Jared Dubin· Sep 14, 2026
The unbylined CBS Sports preview picks Denver to win at Arrowhead in Week 1, 21-20, and expects Kenneth Walker III to be Kansas City's lead back while Jaylen Waddle serves as Bo Nix's top receiving target in Denver.
“Pick: Broncos 21, Chiefs 20”
published in writing · CBS Sports · read the original →
3 checkable claims — 2 depth chart calls and 1 score prediction — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet.
It names 4 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
1 of 3 have settled so far, averaging 2.4 out of 100, against 51.9 for a naive guess at the same calls.
Of the 2 unsettled calls enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands below the rest of the room on every one.
Where this call stands in the room
Kenneth Walker III · 2026 season19 calls from 16 pundits between 1 and 1. Jared Dubin said 1. the room's median is 1. not settled yet
Every dot is a call somebody published on the same question. Where the dots land says where this take sits, not whether it is right — nothing here is settled yet. Hover a dot for the name and number; click it to read that take.
Where do you stand? Pick this and every open claim on Picks →
Who this take is about
The game in this take
- Broncos at Chiefs 45 calls
3 checkable claims in this take
Each one is scored on its own against the published methodology. A pundit naming several outcomes is graded on each, not on all-or-nothing.
- Score PredictionsDenver BroncosSep 14, 2026
Denver Broncos 21 — Chiefs 20
“Pick: Broncos 21, Chiefs 20”
Miss · 2Scored 2.38a naive guess scored 51.93-99.11 skillHow this was scored
- score:
- 10-31
- skill:
- -99.11
- they picked:
- DEN
- season:
- 2026
- accuracy:
- 2.38
- baseline:
- 51.93
- difficulty:
- 2
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- actual margin:
- 21
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- naive home margin:
- 0.81
- predicted margin:
- 1
- Depth Chart CallsJaylen WaddleDenver BroncosSep 14, 2026
Jaylen Waddle to be 1st on the depth chart
“now he'll likely be Nix's top target in Denver ... he should operate as the primary option in Sean Payton's passing attack”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Kenneth Walker III to be 1st on the depth chart
“Walker has been in a timeshare for most of his career, but is expected to be the full-on lead back in Kansas City.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
What others said about the same people
- Pete PriscoScore Predictions · Kansas City ChiefsClose · 57Prisco is the lone expert cited picking Kansas City, 20-17 over Denver.
- Tyler SullivanScore Predictions · Denver BroncosMiss · 10Sullivan picks Denver to beat Kansas City 24-20.
- Jordan DajaniScore Predictions · Denver BroncosMiss · 7Dajani picks the Broncos over the Chiefs, 17-14.
- John BreechScore Predictions · Denver BroncosMiss · 5In the Pick Six newsletter, Breech picks the Broncos to upset the Chiefs on Monday night, 23-21.
- Danny ParkinsGame Outcome Picks · Denver BroncosMiss · 0Parkins picked the Giants to upset Dallas, the Steelers to beat Atlanta by two scores, the Bears to beat Carolina, the Bills to beat Houston and Denver to beat Kansas City outright; he also said Justin Herbert will win an MVP and had the Bengals as AFC North champs.
- Eric ManginiGame Outcome Picks · Denver BroncosMiss · 0Mangini's upset alert was Washington over Philadelphia; in the chips segment he backed Houston, Dallas and Denver; and his Monday headline was Cincinnati mauling Tampa Bay, with Joe Burrow as his MVP and the Bengals as AFC North champs.
More depth chart calls
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
- Tyler SullivanDepth Chart Calls · Drew LockMiss · 0In an unsigned Week 2 odds roundup, the piece states that with Sam Darnold hurt, Drew Lock will likely start at quarterback for Seattle against Arizona.
- Ralph VacchianoDepth Chart Calls · Tua TagovailoaMiss · 0Vacchiano ranks all 32 NFL teams entering the 2026 season, with the Rams first and Dolphins last. He also flags the Giants as a potential surprise team with a top-10 defense, and notes Deshaun Watson won Cleveland's QB job while Tua Tagovailoa starts Week 1 in Atlanta.
- Pat FitzmauriceDepth Chart Calls · Kyler MurrayHit · 100Fitzmaurice touts Kyler Murray as a value QB who will start Week 1 for Minnesota, Tyler Shough as the Saints' undisputed starter, and Juwan Johnson and Terrance Ferguson as late-round tight end targets.
- Pat FitzmauriceDepth Chart Calls · Kyler MurrayHit · 100Fitzmaurice expects Kyler Murray to be Minnesota's Week 1 starter and calls him one of the better quarterback values in 2026 drafts; he also views Jordan Love as a top-10 real-life quarterback but only a QB2 in fantasy.
- Steven RuizDepth Chart Calls · Michael Penix Jr.Miss · 0In a retrospective tiering of all 32 starting quarterbacks, Ruiz treats Michael Penix Jr. as the Falcons' Week 1 starter over Kirk Cousins, whom he places in his lowest tier.
- Mike FlorioDepth Chart Calls · Shedeur SandersMiss · 0Florio reports the Browns will start Deshaun Watson in Week 1 but predicts Shedeur Sanders will likely be the starting quarterback by Week 3.