The Kansas City Chiefs brushed aside the Denver Broncos in Monday Night Football, and began their 2026 NFL season with a 31-10 win against their AFC West rivals.Returning franchise quarterback Patrick Mahomes, playing nine months after surgery on a torn ACL and LCL, was impressive. He ran in the opening touchdown and threw for two more in a statement victory.The Chiefs returned to NFL action with a big win over the BroncosGettyNew running back Kenneth Walker III also shone on his Chiefs debut, with a career-high 173 yards en-route to two scores.As well as those on the field drawing praise, head coach Andy Reid and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo also won plaudits for what ESPN commentator Troy Aikman described as ‘gamesmanship’ on the Monday Night Football broadcast.Chiefs praised for timeout tactic in Week 1 win vs BroncosComing out of timeouts, when the Broncos huddled and prepared their offensive scheme, the Chiefs huddled up opposite them with 13 to 15 players from the defensive unit.NFL teams are only allowed to field 11 defensive players during a play, but by having more players huddle up, Kansas City appeared to try and confuse Denver.It’s likely that offensive coordinator Davis Webb and quarterback Bo Nix wouldn’t know which players were staying on the field, thus making it difficult to find a quick strategy to get past them.Late in the game, Aikman noted the tactic.“There’s been a little gamesmanship, during the TV timeout,” he said.“Really throughout the game, whenever there’s been a timeout on the field, Kansas City — they’ve put 13, 15 guys in the huddle — and wait for Denver to declare.“They wait until the last possible minute, even when Denver puts their offensive personnel on the field, before they declare.”The gamesmanship, as Aikman described it, quickly caught attention on social media.View Tweet: https://t.co/hMDA7RM0PVFans think Chiefs could force rule change with Broncos tactic“This is actually genius. Every offense in the league should be doing this instead of complaining about the clock,” one fan wrote on X.“You just know every defense is doing this now moving forward. Spags is the greatest,” another suggested.“This is pretty wild to watch…” a third wrote.“V smart,” a fourth said.“I like how the Chiefs do something legal enough every year. They push the boundaries of the NFL rule books,” a fifth concluded.Right now, of course, the tactic indeed is ‘legal enough.’ Some, though, are worried the Chiefs have exposed a loophole, and that a rule change will soon come.Nix and the Broncos offense struggled against the Chiefs and their tacticsGettyNix was picked off by Delane in the first quarter of the gameGetty“Sounds like they’re breaking a future rule,” one fan claimed.“So ‘too many men in the huddle’ penalties only apply to the offense??” another asked.“Penalty! Flag!” a third said.“Sam Wyche of the Cincinnati Bengals did a sideline huddle to obscure who was going in on offense. The NFL banned it,” fourth pointed out.NFL Weekly Newsletter - SIGN UP!talkSPORT is your home for NFL in the UK as we launch our biggest year of coverage yet!2026 promises to be an epic year for NFL on talkSPORT – and we want you to join us for the ride.MORE INFO & SIGN-UP HERE!This season will be our biggest ever with live commentary of 90+ games, including behind-the-scenes access to international games and all three London fixtures, plus bumper coverage of Super Bowl 61 at SoFi Stadium.Exclusive interviews, hard-hitting opinion, latest front-office drama and top breaking news – all delivered straight to your inbox each week.Only time will tell if the Chiefs’ gamesmanship goes the same way as Wyche’s huddles of the 1980s. But as it stands, KC is free to use their own tactic — and put it to good use against the Broncos.