Broncos are road underdogs for season-opener in KC

The Broncos won the AFC West, posted a 14-3 record, swept Kansas City and reached the AFC championship game last season.

None of it was enough to make them favorites for the Sept. 14 opener, not even against a team who could be without their star quarterback.

Denver opened as a 2.5-point underdog for its Monday Night Football showdown against the Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, according to early betting lines released Tuesday. The game kicks off at 6:15 p.m. MT and will air on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes.

The line reflects that the public still loves the Chiefs, even after a year without a trip to the postseason. The question is will the two-time NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes play? He tore the ACL and LCL in his left knee on Dec. 14, but Sportsbook Review gave him a 73% probability of starting the opener, noting that the 273 days between his surgery and the Week 1 kickoff should be enough time for a full return. As of early May, Mahomes is already participating in limited on-field work.

Broncos quarterback Bo Nix is also working his way back after breaking a bone in his right ankle during the divisional round against Buffalo on Jan. 18. Nix had a second procedure last month but is expected to be full speed for training camp, according to head coach Sean Payton.

The number is still says a lot about the Arrowhead factor and Mahomes’ gravitational pull on a point spread for the public. Denver went 2-0 against Kansas City last season — a 22-19 win in Week 11 and a 20-13 victory on Christmas night — while the Chiefs limped to a 6-11 finish. But home-field advantage and the presumed return of a healthy Mahomes were apparently enough to flip the ledger in the eyes of the market.

The full 2026 NFL schedule will be released Thursday. Once it drops, the Broncos-Chiefs line for the game in Denver will be worth noting, too.

For now, Denver finds itself back in the familiar spot of being overdogs.

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