The Broncos and Chiefs open the 2026 season against each other on Monday night, and the health gap between them is the first thing worth knowing. Denver turned in a final injury report with nobody on it. Kansas City did not.
Broncos at Chiefs
| Team | Player | Position | Injury | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas City | Josh Simmons | OT | Back | Out |
| Kansas City | Chamarri Conner | DB | Knee | Out |
| Kansas City | Patrick Mahomes | QB | None listed | Will start |
| Kansas City | Chris Jones | DT | Calf (limited in practice) | Off the report |
| Denver | Marvin Mims Jr. | WR | Foot | Off the report |
| Denver | No other players listed. Denver submitted a clean final report. | |||
Kansas City Ruled Out Two Players
Left tackle Josh Simmons is out with a back injury, which matters more than a Week 1 offensive line note usually would. Mahomes is playing his first regular season game since tearing the ACL and LCL in his left knee in Week 15 of last season, and Denver brings the pass rush that has given Kansas City the most trouble in this rivalry. Protecting the blind side with a backup is not the way Andy Reid drew up the opener.
Defensive back Chamarri Conner is the other ruled out name, sidelined by a knee injury. Those were the only two players Kansas City listed.
Mahomes and Chris Jones Are Both Off the Report
Mahomes carries no injury designation at all. He practiced fully through the week and starts. Chris Jones dealt with a calf issue that limited him in practice and did not practice at one point, but he cleared the report as well and is expected to play.
Denver Is as Healthy as a Team Gets
The Broncos listed nobody. Marvin Mims Jr. carried a foot injury through the week and was a full participant every day before falling off the report entirely. Three players are on the roster exempt lists rather than the injury report: tight end Caleb Lohner and offensive lineman Frank Crum on injured reserve, and offensive lineman Nick Gargiulo on reserve/PUP.
Week 1 is usually the healthiest a roster will be all year, and Denver is the clearest example of that in this game. Sean Payton gets a full complement for a division road opener.
What It Means for Monday
The injury sheet points one direction. Denver has no holes to scheme around. Kansas City is starting a quarterback nine months removed from a multi ligament knee injury behind a line missing its starting left tackle. That is the matchup to watch early, and it feeds directly into the prediction, odds and spread for the game.
Inactives post roughly 90 minutes before kickoff, so the final word on anyone questionable arrives around 6:45 p.m. ET. The league posts them on its official inactives page.
The Bottom Line
Denver is fully healthy. Kansas City is without left tackle Josh Simmons and defensive back Chamarri Conner, but has Mahomes and Chris Jones available. For a season opener between two teams that expect to fight for the AFC West, that is about as favorable a health picture as Denver could have asked for.
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