The Denver Broncos play the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1 of the 2026 NFL Season. While the Broncos play the final game of the first week and are probably anxious, they surely enjoyed certain results that played out in Week 1.
As we saw during the 2025 season, every game that the Broncos won was extremely important, as this team would have fallen from the first to the third playoff seed with just one more loss. The 14-3 record was a must in the team earning that top seed.
And while there is still a long way to go, the Broncos have to love seeing the Los Angeles Chargers being upset big-time by the Arizona Cardinals, which does give a quick advantage to Denver as the regular season ramps up.
Denver Broncos have to love the Los Angeles Chargers falling to the Cardinals in Week 1
The Chargers just looked... bad.
This was a home game for the Bolts, which makes it even worse. Somehow, the Chargers, a team that has won 22 regular season games since the start of the 2024 season, weren't able to beat one of the worst teams in football.
Now, yes, Week 1 in the NFL is often a liar, but that doesn't make the result any less sweet. Already in an unexpected 0-1 hole, here is what the Chargers' schedule looks like coming up:
Week 2 vs. Las Vegas Raiders
Week 3 @ Buffalo Bills
Week 4 @ Seattle Seahawks
Week 5 vs. Denver Broncos
Week 6 @ Kansas City Chiefs
Week 8 @ Los Angeles Rams
Week 9 vs. Houston Texans
Week 10 @ Baltimore Ravens
This schedule is brutal. The Cardinals were the easiest opponent LA had across the first 10 weeks of the season, and now there is a legitimate chance that this team has a losing record by the time their bye week comes in Week 7.
While much has been made about the first six games of the Broncos' schedule this year, the Chargers suddenly find themselves facing a brutal reality. While the Chargers should beat the Raiders, it's hard to see how this team gets by any of their upcoming opponents after that.
What is a bit annoying is that the Harbaugh-era Chargers have largely gotten the best of the Sean Payton-led Broncos, but with the Bolts having two new coordinators, perhaps they're due for a regression season this year...?
The Detroit Lions, following a 15-2 season in 2024, lost both of their coordinators to head coaching jobs, and proceeded to go 9-8 in 2025 and miss the playoffs. If Los Angeles can't seem to find their footing here in the coming weeks this, this brutal Week 1 loss could loom large.
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