At last, Denver Broncos football has (almost) returned.
The Broncos are set to face the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football
on Sept. 14 to begin their 2026 campaign after going 14-3, winning the AFC West and clinching the AFC's No. 1 playoff seed last fall. Denver will aim to prove last season wasn't a fluke while Kansas City will look to bounce back after finishing the 2025 campaign with a 6-11 record.The divisional showdown will be a must-watch game for all NFL fans. Today, we're taking a quick look at five storylines we'll be following going into the MNF matchup.
Broncos vs. Chiefs: 5 storylines to watch
1. Davis Webb in play-calling debut: After getting a promotion from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator this offseason, Webb is now set to handle play-calling duties.
Broncos quarterback Bo Nix believes the unknown aspect of Webb's tendencies will give Denver an advantage over Kansas City. “I think it’s tougher on them for sure because you just don’t know his style," Nix said last week. "I have been around Davis for a few years and understand what he likes and doesn’t like, the kind of style he is going to call the game with. Overall, I think it’s going to be tougher for them to respond and adjust, but at the end of the day, it’s like professional football is professional football. Everyone seems to be doing similar things. They’re going to play man or zone, we’re going to run or pass. It’s really easy once you get down to it. It’ll be a cool match to see Davis in his first game calling plays against arguably one of the better defensive coordinators in the league.” Webb will go head-to-head against KC DC Steve Spagnuolo.
2. Denver’s defense without JFM and Jonathon Cooper: John Franklin-Myers left for a big deal in free agency and the Broncos replaced him in the starting lineup with Malcolm Roach. JFM totaled 14.5 sacks over the last two seasons while Roach has recorded 7.5 sacks in his career (70 games). Meanwhile, Jonathon Cooper is on the commissioner's exempt list, making him ineligible to practice or play. Cooper totaled 18.5 sacks over the last two seasons. Jonah Elliss is set to make his first career start in Cooper's place on Monday. Elliss totaled 7.5 sacks as a rotational pass rusher from 2024-2025. We'll see if there's a significant dropoff for Denver's pass rush without JFM or Cooper on the field.
3. Jaylen Waddle’s debut with Broncos: Denver traded multiple draft picks to the Miami Dolphins this spring to acquire star wide receiver Jaylen Waddle. The 27-year-old speedster brings an explosive element that the Broncos' offense has lacked in recent seasons. Waddle figures to make an instant impact, both with his own touches and by opening up opportunities for other players while KC's defense focuses on the new arrival.
4. Kansas City’s backup left tackle: The Chiefs will be without Josh Simmons, who is sidelined with a back injury. In his place, KC is expected to start Kahlil Benson, an undrafted rookie out of Indiana who spent the 2024 college football season with the Colorado Buffaloes. Benson will likely be tasked with blocking Broncos star edge defender Nik Bonitto, who has totaled 27.5 sacks over the last two seasons.
5. Bo Nix and Patrick Mahomes return: Mahomes will be making his return from a torn ACL and LCL he suffered last season. Nix, who is 6-1 in prime-time games in his career, will be making his return after breaking his ankle in the divisional round of the 2025 playoffs in January. "For me, it’s about trusting my training and getting back to having good eyes, having good feet and having good communication in the huddle and executing at a high level," Nix said last week. "Getting the ball out quick, don’t take negative plays and when we get into the red zone, we need to push the ball in and get touchdowns. I know that I just have to do my part, do my role and we have a lot of guys to where I don’t have to do anything necessarily crazy or special. We just let our guys do their thing. I’m excited." Broncos fans are excited, too.
Monday's game will be nationally televised on ESPN and ABC (view more TV options).
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Broncos vs. Chiefs: 5 storylines to watch for on 'Monday Night Football'
