Pat Surtain II Addresses the Big Patrick Mahomes Question Ahead of Week 1

With the initial 53-man roster set, the Denver Broncos' focus is now fully on Week 1 and the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Broncos swept the Chiefs last season, for the first time since 2014. The Broncos beat a healthy Patrick Mahomes and a still-playoff-relevant Chiefs squad in Denver in Week 11, and again on Christmas Day at Arrowhead.

Mahomes wasn't on the field for that second matchup after he'd torn two ligaments in his knee in Week 15. The Chiefs didn't make the playoffs for the first time in the Mahomes era. It was only the second time Kansas City missed the postseason since Andy Reid became head coach back in 2013.

The Broncos dethroned the Chiefs in the AFC West, capturing the division crown for the first time since 2015 and the No. playoff seed. The Broncos would have been Super Bowl-bound were it not for a freak Bo Nix injury suffered in the divisional round.

That was a painful way to end the season, watching it all slip through Denver's fingers on the doorstep of the Super Bowl. But it felt good to see the Broncos retake the AFC West. Still, they're not sleeping on the enormity of the task at hand in the season opener.

The Broncos will travel to Arrowhead Stadium to take on the Chiefs in Week 1 on Monday Night Football. The primetime lights will shine on the fourth official meeting of Nix and Mahomes.

Broncos All-Pro cornerback Patrick Surtain II is well acquainted with Mahomes and the Chiefs. Although this will be Mahomes's first game back since suffering his knee injury last year, Surtain and the Broncos can't allow themselves to believe they'll be facing anything less than the six-time Pro Bowler and three-time World Champion quarterback that he is.

"It’s still Patrick Mahomes at the end of the day," Surtain said on Tuesday. "We still have to prepare and study for him like years past. So, we’ll be ready."

Will Mahomes stay in the pocket more? Or will he be his usual elusive self against the Broncos?

Even if the Chiefs strive to keep Mahomes in the pocket to limit his exposure to hits, especially against this defense, the Broncos will still be facing one of the greatest quarterbacks of the modern era. It will be interesting to see how much Mahomes trusts his body, though.

"It’s really tough to tell, because coming off an injury like that, it’s pretty tough. But I don’t expect nothing less from him than to be himself," Surtain said of Mahomes. "Obviously, they might change the scheme up for him a little bit, not allow him to run as much, but like you said, to be more of a pocket passer, which he’s good at."

Nix vs. Mahomes: Part IV

Bo Nix, Patrick Mahomes — Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) talks with Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) after the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The Broncos have yet to defeat a Mahomes-led Chiefs squad at Arrowhead. They say that football is a game of inches, and that's how close the Broncos came to knocking Mahomes and company off at Arrowhead in 2024, before Alex Forsyth was knocked on his hindquarters by Chiefs linebacker Leo Chenal, who then promptly batted down Wil Lutz's would-be game-winning kick as time expired.

Alas, the Chiefs were able to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in that one, but it was also they're first experience going head-to-head with Nix as the Broncos' quarterback. Even though Nix was a rookie, Mahomes recognized that the quarterback worm had finally turned for the Broncos.

"[He] just turned to me and said, 'You got one,'" head coach Sean Payton said of Mahomes's Nix comment to him after that game. "… That's something coming from him."

Nix is 2-1 against Mahomes head-to-head.

New Lay of the Land in KC

A few of the faces have changed in Kansas City since last the Broncos faced them. The Chiefs signed Super Bowl MVP running back Kenneth Walker III and rebuilt their backfield with two rookie ball-carriers, including Emmett Johnson and Jaydn Ott. It's an almost entirely rebuilt running back stable.

Along with Mahomes, 11-time Pro Bowl tight end Travis Kelce returns for his 14th NFL season, along with back-to-back first-team All-Pro center Creed Humphrey. Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, and Tyquan Thornton headline Mahomes's receiving corps, so all things considered, Surtain and company will have their work cut out for them.

The Broncos will be anticipating a lot of play-action against them in Kansas City. That's been a trend the Broncos have picked up on, dating back to last season, as teams try to exploit the aggressive nature of their pass rush, and get ahead of the sticks on first down.

Even Denver's 2026 preseason opponents took that tack. Surtain said that defensive coordinator Vance Joseph has recognized that and has been working on a counterpunch.

"I think the main focal point is — VJ is always talking about eyes and discipline — because teams are going to lure us into more boot action, more play-pass and stuff like that," Surtain said on Tuesday. "We’ve been looking at that so far, and we’ve been getting that a lot. So, I think defensively, teams are going to try their best to steer our eyes a little bit. I think the focal point for us is to lock in on our assignment."

Eyes and assignment discipline will be key. Don't think this strategy has been lost on Reid and Mahomes, and now that the Chiefs have a legit No. 1 running back, if the Broncos allow them to get the run game going, it could lead to all sorts of disasterous outcomes on play-action.

The Takeaway

It's never been easy to win at Arrowhead Stadium. The difficulty level of winning there with Mahomes in the lineup is even harder by orders of magnitude.

However, the Broncos know that each year, as a divisional opponent, they have to play in Kansas City at least once. Drawing that challenge in the season opener might be a blessing in disguise, and not just because it'll be Mahomes's first game back; better to rip off the band-aid and get after the Chiefs in Week 1 while all their new pieces are still settling in.

It's going to be as fierce a season-opening matchup as the Broncos have ever drawn. But what better way for a Broncos squad with Super Bowl aspirations to cut its teeth than by crossing swords with Mahomes and company off the bat?

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