The Denver Broncos, now entering year four of the Sean Payton era, feel like the best version they have been in quite some time. It does take a good bit of time and correct roster moves for a team to get to contender status.
The Broncos did make that jump in 2025, going from 10 wins and the seventh playoff seed to 14 wins and the first playoff seed. In 2024, Denver was the last team to clinch a playoff spot, and were actually the first team in 2025.
The next step for this team to take - and it's the only one left - is to make and win the Super Bowl. Fortunately, the team is positioned to be able to do that in 2026, but the season is going to be long, tiring, and could have some bumps in the road. Denver opens up the season in Kansas City for a showdown against the Chiefs.
Denver Broncos might be any NFL team's toughest opponent for 2026
Arrowhead Addict Site Expert Matt Conner identified the opening matchup in Week 1 against the Broncos as Kansas City's toughest matchup for 2026:
"Even with the Seahawks and Patriots looming on this year's calendar, no matchup is more ominous than the season-opening visit from the Denver Broncos. The slate is very easy early for the Chiefs, with even a Week 5 bye, but a tough AFC West matchup when it's unclear if Patrick Mahomes will be healthy and ready or not is a brutal way to start the year."
The Chiefs have suddenly kind of fallen on the wayside a bit over the last year or so. After getting blown out in the Super Bowl by the Philadelphia Eagles in February of 2025, the Chiefs had a rocky start to the 2025 season, began to heat up a bit, but then collapsed down the stretch.
Much of the talk was 'they're the Chiefs, they'll figure it out,' but the total opposite happened. Kansas City's roster has needed some work for a while now, and even after a defensive-heavy offseason and the Kenneth Walker III signing, the Chiefs roster is still a tier below Denver's.
Conner also didn't hesitate to pin that Broncos matchup as the toughest one. He also makes an interesting point about Patrick Mahomes, who is recovering from a knee injury suffered near the end of the 2025 season.
Mahomes could end up being fully healed from that injury come Week 1, but the Chiefs might not want him to go back out there immediately. There also has to be a mental battle at play here, too. After such a major injury, how does the player deal with that in his own mind?
Sure, Mahomes is a different type of player, but these are considerations that he and the Chiefs may have to make before Week 1. Would Kansas City risk throwing him out there against the best pass-rush in the NFL as his first game back?
Maybe, maybe not. However, even if he plays, what is clear is that the Chiefs may be looking at the Broncos as a brutal, less-than-ideal matchup. Denver swept the Chiefs in 2025 and have beaten them at home each year since 2023.
If not for a blocked field goal at Arrowhead in 2024, there is a chance that the Bo Nix-led Broncos are 4-0 against Kansas City. The tide is clearly shifting.
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