Though the Kansas City Chiefs' Week 1 win over the Denver Broncos will go down as the Kenneth Walker III game, with the Super Bowl MVP rushing for 173 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries, it's hard to find an area of the game where Andy Reid's squad didn't look like a certified contender.

Case in point: Dan Orlovsky was particularly impressed with how Steve Spagnuolo's defense was able to attack first-year play-caller Davis Webb early and often, as he explained on NFL Live.

“I'd also say this. I was shocked how good the defense was in Kansas City last night. This was not all about, ‘Oh my gosh, Davis Webb can't call plays, and Sean Payton should come save the day.’ That's going to be a conversation. But the first snap of the game, Spags sends both corners blitzing. Of course he does. I thought the linebackers were outstanding against the run. The coverage on the perimeter. I texted you during the game going, who's No. 20?” Orlovsky said of 2025 third-round pick Nohl Williams.

“I was hopeful that they would run the football. I was. I was way more, I guess, question-mark-centric about the defense. What I watched last night, it felt like a defense that could carry them early on as the offense really starts to settle in. And no question, it's a championship-caliber defense, at least from what we saw last night.”

In 2025, offense was rarely a problem for the Broncos, with Payton's squad ranking 14th in points scored, 11th in passing yards, and 16th in rushing. Though the sample size is small, holding an offense that added Jaylen Waddle to 13.6 points below their 2025 average is a testament to Kansas City's completeness as a football team.

"I was shocked how good the defense was in Kansas City last night."@danorlovsky7 breaks down the impact the Chiefs defense had in their Monday Night Football win 🙌 pic.twitter.com/O5qIRlooFl

— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) September 15, 2026