ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Broncos and Chiefs have played 132 times in the history of the two franchises.

Not once has Denver opened its season in Kansas City.

That is poised to change in a big way, as Bo Nix and the Broncos will kick off their 2026 season on "Monday Night Football" against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.

"It's a big game, and there's definitely a heightened sense of urgency," defensive lineman Zach Allen said Wednesday. "The cool thing is guys around here have that. It's not like [Head] Coach [Sean Payton] has to keep reminding us. We understand it."

The Broncos won both meetings between the two teams in 2025 as they took back the AFC West for the first time in a decade, but last year's results have little to do with Monday's meeting.

"This is a very tough division," captain Quinn Meinerz said Sept. 7. "Every game is tough. … You kind of have to have short-term memory. You have to forget about what happened last season, because every season's completely different. We have a new team. They have a new team. The division's open for whoever to take at this point. It's early in the season and in our divisional game, it's a lot about proving yourself as a team. That's something we have to do again this year. That's just kind of the nature of the beast of the NFL is everyone kind of resets and gets ready for the next season. I think we've done a good job resetting. We know they've done a great job as well. They're a really well coached team. It's going to be AFC West football."

With the Broncos looking to earn a fourth consecutive win over the Chiefs and their second straight victory in Arrowhead, Payton outlined several keys specific to a "Monday Night Football" opener.

"I went through it with the team," Payton said Wednesday. "We talked about Week 1 Monday night [games]. I was looking for something Week 1 Monday night, which there can only be one a season. Week 1 Monday night third down [percentage], Week 1 Monday night time of possession and Week 1 Monday night turnover [ratio]. It's like a tick up 10 to 15 percent in each category. So, if turnover ratio in any other NFL game is a 78 percent winner, it's close to a 90 percent winner in this game. If third-down efficiency is call it 40 percent or above, winning the third-down battle, that's 80 something. So, those three really stood out."

As the Broncos aim to begin their 2026 season with a win and get off to a much-discussed fast start, here are three other questions that could determine if Denver earns a division win:

IN REGULAR-SEASON RETURN, CAN BO NIX CONTINUE PRIME-TIME SUCCESS?

Bo Nix is officially back. For the first time since leading the Broncos to a Divisional Round win over the Bills, Nix is poised to play in a game that counts in the standings — and his teammates can tell he's ready for the moment.

"He's a competitor, now," wide receiver Courtland Sutton said Wednesday. "… I'm looking forward to watching him go out there. … He's like a mountain lion that's in the zoo that's just pacing. I saw a mountain lion at the Colorado zoo. He was just pacing back and forth, and I was like, 'Y'all don't want that boy to get out. It's not going to be good.' That's what Bo reminds me of.

"… Mentally, you can tell that he's like, 'I'm ready to go do this.'"

After tying for the most wins by a quarterback in his first two seasons in NFL history, Nix returns Monday night looking to improve an already impressive prime-time record. The Broncos' signal caller is 6-1(.857) in prime-time games, which is tied for the best mark of any quarterback with at least five prime-time starts since 2000.

Nix's most recent game against Kansas City also came in prime time, as he and the Broncos earned their third consecutive win against the Chiefs. In four career matchups, Nix has thrown seven touchdowns to just one interception, completed 73.1 percent of his passes and compiled a 3-1 record. In two games in Kansas City, he's completed north of 70 percent of his passes, notched a 4-to-1 total-touchdown-to-interception ratio and recorded a 93.8 passer rating.

"I looked at a [Pro Football Focus] slide, and I think he — of all the quarterbacks we've gone against — has been the most successful," Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said this week. "… That's a credit to him and the system and what they do. I think he's a terrific football player. … He's scary to go [against], because you can do everything right, and he can make you look bad because he can get out of trouble with his feet."

Nix and the Broncos' offense — which will feature Offensive Coordinator Davis Webb making his regular-season play-calling debut — won't face an easy test in the season opener. Even against a new-look Chiefs defense that features multiple new starters in the secondary, Spagnuolo can create challenges.

"Steve has always done a great job disguising looks, giving you zone-pressure looks," Payton said Sept. 7. "He's not afraid to play [Cover] zero. You're going to have to have a real good protection plan and be disciplined in your approach, especially when you're facing that defense on the road with the noise."

CAN THE BRONCOS' DEFENSE LIMIT PATRICK MAHOMES IN HIS RETURN?

The two-time MVP is back.

Nine months to the day after suffering a torn ACL, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is expected to return to the field against the Broncos in prime time.

Even in his first game action, Mahomes will be far from easy to defend. Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph said Thursday the Broncos are expecting nothing but his best.

"I think Patrick is going to be Patrick," Joseph said. "In my opinion, he wouldn't play if he couldn't be himself. He's had a good summer and spring to kind of rehab, and from what I hear and from what I read, he's feeling great. So, we expect Patrick to be Patrick, and he is, obviously, the guy in the league who wins an awful lot. He's obviously motivated, and it's a big game for them. It's a big game for us, obviously. It's Week 1, so everyone's healthy and excited to play, so we'll get his best shot."

With Joseph, the Broncos have found prior success against the talented signal-caller. Across four games against the Broncos since Joseph returned as the team's defensive coordinator in 2023, Mahomes has thrown three total touchdown passes and four interceptions while averaging 272 passing yards and an 81.6 passer rating. He has also been sacked 12 total times in those matchups, and the Chiefs averaged 15.8 points per game across that slate.

In Mahomes' return, the Chiefs will be without 2025 first-round pick Josh Simmons, and undrafted free agent rookie Khalil Benson will make his first career start. Should the Broncos force Kansas City into third-and-long scenarios, 2025 Pro Bowler Nik Bonitto could find success.

The Broncos, though, saw signs in the preseason that teams will attempt to attack them in a new way. Against the Packers, the Broncos faced quick throws that didn't allow their edge rushers to get to the quarterback, and Joseph said it was likely a signal of what's to come this season.

"This is our new life," Joseph said in late August. "… First-and-10, it's going to be quick game. They catch a slant, now they're second-and-4 and second-and-5. That favors the offense. That doesn't favor us. They hand it off, they get two more [yards], now they're [in] third-and-2. We can't rush the passer now. So, I think we have to understand how teams see us and adjust how we play. … That's important for us."

The Broncos' pass-rushing success on both second and third down was significant in 2025, as the team set its franchise sack record for a second consecutive year. But in this Week 1 matchup against the Chiefs, winning those early downs will be critical to ensure the Broncos earn those pass-rushing opportunities. First-down success likely comes from both limiting the quick passing game and stopping the run. The Chiefs added Super Bowl LX MVP Kenneth Walker in free agency, and Payton and Joseph both said this week the Chiefs' emphasis on running the football was evident this offseason.

"He brings a run-first mentality," Joseph said of Walker. "Obviously, he can [make] the tough runs for four yards, five yards, but he has the ability also to take it 60 [and] to hit a home run. That makes backs dangerous. I don't worry about the backs that can get four yards and [with a] one-on-one tackle, you can trip them up. This guy is not that way. He can get the tough four — he can run through arm tackles — but he can also make you miss and go 60. That makes him dangerous.

"… They signed him for a reason. They want to get back to run-first."

For the Broncos to limit Mahomes, it may require Denver to first slow Walker and Kansas City's first-down offense.

CAN JAYLEN WADDLE MAKE AN EARLY IMPACT?

The Broncos made a splash trade this offseason for wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, and he'll make his highly anticipated regular-season debut on Monday night.

Waddle played just one drive of preseason action, but he made his presence felt. On Denver's opening drive against Green Bay, Waddle caught a pass from Nix and then took off for a 35-yard gain. The explosive play set the Broncos up in Green Bay territory and led to a touchdown.

"It's exciting," Waddle said Saturday of his upcoming debut. "It's been a long time coming. Got a good opponent ahead of us. Excited to go out there with all my brothers and go out there and compete."

Waddle will face a new-look Chiefs secondary, which will be without starting safety Chamarri Conner and isexpected to feature rookie sixth-overall pick Mansoor Delane.

In training camp, Waddle made plays in a variety of fashions, and Webb said in August the former top 10 pick is "going to play everywhere" for the Broncos' offense.

"He's really, really good," Webb said. "He's going to play everything but O-line."

In his final comments before Week 1, Payton said Waddle "had a real good camp" — and he also noted the uncertainty of the early weeks of the season as to how teams will use their new players.

"I think the interesting thing about Week 1 is on each side of the fence here — the Chiefs and the Broncos — there are some new players: running backs, receivers, offensive linemen, DBs," Payton said Saturday. "And new players the same way for us. That early part of the game, as to how they're being deployed, is important. Who's playing in the slot for them? How are they rotating the runners? And the same thing would apply to where Jaylen's at."

Payton said "the DNA" of a team starts to become clear by Week 5 or 6, but the early weeks require quick in-game adjustments based on in-game information.

In Week 1, Broncos Country will get its first look at how Waddle is used — and if he can make key plays to help his team earn a win.