After an impressive 14-win season in 2025, the Denver Broncos are the reigning AFC West champions. They dethroned the Kansas City Chiefs from that spot, who endured their worst season in a decade last year. The Broncos’ quest at a second straight AFC West title and subsequent Super Bowl chase begins on Monday Night Football at Arrowhead Stadium.
The Broncos’ offense has to start off fast
There are a lot of reasons to be optimistic about the Broncos in 2026. Nevertheless, one order of business must be achieved. That’s going from a middle-of-the-pack
offense to a Top 10-unit in the National Football League.
This season will be Bo Nix’s third year leading the offense and Offensive Coordinator Davis Webb’s first season calling plays for Denver. I’m bullish on what the two can accomplish and believe Nix is poised for his best year of his career. However, the Broncos must start off fast and forego their early seasons woes that have plagued the group’s efficiency and productivity in the first part of the past two seasons.
On the road against the Chiefs, they face a formidable defense coached by Steve Spagnuolo. He does a great job dialing up pressure and confusing opposing quarterbacks. Kansas City used a lot of draft selections to bolster that side of the ball and ended up revamping a good portion of their secondary.
With the addition of Jaylen Waddle, the Broncos have a premier playmaker in the mix that was absent from last year’s gridiron campaign. Getting Waddle, the ball and creating some explosive plays through the air will be mission critical to achieve victory. I’m hopeful Denver will be able to get him involved to boost their aerial attack and dial up some big plays against a revamped Chiefs secondary.
The Broncos’ defense has to find a way to rattle Patrick Mahomes; slow down Kenneth Walker III
Even with Patrick Mahomes coming off a down year that ended prematurely due to an ACL tear, the Broncos defense can’t underestimate his top-notch playmaking ability. In order to defeat the Chiefs, Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph is going to have to dial up the heat on Mahomes and force him into some bad decisions.
Left tackle Josh Simmons may be sidelined from the game due to injury. If that happens, at least one of the Chiefs’ starting tackle spots will be manned by an undrafted rookie free agent. That may be just enough of an opportunity for Nik Bonitto and the rest of Denver’s front seven to feast and cause some havoc.
Additionally, the Broncos have to find a way to slow down running back Kenneth Walker III. He is coming off a great season and was the Seattle Seahawks’ Super Bowl MVP last year. Setting the tempo and pace of the game is important, and finding a way to shut down Andy Reid’s ground game plans will be essential to earn a Week 1 win.
Play disciplined football and win the turnover battle
There were two major issues that were prevalent last year with the Broncos. They were the fourth most penalized team in football and ranked toward the bottom of the league in forcing turnovers. Knowing that, it’s quite impressive they managed to reel off 14 wins and advance to the AFC Championship Game.
This season, things have to be different on both fronts. Last year, too many drives on offense stalled or were extended for the opposition with penalties and miscues. If they can cut down on those, the Broncos should be even tougher to defeat in ‘26. The Chiefs are already a tough opponent as is, they can’t make things harder for themselves by shooting themselves in the foot.
In ‘25, the Broncos sported a -4 turnover differential. They were one of only a handful of teams to make the playoffs being in the negative. All offseason long, the coaching staff and players emphasized how essential it will be to turn the tides in that regard. Late last season and in the AFC Divisional Playoff victory over the Bills, we saw significant improvement with that. Hopefully, they can find a way to no
What do you think, Broncos Country? What things do you believe Denver has to do to come out of Kansas City with a Week 1 victory? Sound off in the comments section and let me know your thoughts.
