Joe Buck announces AFC West showdown as NFL’s Monday Night Football opener

ESPN will broadcast the Super Bowl for the first time at the end of the 2026 NFL season.

That means the veteran announcing duo of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman will get the last word on what promises to be an exciting campaign.

On Tuesday, May 12, Buck announced where he and Aikman will begin their fifth season together on “Monday Night Football.” The reigning AFC West champion Denver Broncos will take on the Kansas City Chiefs at 8:15 p.m. Monday, Sept. 14.

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“You always wonder how you’re going to start the season,” Buck said on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” “And our answer is a game between Denver and Kansas City.

“We do not know the location. That’s kind of the crazy part. It points out the fact that this schedule release is fluid up until Thursday. … It’s a great matchup in the AFC West.”

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the NFL is still finalizing the full schedule before the Thursday night release (8 p.m. ET, ESPN2, NFL Network). The site of the Broncos-Chiefs game will be announced at that time, if not before.

Chiefs seeking revenge

The first “Monday Night Football” game is an intriguing matchup. In 2025, Denver ended Kansas City’s streak of nine consecutive AFC West titles.

The Broncos went 14-3 during the regular season and earned the top seed in the AFC playoffs. Unfortunately, quarterback Bo Nix broke his ankle late in an overtime victory over the Buffalo Bills and missed the AFC title game against the . The Patriots claimed a 10-7 victory to advance to the Super Bowl.