Hello, football fans. Welcome to The Athletic’s live coverage of the 2026 NFL season!
Today, we’re bringing you all the action from Kansas City as Patrick Mahomes makes his return from a torn ACL that cost him the latter part of the 2025 NFL season, as the Chiefs missed the playoffs for the first time in his career. They’ll be up against the team that broke their streak of nine consecutive AFC West titles — the Denver Broncos, coming off a 13-4 season and AFC Championship Game appearance.
Follow along as we bring you all the pregame news and storylines, followed by live play-by-play updates and real-time analysis from The Athletic’s NFL staff!
