ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Denver's season opener is officially on the horizon.
With three preseason games now in the books and the initial 53-man roster set, the Broncos will now begin to turn their attention toward a "Monday Night Football" matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1.
Head Coach Sean Payton — who has spoken about the importance of a quick start in 2026 — is not shying away from the clear potential implications of the AFC West battle that will kick off the Broncos' 2026 campaign.
"We know we're playing a really good football team, a divisional opponent, [on] 'Monday Night Football,'" Payton said Monday. "I mean, it's not like [Chiefs head coach] Andy [Reid] and I have to go in and give our teams a pep talk."
Rather than focus on the presumed stakes of the opener, though, Payton said his focus over the next two weeks will be ensuring that the Broncos do everything in their power to prepare the right way — and with that, be at their best when they take the field on Sept. 14.
"You really focus on the process leading up to the game," Payton said. "How you handle the unique week that's ahead with the weekend and then the bonus practice day Monday and then the lead in with the Monday night game? I spend more time thinking about the schedule to make sure that we're ramping up to play our best and it doesn't get stale because we're not playing on Sunday. ... But our players will know the significance of the first game, and I think it's the process and the details."
For tackle Mike McGlinchey, that means approaching each practice between now and the season opener the same way he and his teammates have throughout training camp: With a desire to compete and find new ways to improve. McGlinchey said that while the Broncos may start to get ahead on game planning for their first opponent, the team is "still sharpening technique" and will continue to do so during the upcoming two-week stretch.
"Every week is about getting better," McGlinchey said. "I think we've done that since we started training camp. I think this week is no exception. You don't want to go into a game week next week off of [three days off] and not feel like you accomplished something the week before to get better at your job. I think it's an incredible opportunity we have for the next three days to go and compete against each other for a couple more times here. Home in on some of the details, the small details, kind of the introductions to what we want to do in the game plan versus Kansas City and then hit the ground running."
Safety Talanoa Hufanga also spoke about the importance of taking things one day at a time ahead of the team's 2026 slate. After a long, intense and physical training camp, the sixth-year player echoed Payton's message about finding ways to make sure each contributor is both physically and mentally sharp when the lights come on in Kansas City.
"I think a lot of it is getting your legs back," Hufanga said. "We're still pushing the limits, but we came off a two-day break, we're about to come onto a three-day break soon. A lot of it is just getting your legs back after a grinding month of just straight going. But for us, it's just getting our mind reset and focusing our attention on Kansas City."
As the Broncos focus on the Chiefs, though, prioritizing the process and details that Payton spoke about will be critical for the long-term success of the team. While setting a tone in Week 1 will undoubtedly be important, for a team entering the 2026 season with championship aspirations, the work is only just beginning.
"You want to be your best in Week 1, but it's more important to be your best in Week 18," McGlinchey said. "So, every single week you've got to be better than the week before. It's not going to be perfect when we first go out and start, but it's about continuing to improve on each rep and each game as the season unfolds."
