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 New England Patriots. The Patriots claimed a 10-7 victory to advance to the Super Bowl.
Nix is expected to be ready for the season opener. On Monday, Denver head coach Sean Payton said Nix will be “full strength by training camp,” per NFL.com.
Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) throws a touchdown pass against the Kansas City Chiefs. | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
Meanwhile, Chiefs superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes is working his way back from ACL and LCL tears in his left knee. He suffered the injury in Week 15 of the season, but is “way ahead of schedule” and targeting Week 1 for his return, according to Chiefs GM Brett Veach.
“Hopeful within that matchup we get Mahomes and Nix, which makes it that much better,” Buck said.
Silver anniversary for Buck, Aikman
Buck, a recipient of the Pete Rozelle Radio and Television Award at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and Aikman, a Hall of Fame quarterback who won three Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys, are celebrating 25 years together as a broadcast team.
They broadcast six Super Bowls together on Fox before moving to ABC/ESPN in 2022. Their 25-year run surpassed John Madden and Pat Summerall (21 years) for the longest partnership in history.
“The good part is that I get to stand next to him,” Buck said of Aikman. “You kinda know where the other person is going before sometimes they do. I can read his body language. I know when he wants to talk; I know when he doesn’t.”
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