Broncos good to go with all players available; Chiefs rule out two players

Saturday’s injury report in advance of the Broncos’ Monday Night Football game against the Kansas City Chiefs provided the final confirmation of what has been likely for some time: the Chiefs will protect Patrick Mahomes’ blind side against one of the league’s most effective edge rushers with an undrafted rookie.

The Chiefs ruled out safety Chamarri Conner and left tackle Josh Simmons for Week 1. Neither practiced all week and Kansas City coach Andy Reid indicated last Tuesday that he didn’t expect Simmons to be available due to a back problem.

That will leave the task of containing Broncos edge rusher Nik Bonitto to rookie Khalil Benson, who started last year for the national champion Indiana Hoosiers after transferring from CU, where he played in 2024. Benson was at Indiana prior to making the move to Boulder in coach Deion Sanders’ second season with the Buffs.

When Kansas City offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy was asked Friday about what he would impart to Benson, his sentiments were simple.

“Go play and have fun, that’s all you can say,” Bieniemy said at his weekly press conference in Kansas City “This kid (Benson) has worked his tail off.

“We’re talking about a kid who played on the national championship team. The beauty of having Kahlil is this, you’ve got Trey (Smith) and you’ve got Creed (Humphrey) in that room. You’ve got two leaders that have been on this offensive line since day one, since they’ve been here. And those guys are doing a great job with the communication aspect, but also just mentally helping him to see it and understand
exactly the what’s, the why’s and the how’s.

“So, with that said, I mean, yes, he is a young player. He’s going to have some good plays, he’s going to have some bad plays, but when it’s all said and done with, he just needs to go out there and play and have fun.”

While the Chiefs listed 11 names on their Saturday injury report, the Broncos had just one: Marvin Mims Jr. With no game-status designation, the fourth-year wide receiver is good to go for Monday night, having recovered from the foot bruise he suffered early in the Aug. 28 preseason finale against the Minnesota Vikings.

Kansas City listed defensive tackle Chris Jones as not practicing on Saturday, but with no game status, he is expected to play Monday night.

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