{"id":65343,"date":"2026-05-12T08:38:47","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T12:38:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/chiefs-broncos-set-to-open-2026-monday-night-football-season\/"},"modified":"2026-05-12T08:38:47","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T12:38:47","slug":"chiefs-broncos-set-to-open-2026-monday-night-football-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/chiefs-broncos-set-to-open-2026-monday-night-football-season\/","title":{"rendered":"Chiefs-Broncos Set to Open 2026 Monday Night Football Season"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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NEW YORK \u2014 ESPN’s Monday Night Football will kick off the 2026 season with a showdown between Kansas City and Denver on September 14th, the network announced Tuesday morning.<\/p>

The venue for this AFC West rivalry matchup remains to be determined, as league officials continue working out final details before releasing the complete 2026 schedule this Thursday evening.<\/p>

A major question mark surrounds Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes and his availability for the season opener. The two-time MVP suffered torn ACL and LCL injuries to his left knee during the closing moments of Kansas City’s December 14th defeat to Los Angeles Chargers, a loss that knocked the Chiefs out of playoff contention. Mahomes has set a goal of returning by the first week of the season.<\/p>

Denver’s Bo Nix should be healthy for training camp after sustaining a fractured right ankle bone on January 18th during the AFC playoffs. The Broncos concluded their 2025 campaign with a loss to New England in the AFC championship game.<\/p>

Additional prime-time matchups will be unveiled over the next several days.<\/p>

Tuesday’s announcements coincided with upfront advertising presentations by NBC, Fox, and Prime Video. Buffalo will christen their new stadium against Detroit on September 17th for Amazon Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football opener.<\/p>

Dallas features prominently in the other revealed games, traveling to face the New York Giants for NBC’s Sunday Night Football debut on September 13th, then hosting Philadelphia on Fox’s traditional Thanksgiving Day broadcast November 26th.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kansas City and Denver will face off September 14th in ESPN’s first Monday Night Football game of the 2026 season. The matchup’s location remains undetermined as the NFL continues finalizing next season’s schedule ahead of Thursday’s full release.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":65342,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[836],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-65343","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1778589527280.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbtNqq-gZV","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":34752,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/chiefs-star-travis-kelce-postpones-retirement-signs-12m-deal-for-14th-season\/","url_meta":{"origin":65343,"position":0},"title":"Chiefs Star Travis Kelce Postpones Retirement, Signs $12M Deal for 14th Season","author":"Admin","date":"March 11, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has officially signed a one-year, $12 million contract to return for his 14th NFL season. The 36-year-old All-Pro decided to delay retirement for another shot at championship glory alongside quarterback Patrick Mahomes.","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1773282953706.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1773282953706.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1773282953706.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1773282953706.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":72324,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/chiefs-qb-mahomes-returns-to-practice-5-months-after-knee-surgery\/","url_meta":{"origin":65343,"position":1},"title":"Chiefs QB Mahomes Returns to Practice 5 Months After Knee Surgery","author":"Admin","date":"May 26, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes participated in his team's initial voluntary offseason practice session on Tuesday, five months following knee surgery. The two-time MVP was seen throwing passes while wearing a knee brace during the closed practice session.","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1779842353683.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1779842353683.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1779842353683.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1779842353683.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":72363,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/chiefs-qb-mahomes-returns-to-practice-field-with-knee-brace-after-surgery\/","url_meta":{"origin":65343,"position":2},"title":"Chiefs QB Mahomes Returns to Practice Field With Knee Brace After Surgery","author":"Admin","date":"May 26, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes took part in his team's initial organized practice session Tuesday while wearing a protective brace on his surgically repaired left knee. The three-time Super Bowl champion suffered torn ligaments in December and underwent surgery the next day.","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1779848532314.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":67283,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/nfl-schedules-chiefs-primetime-games-despite-mahomes-knee-injury-recovery\/","url_meta":{"origin":65343,"position":3},"title":"NFL Schedules Chiefs Primetime Games Despite Mahomes’ Knee Injury Recovery","author":"Admin","date":"May 15, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The NFL says Kansas City's early-season primetime slots weren't based on Patrick Mahomes' recovery timeline from December knee surgery. League executives scheduled the games before knowing when the quarterback would return from his torn ACL and LCL injuries.","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1778873962273.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1778873962273.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1778873962273.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1778873962273.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":36672,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/travis-kelce-close-to-signing-deal-to-return-for-14th-nfl-season\/","url_meta":{"origin":65343,"position":4},"title":"Travis Kelce Close to Signing Deal to Return for 14th NFL Season","author":"Admin","date":"March 14, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Kansas City Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce is reportedly close to finalizing a contract to return for another season. 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While still wearing a protective brace and not cleared for full contact, Mahomes continues targeting a Week 1 return when Kansas City faces Denver on September 14.","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1779998827211.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1779998827211.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1779998827211.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1779998827211.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65343","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=65343"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65343\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/65342"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65343"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=65343"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=65343"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}