Denver
Broncos
0-0
39
FINAL
38
Kansas City
Chiefs
0-0
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a thrilling Week 1 matchup of the 2026 season, the Denver Broncos narrowly defeated the Kansas City Chiefs, pulling off a 39-38 victory. With both teams eager to establish dominance early in the season, this high-scoring affair showcased the offensive talent on both sides of the ball.
Leading the charge for Denver was quarterback Bo Nix, who threw for an impressive five touchdowns, solidifying his status as a key offensive weapon. While Patrick Mahomes put on a show for Kansas City with 333 passing yards, it was Kenneth Walker's ground game, racking up 110 rushing yards, that kept the Chiefs competitive. RJ Harvey also impressed in the receiving game for the Broncos, tallying 95 yards and contributing to the explosive offensive performance.
Defensively, the Broncos made crucial plays, highlighted by Zach Allen's standout performance with 1.5 sacks, putting pressure on Mahomes throughout the game. The turning point came late in the fourth quarter when Denver's defense stiffened, stalling a potential game-winning drive by the Chiefs. With both teams trading blows, it was ultimately the Broncos' ability to capitalize on critical moments that secured their victory in a nail-biting season opener.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patrick Mahomes | QB | 28 | 20 | 71% | 333 | 4 | 0 | 150.7 |
| Bo Nix | QB | 27 | 22 | 81% | 329 | 5 | 0 | 157.0 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenneth Walker | HB | 9 | 110 | 12.2 | 8 | 1 | 70 | 0 |
| RJ Harvey | HB | 12 | 62 | 5.2 | 23 | 0 | 23 | 0 |
| Bo Nix | QB | 3 | 25 | 8.3 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Patrick Mahomes | QB | 1 | 12 | 12.0 | — | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Jaylen Waddle | WR | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Marvin Mims Jr | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Courtland Sutton | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Evan Engram | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RJ Harvey | HB | 5 | 95 | 19.0 | 52 | 0 | 30 | 0 |
| Evan Engram | TE | 6 | 93 | 15.5 | 49 | 2 | 28 | 0 |
| Ben VanSumeren | FB | 2 | 80 | 40.0 | 77 | 1 | 71 | 0 |
| Rashee Rice | WR | 5 | 69 | 13.8 | 23 | 1 | 33 | 0 |
| Travis Kelce | TE | 6 | 68 | 11.3 | 40 | 0 | 19 | 0 |
| Courtland Sutton | WR | 4 | 48 | 12.0 | 27 | 2 | 21 | 0 |
| Xavier Worthy | WR | 3 | 41 | 13.7 | 2 | 1 | 21 | 0 |
| Kenneth Walker | HB | 2 | 38 | 19.0 | 43 | 0 | 40 | 0 |
| Tyquan Thornton | WR | 2 | 37 | 18.5 | 7 | 1 | 32 | 0 |
| Troy Franklin | WR | 2 | 35 | 17.5 | 8 | 0 | 22 | 0 |
| Jaylen Waddle | WR | 2 | 29 | 14.5 | 9 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| Marvin Mims Jr | WR | 1 | 15 | 15.0 | — | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Adam Trautman | TE | 2 | 14 | 7.0 | 6 | 1 | 8 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L'Jarius Sneed | CB | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zach Allen | DT | 2 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ashton Gillotte | REDG | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| R Mason Thomas | LEDG | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chamarri Conner | SS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ja'Quan McMillian | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alex Singleton | MIKE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pat Surtain II | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Talanoa Hufanga | SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jadon Canady | SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Justin Strnad | WILL | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mansoor Delane | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| JL Skinner | SS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kristian Fulton | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nohl Williams | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brandon Jones | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Devon Key | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Riley Moss | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nick Bolton | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alohi Gilman | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jeffrey Bassa | WILL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Nik Bonitto | REDG | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harrison Butker | K | 1 | 1 | 5 | 59 |
| Jeremy Crawshaw | P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wil Lutz | K | 1 | 1 | 4 | 39 |

