The 2026 NFL season is only a few short months away. While it may feel like forever until then, the schedule announcements are officially live and we have our first look at when exactly the 32 franchises will take the field as well as who they’ll match up against. Fire up the debates! The schedule isn’t the only thing that’s live, though. DraftKings Sportsbook now has odds and lines available for every single Week 1 matchup along with many more.

To end the festivities of the opening week of action on the gridiron, there’s an AFC West showdown in primetime. On Week 1’s edition of Monday Night Football, the Denver Broncos head to Kansas City to take on the Chiefs. There are some unknowns to this game, but let’s dive in regardless.

Here are the opening odds of Broncos vs. Chiefs on DraftKings Sportsbook for Monday Night Football in Week 1 of the 2026 NFL regular season.

Opening odds for Broncos vs. Chiefs on DraftKings Sportsbook

On DraftKings Sportsbook, the Chiefs open as 2.5-point favorites at home with -155 odds on the Moneyline. The Broncos are +130 underdogs, with the total set at 42.5 combined points.

As mentioned in the intro, there are plenty of unknown factors in this contest. The biggest storylines by far will be the health of the respective quarterbacks after each suffered season-ending injuries down the stretch last season. Denver standout Bo Nix fractured an ankle during the playoffs last year and underwent a second procedure for it back in April, but he’s expected to be back for training camp. Meanwhile, Kansas City superstar Patrick Mahomes tore an ACL in December, but there’s a chance he may be ready for the start of the 2026 campaign if he’s ahead of schedule in his recovery.

It seems both of their returns are likely priced in with a Mahomes-led team favored by 2.5 points in front of the home crowd at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs certainly had a busy offseason, shipping out former All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie for draft picks via trade but hammering some defensive adds with their capital. The prize of free agency also came to Kansas City as reigning Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III signed to star in the backfield, adding much-needed talent at halfback. Factor in Eric Bieniemy’s hiring as the new offensive coordinator and it’s tough to not feel at least a little optimistic about the Chiefs’ chances this season, even in spite of Mahomes’ possible limitations.

As for Denver, the franchise made some splashes of its own. The vast majority of the team’s free agents returned, and while outside help via the market didn’t come, the pieces of last year’s elite defense are intact and back for another run. The star of the Broncos’ offseason was Jaylen Waddle, the former Miami Dolphins wideout who the front office took a major swing on by trading a first and third-round pick for his services. He adds a deadly new weapon to a room of weapons that needed a true alpha alongside Courtland Sutton, who will now have more pressure taken off him by his new teammate’s elite speed. Bo Nix will have plenty of wideouts to throw to, and a backfield that already included J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey also added Washington standout Jonah Coleman via the draft.

Week 1’s duel between the Broncos and Chiefs will begin at 8:15 p.m. ET on Monday, September 14.