Chiefs News 5/13: Chiefs-Broncos opening line pits KC as favorite

How it happens financially is another story. It’s assumed that at this stage in his career, Sneed won’t break the bank, but the Chiefs are strapped for cash. Per the NFLPA’s public salary cap report, K.C. is estimated to have just $6.9 million at its disposal. That’s without the whole draft class being signed. **Broncos open as slight underdogs to Chiefs in MNF season opener | Mile High Report** Thus, it’s no surprise that Denver opens as slight road underdogs for the MNF opener at Arrowhead Stadium. FanDuel Sportsbook has the Broncos as +2.5-point underdogs to Kansas City. Denver is also +140 on the moneyline, and the total sits at over/under 43.5 points, with a lean toward the under at -118.

Since Nix and Denver are on the road at Arrowhead Stadium, it’s no surprise the Chiefs are favored. You could get a sense of that based on the AFC West and AFC futures odds. Oddsmakers still love Mahomes and the Chiefs.

KC is currently the favorite to win the division at +170, followed by the Los Angeles Chargers at +185 and the Broncos at +210. For the AFC, the Baltimore Ravens are the favorites at +490, followed by the Buffalo Bills (+500), the Chargers and Chiefs (+750), the New England Patriots (+800), the Houston Texans (+950), and the Broncos (+1000). **Ex-Chiefs receiver still stuck in free agency limbo | KC Kingdom** One of the biggest offensive changes the Kansas City Chiefs made in the 2026 offseason was a shuffling of the wide receiver depth chart. This saw Hollywood Brown depart in free agency to sign with the Philadelphia Eagles, and left JuJu Smith-Schuster unsigned, where the pass catcher remains as we near the summer months. This doesn’t come as a huge surprise, with Smith-Schuster clearly showing his age and appearing a step slower in the 2025 season.

Still, the pass catcher managed to put up 345 receiving yards and a lone touchdown on the season. While this is respectable production on paper, it doesn’t tell the full story. The Chiefs were dealing with a suspension of Rashee Rice, an early injury to Xavier Worthy, and a clear lack of understanding of what options to elevate on the receiver depth chart.

Smith-Schuster had a consistent opportunity in the 2025 season, and his performance made it clear that there simply isn’t much left in the tank. This is the reason the receiver remains unsigned and could watch his free agency continue into the summer months. The only exception to this is if Smith-Schuster is willing to take a prove-it deal with zero guarantees for a rebuilding team. **Three things to know about the Broncos opening their 2026 regular season in Kansas City | Denver Sports 104.3 The Fan** **2. IT’S A SIGNIFICANT TASK FOR A BRONCOS TEAM THAT HAS STARTED SLOW UNDER SEAN PAYTON**

Payton often references the “race to get better” at a season’s start, and his team is often still coming together in the first month of the campaign. In his three seasons as Broncos coach, his teams have started 0-3, 1-2 and 1-2.

This mimics a pattern that developed during his final eight seasons as Saints head coach, when his teams went 9-15 in the opening three weeks of those seasons, but followed that by going 70-35. In that span, the Saints had a worse winning percentage from Week 4 onward just once: in 2021, when Jameis Winston tore his ACL seven games in to the season and the team had to patch its QB situation together afterward.

Including his three seasons as Broncos coach, Payton’s teams are 11-22 in Weeks 1-3 since 2014 and 100-47 from Week 4 onward. So, perhaps opening with, say, the Miami Dolphins, New York Jets or Arizona Cardinals might have been better. **Broncos losing out on home-field advantage for Week 1 vs. the Chiefs is actually exactly what they needed, and fans won’t want to hear why | A to Z Sports** There’s a chance that the Chiefs and Broncos are both without their starting QBs. There’s a chance that only one of the two plays, too. However, if they both play, Denver has to like their chances.

Mahomes tore his ACL near the end of last season. He’s been going hard in his recovery, and there is reason to believe he will be available Week 1. Bo Nix broke his foot in the postseason last year, and maybe some think he will be available as well. If they’re both playing against one another, it could be a classic AFC West rivalry game. Updates on Mahomes’ rehab have been cautious.

The Chiefs praise his effort but give few details. Even Chiefs HC Andy Reid, speaking about Mahomes’ potential return for OTAs, was careful. Mahomes is in a good spot, but the team might keep PUP list options open.

**Around the NFL**

**NFLPA head: Players strongly want ‘high quality’ grass fields | ESPN**

“What we want is good grass fields. Good, solid fields,” NFLPA executive director JC Tretter said recently on the “Not Just Football” podcast hosted by Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Cam Heyward. “You don’t just want to pull out the [municipal] golf course grass. On every field, you want high-quality surfaces. I think one thing is understanding what our players care about. And there is something there that the data hasn’t been able to spit back out at us. Which if you ask every player that we polled, 1,700 players, 92% say they want grass over turf.

“There is something about the feeling of being on grass, the body feels different. I think if you ask the coaches, just standing on grass vs. standing on turf for three hours feels different. There is something there that impacts the body.”

Tretter said the talking point is that the injury rates on turf vs. grass have become marginal. But he added that if you look deeper into the numbers, turf injuries have held relatively steady. Grass injury rates have gotten worse. **Steelers to play Saints in NFL’s first game in Paris: Sources | The Athletic** The game will be played at Stade de France in Paris, the home of France’s soccer and rugby national teams, and also a site for UEFA Euro soccer tournament games. The stadium capacity is 80,698, making it the largest stadium in the country.

After going about a dozen years without an international game, the Steelers played in the NFL’s first-ever game in Dublin, Ireland, last season. The event was a massive success, as Pittsburgh’s large, international fan base packed the stadium. Now Steelers fans will have another road trip to plan.

The game in Paris adds to the NFL’s growing international slate. On Tuesday, the league announced the Cincinnati Bengals will face the Atlanta Falcons at Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid on Sunday, Nov. 8. The Miami Dolphins and Washington Commanders played the NFL’s first game in Spain last season.

**In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride**

**The Chiefs’ top 5 remaining holes on the roster ahead of OTAs**

**1. Boundary Wide Receiver**

On offense, the biggest remaining need is a boundary wide receiver. The Chiefs re-signed wide receiver Tyquan Thornton, but outside of that move, Kansas City didn’t add another true outside receiver this offseason.

Thornton provides value as a vertical threat, but his game remains limited. He struggles against press coverage and doesn’t offer a complete route tree. The bigger concern is that he may be the only natural boundary receiver currently on the roster. Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, Cyrus Allen, and Jalen Royals are all best suited for slot roles or motion-heavy alignments.

Rice could theoretically move outside more often, but that creates another problem. He’s the Chiefs’ best receiver, and forcing him into a less natural role weakens the entire room just to compensate for a lack of outside depth.

The free-agent market also offers few clean solutions. Players like Stefon Diggs or Tyreek Hill will generate speculation, but both are primarily slot receivers at this stage of their careers. Diggs spent significant time inside with the New England Patriots, while Hill was already declining as a full-time outside receiver before his recent injury.

Veterans such as Tim Patrick or Josh Reynolds may be more realistic targets, but neither significantly changes the group’s ceiling. Because of that, Kansas City may ultimately need to explore the trade market either before the season or at the deadline.

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