The Denver Broncos Week 1 game against the Kansas City Chiefs could end up being one of the most important of the season, as if the Chiefs are able to engineer a bounce-back season this year, the AFC West race could end up being three teams deep.
The Broncos were able to win the division with games to spare in 2025, as the Chiefs regressed hard, and the Los Angeles Chargers just did not build on their initial brekaout season in 2024. The Broncos are coming into this game quite healthy, as all projected starters are trending toward playing.
For the Chiefs, though, that is not the case, as the team has ruled out two key players ahead of the 2026 NFL Season's first Monday Night Football Game.
Denver Broncos won't have to see Josh Simmons or Chamarri Conner in Week 1 vs. Chiefs
Their starting tackle, and best tackle, Josh Simmons, is not playing in this game, and one of their starting safeties, Chamarri Conner, is also out:
Josh Simmons and Chamarri Conner are ruled out for Monday Night's game against Denver.
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) September 12, 2026
They were officially ruled out on Saturday afternoon, so the Broncos will need to take advantage of two key players being out. In the NFL, injuries happen, and oftentimes, the teams that are able to stay the most healthy are the ones that are standing in the end.
Denver has been among the healthiest in the league since Sean Payton arrived, and this has never felt like a coincidence. Anyway, for Week 1, the Broncos pass rush has to takeover, as the Chiefs are likely starting a tackle duo of Kahlil Benson and Jaylon Moore. Broncos' stud rusher Nik Bonitto primarily lines up across from the left tackle, so it's not wild to think that he veteran Bonitto can reasonably take advantage of an undrafted free agent in Benson.
The Chiefs could try and counter this with quick passes and establishing the run. Logically, that's really the only viable option they have at the moment. Neutralizing the Denver rush isn't something that many teams did in 2025, and with the Chiefs trotting out a very below-average offensive line at tackle, the Broncos' chances of getting to Patrick Mahomes could be high.
And on the flip side, the Chiefs will be without Conner, who, in 2025, tallied two passes defended, two sacks, and 117 total tackles. With Kansas City already not having a super stable secondary, the Broncos passing offense could and should take advantage here.
Kansas City is now trending toward starting rookie Mansoor Delane, L'Jarius Sneed, Alohi Gilman, and Jaden Hicks. There just isn't a legitimate, high-end player in this group, and with the Broncos now having a wealth of weapons after the major offseason trade for Jaylen Waddle, Bo Nix could see a ton of favorable matchups.
This could also help the Broncos offense avoid a sloppy start, which is not uncommon for Week 1 showdowns. With defenses typically having the advantage earlier in the season, Denver's unit should be just fine, and with how long this unit has featured some of the key players, it'd honestly be a shock if they weren't playing as they usually do out of the gate.
And as for Nix, new play-caller Davis Webb and the offense, the Chiefs being down a starting safety and already not having much talent in the secondary could give this unit a perfect opportunity to race out to a fast start, setting the tone for the entire season.
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