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ESPN is hoping it’ll be the network to show Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes returning from injury.
The Disney-owned outlet revealed the matchup Tuesday morning for its Monday Night Football opener, and it will be a clash between AFC West division rivals Denver and Kansas City on Sept. 14.
The unveiling continues this week’s revealing of large-scale NFL games in advance of the full 2026 schedule release Thursday—a run that has already included the debut of new Giants head coach John Harbaugh on NBC’s Sunday Night Football, a potentially historic Thanksgiving Day game on Fox, and the opening of the new Highmark Stadium on Amazon.
The Mahomes situation, meanwhile, represents another major storyline for the start of the 2026 NFL season. The two-time Most Valuable Player sustained a season-ending knee injury in December, helping cap an ugly 6–11 season for the Chiefs. Since then, Mahomes has been actively rehabilitating, and reports out of Kansas City have been consistent that he is ahead of schedule in his recovery from the ligament tear.
At the NFL’s annual meeting six weeks ago, Chiefs owner Clark Hunt told Front Office Sports that the team was not a candidate to play in the NFL season opener in Seattle, in part due to the uncertainty around Mahomes’s status.
“From a league standpoint, I think there would be some concern whether our quarterback will be ready to go,” Hunt said then. “My guess is the league won’t want to take that risk.”
Now, Kansas City will still be part of a high-profile Week 1 game, albeit five days later than when the Sept. 9 kickoff game is happening.
The Broncos, meanwhile, are an up-and-coming franchise after reaching last season’s AFC Championship game to culminate a 14-win campaign, the team’s best run since reaching Super Bowl XLVIII in early 2014.
Kickoff Watching
The placement of the Chiefs in this game further winnows the field of potential opponents for the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks in that kickoff game.
Five of the nine home opponents for Seattle this season—the Chiefs, Cowboys, Giants, Rams, and 49ers—are now allocated to other Week 1 games. That leaves the Bears, Cardinals, Chargers, and Patriots as the remaining possibilities.
That kickoff broadcast will be one of the key elements of the full schedule release on Thursday.
Disney will also hold its upfront presentation to advertisers Tuesday afternoon in New York, with MNF and its upcoming coverage of Super Bowl LXI in Los Angeles set to be central elements.
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