The Denver Broncos are going to get the best the Kansas City Chiefs have on Monday Night Football on Sept. 14.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid indicated on Tuesday that quarterback Patrick Mahomes is poised to make his 2026 debut at home against the Broncos, barring an unexpected setback.
“[There’s a] pretty good chance that Patrick will go ahead and start unless something were to come up here in the next couple days,” Andy Reid said to reporters on Tuesday (hat tip to Chiefs Wire). “But most likely, he’ll be the guy that’s out there.”
Mahomes returns to the field after tearing his ACL and LCL in Week 15 of the 2025 season. After having participated in training camp and ramping back up to a normal workload, he appears to have no restrictions going into
Week 1.
"He hasn’t missed a day, as you know, and you guys have seen him out there, so you know what it looks like, him running around and doing his stuff," Reid said. "Other than having a brace on his leg, everything looks normal. He’s running around the same way he's always done and throwing the ball like he's always done. So, I think we're fine there.”
In other injury news for the Chiefs, left tackle Josh Simmons will likely not suit up against Denver in the opener.
“[T]here's a good chance Josh (Simmons) doesn't play this week,” Reid said. "We have that in our mind, and he has an issue there that he's working through, and I'm not putting any time restraint on when he can come back or when he could practice and how many practices he needs and all that. I just want to make sure he's healthy and okay to go, but other than that, we move forward, so that's what we do.”
With Simmons out, the Broncos will almost certainly line up star pass-rusher Nik Bonitto against untested rookie tackle Kahlil Benson, who Reid said will take Simmons' place. It will be a matchup to keep an eye on come Monday.
Denver has won three out of the past four games against the Chiefs, which could bode well for the visitors. The Broncos are also coming off their first AFC West title since 2015, but they are listed as underdogs this week.
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Chiefs confirm expected Patrick Mahomes status (plus an OL update)
