It was a remarkable season for the Denver Broncos. The Broncos went 14-3, tied with the Patriots for the AFC’s best record, and secured homefield advantage via tiebreaker.
After earning homefield advantage, the Broncos defeated Josh Allen and the Bills in the second round but then fell to the Patriots 10-7 in the AFC Championship game. The Broncos, of course, played that game without Bo Nix, who fractured his ankle in the victory over the Bills.
With such accomplishments, you might expect the Broncos to be rewarded accordingly. But how are the Broncos actually being rewarded for their achievements?
Instead, their reward is starting the season on the road against one of their arch-rivals.
Former Cowboys Quarterback Ben DiNucci Calls Out the NFL Over Broncos’ Schedule
As it turns out, the Broncos will not open their season at Empower Field at Mile High; instead, they will travel to Kansas City to face the Chiefs. This was confirmed on Wednesday when the NFL made it official, and the Broncos took to X to announce they would face the Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on Monday, September 14.
Now official: We’re headed to KC to get our season started. 🏟️ https://t.co/wLNNOTUDfc
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) May 12, 2026
Reflecting on this scheduling decision, former Cowboys quarterback Ben DiNucci thought the NFL’s choice to schedule the game in Kansas City rather than Denver was a slap in the face to the Broncos, after they earned the AFC’s No. 1 seed last year.
This is dumb
Broncos won the division and hosted the AFC championship
Game should be in Denver https://t.co/MyX8w7HukU
— Ben DiNucci (@B_DiNucci6) May 13, 2026
“This is dumb,” DiNucci wrote. “Broncos won the division and hosted the AFC championship. Game should be in Denver.”
There is an argument to be made in DiNucci’s criticism. The Broncos finally got back to the bottom of the mountain, while their opponent, the Chiefs, finished just 6-11 and missed the postseason for the first time since 2014 (and they still finished with a winning record at 9-7).
However, it’s worth noting that there are also arguments in favor of the Chiefs being at home.
Chief among them, and unrelated to standings, is the return of one of the NFL’s all-time greats in Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes tore his ACL back in December of 2025 and missed the remainder of the season.
NFL Network insider Judy Battista emphasized the impact of Mahomes’ potential return: “The league must feel very, very good that Patrick Mahomes is going to be out there,” she explained. “Otherwise, they would not put that game in that spot. ESPN wouldn’t want that game in that spot. So, they obviously have a level of confidence that Patrick Mahomes will be healthy. And Bo Nix, for that matter, too.”
If Mahomes does indeed come back, watching him run out onto the field in front of his home fans certainly will be a spectacle, adding to the intrigue of the season opener.
Still, there’s also no guarantee you’re going to be at home to start the season unless you win the Super Bowl.
For example, the Chiefs fell to the Eagles in Super Bowl LIX and started last season with a game against the Chargers in Brazil – demonstrating that there is no recent precedent for anyone other than the champions receiving a home game to start the season.
Either way, there are going to be plenty of storylines heading into this matchup, making it a fantastic way to kick off Monday Night Football in 2026.
On Thursday evening, the NFL will release the remaining schedule, and we will have you covered with continued analysis.
