The Kansas City Chiefs had a lot of players step up and propel them to victory over the Denver Broncos in Week 1.
Running back Kenneth Walker is getting most of the praise, deservingly so. However, the Chiefs got many other standout performance from players throughout their roster. Among them came from a position that doesn’t garner much attention in the NFL.
Kansas City Chiefs P Matt Araiza Among Best Special Teams Performers in Week 1
Araiza is in his third season with the Chiefs, and is developing into one of the best punters in the league. In the season opener against Denver, Araiza booted punts of 55, 41, and 63 yards, pinning the Broncos inside their own 15 yard line twice.
Broncos starting field position after kickoffs:
Denver 35 Denver 32
Broncos starting field position after punts:
Denver 8 (55-yd punt) Denver 12 (41 yd punt) Denver 23 (63-yard punt)
While speaking to the media on Thursday, special teams coordinator Dave Toub praised Araiza for consistently giving the Chiefs the upper hand in field position throughout the night.
“I thought Matt Araiza had a great game,” Toub said. “I thought he could have been (AFC Special Teams) Player of the Week, he was that good. He was bombing the ball, and helping us with field position.
In 2025 Araiza ranked 11th in punts downed inside the 20, and allowed only three touchbacks. During Super Bowl LIX in 2024, Araiza set a record for the most yards per punt average with 51.8 on six attempts.
Chiefs Special Teams Must Clean up Penalties
Although Araiza had a great game in Week 1, the punt and kickoff coverage units did not. They racked up four penalties, giving the Chiefs’ offense long fields for most of the night. Toub acknowledged they have to get better, particularly the young players.
“We had some rookies make mistakes, but still too many penalties,” Toub said. “Four penalties in a game is four too many on special teams. We’re usually striving for none. But, they happen. We had some aggressive penalties. I don’t want the guys to not be aggressive, but at the same time we got to be smart, and we talked about it all week.”
Fortunately, Kansas City’s offense overcame the tough field position multiple times, putting up 31 points in the game. The Chiefs’ special teams unit was heavily penalized last season, making it concerning that it started 2026 the same way.
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