Week 1 closes Monday night with an AFC West opener at Arrowhead, the Denver Broncos visiting the Kansas City Chiefs. Kickoff is 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN with a simulcast on ABC, and Kansas City is favored by 3.
What time is Broncos vs Chiefs, and what channel?
Monday, September 14 at 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN, with a simulcast on ABC. An antenna picks up ABC free. To stream it you need the ESPN Unlimited plan, since the cheaper ESPN Select tier does not carry ABC or ESPN game windows.
The matchup
An AFC West game in the opening week carries division tiebreaker weight from the first snap, which is why the league saved it for the Monday finale. Kansas City is home and laying only 3, a short number by the standards of Chiefs home games in recent years.
The quarterback question is the reason. Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL and LCL in Week 15 of 2025 and had surgery that December. He was cleared to practice when training camp opened, and Andy Reid said on August 1 that Mahomes had regained full strength, but Kansas City had not formally confirmed him for this game as of early September. Check the final injury report before betting it.
Prediction and odds
Chiefs -3, and the under. A 42.5 total is among the lowest on the Week 1 board and the market is pricing in both a defensive division game and uncertainty about how the Kansas City offense looks in its first live action. Denver is built to make this uncomfortable, but Arrowhead on a Monday night is the hardest environment in the division.
Our pick: Chiefs 24, Broncos 20.
The bottom line
The last game of opening week, a division rivalry at Arrowhead, and a health question at the most important position in the sport. The short spread tells you the market is not certain what it is getting from Kansas City yet.