Pat Surtain II: Broncos 'Right on Track' Ahead of MNF Road Test at Arrowhead
A real Monday Night Football road test awaits Denver, coming off a genuinely encouraging preseason.
The Broncos prep for a Monday Night Football road test at Kansas City, with cornerback Pat Surtain II saying the team is "right on track," fresh off a 2-1 preseason that included wins over Atlanta (27-7) and Minnesota (34-6) and a loss to Green Bay (33-13).
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Head coach Sean Payton emphasized the importance of a fast start. Denver hasn't opened against a division opponent since 2023, and this is the first time in franchise history the Broncos have opened a season on the road at Arrowhead. The game kicks off Monday at 6:15 p.m. MT and will also be simulcast on ESPN2's "ManningCast" alternate broadcast. Surtain, voted a team captain by his teammates for a third consecutive year, said he expects a fully healthy version of Kansas City's quarterback despite the long layoff: "I don't expect nothing less for him to be himself."
Surtain, 26, is coming off being named the 2024 AP Defensive Player of the Year and was voted the NFL's No. 10 overall player on last year's Top 100 list — real, top-tier validation for a cornerback anchoring a defense that has to slow down a Chiefs offense getting Patrick Mahomes back from a torn ACL suffered last December, his first regular-season action since that injury ended his 2025 season early. Quarterback Bo Nix, 26, enters his third season off back-to-back years of 35 and 30 total touchdowns, now throwing to a retooled receiver room that added Jaylen Waddle in a trade from Miami and rookie Jonah Coleman in the backfield.
It's hard to say there's top-five upside when Nix already posted back-to-back seasons of 35 and 30 total touchdowns — Denver's offense is predicated on short, quick passes, and the tendency to avoid pushing the ball downfield inherently caps his ceiling.— NFL analyst consensus, via The Big Lead
Our take: the Waddle trade is the real swing factor here — Denver's offense has genuinely lacked a true field-stretcher, and if Payton actually lets Nix push the ball downfield to him instead of leaning on the same short-passing script, this "capped ceiling" narrative could look outdated by October. Until we see it in a live game, though, the skeptics have the better argument.
Week 1 Prediction: Score, Spread & Player Prop
Broncos +3 road underdogs at Kansas City, per DraftKings and FanDuel.
Total sits at 42.5. Our pick: Chiefs 24, Broncos 20 (Under, Broncos cover). Denver's defense, anchored by Surtain, has the pieces to keep this one close against a Chiefs offense still shaking off nine months of Mahomes' rust.
Bo Nix OVER 215.5 passing yards. A healthy Jaylen Waddle debut gives Nix a real vertical outlet he didn't have for most of last season.
Odds and props reflect market consensus across DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetMGM as of this week — lines move, so check your own sportsbook before kickoff.
Broncos' path to a Monday-night opener
Broncos go 2-1, beating Atlanta and Minnesota, losing to Green Bay.
Pat Surtain II says the team is 'right on track' ahead of Week 1.
Broncos open on Monday Night Football at Kansas City — their first division-opponent opener since 2023.
A confident locker room heads into a real, genuinely difficult early test on the road at a loud Arrowhead Stadium.
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Sources: DenverBroncos.com, Mile High Report, The Big Lead