and hampering the star pass catcher throughout the campaign.
Given an offseason to recover — which began early when Bowers sat out of the Raiders’ final two games of 2025 — the hope was that Bowers would be able to return fully healthy and at the form he displayed in his first NFL season. His attempt to do so will be interrupted by the surgery, which shouldn’t keep him out long, but does inspire some concern about how he’ll perform in 2026.
Report: Deshaun Watson was cited for speeding on August 26 | Pro Football Talk
Watson entered a plea of not guilty in Cleveland municipal court on Wednesday. A bench trial is set for Wednesday, September 23.
That’s a work day for Watson. It makes sense to just accept the ticket and move on; surely, he won’t be missing practice before the team’s home opener.
The citation also happened four days after the low point of his Cleveland career — a preseason appearance that featured incessant booing, and a regrettable postgame press conference during which he expressed doubt as to whether he could play effectively during a future home game.
In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride
Why the Chiefs are confident in the team’s young backup running backs
Johnson appears poised to be Walker’s direct backup this season, and due to the physicality of the position, he should be poised to carry a decent workload for a rookie headed into the season.
Most successful run games in the modern NFL operate with multiple running backs commanding close to equal touches, and while the Chiefs will certainly rely more on Walker, Johnson being able to step up and perform well as a rookie would add another layer to a team that will need to rely on the run game early.
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