KANSAS CITY, Mo. — On second-and-15 at the 15-yard line, Patrick Mahomes hadn’t planned to run. Coming back from torn ACL and LCL ligaments suffered Dec. 14, he’d told coach Andy Reid he wanted to feel contact on the move at some point in his return — but on that sequence he was expecting to throw to Travis Kelce.
When Kelce wasn’t open and Broncos defenders converged, Mahomes initially looked to pick up a few yards. As tacklers crumpled around him, he sensed he could extend the play and dove for the goal line. From the sideline, defensive tackle Chris Jones admitted he wanted to yell for him to slide, then exhaled when Mahomes got up and appeared fine.
After 274 days off, Mahomes showed on Monday night that his rehab restored his physical ability to play at the NFL level: he made evasive moves, absorbed contact and ran the offense. But he also acknowledged he’s not fully back mentally. At times he sped his throws, failed to work through second- and third-read progressions and overstrided, producing some low passes. Many of the team’s bigger gains came via short throws turned into big plays after the catch rather than lengthy downfield completions.
“I’ve got to get back to being balanced,” Mahomes said, admitting he tried to force a few throws early. Still, the Chiefs built a win around plays and players that supported him — notably new addition Kenneth Walker.
Walker set the tone early, running seven times for 32 yards on the drive that led to Mahomes’ scramble. By the end of the night the former Seahawks star had exploded for 191 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns — more total yards than the Broncos produced all game (176). Kansas City trusted him on all downs, even on a fourth-and-1 from their own 40, when Walker broke outside and sprinted 60 yards down the sideline. Reid called the run “a thing of beauty.”
The Chiefs also showed creativity late: on a goal-line sequence in the fourth quarter, Mahomes and backup Justin Fields lined up in unconventional spots and handed off to Walker on a play inspired by old film footage — a look the team says they’ll use again with variations.
Kansas City dominated the second half, outscoring Denver 24-3 after a tight start and finishing with a 31-10 victory over the 2025 AFC runner-up Broncos. Mahomes completed 15 of 27 passes for 184 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, rebounding from an 8-of-18 first half as the team ran for 220 yards to control the clock. The defense created turnovers, including an early interception that handed Mahomes a short field, recovered two fumbles and held Denver to just 2-of-12 on third downs.
Much of the Chiefs’ offense relied on yards-after-catch and downfield blocking by receivers; Mahomes didn’t complete a pass more than 12 air yards all night, but he didn’t need to. Teammates praised his toughness and presence — and Mahomes, who greeted owners and family after the game, took responsibility for areas he can improve.
“For us to run the ball like this, I have to show we can pass it too,” he said, noting that building on the win starts with his own development. As the rust fades, the Chiefs showed they can win with Mahomes managing and others, especially Walker, stepping up.
Fan take: This game matters because it suggests Mahomes’ comeback is real physically while highlighting how a balanced team can carry an elite quarterback easing back into form. If Kansas City keeps combining a dominant run game, stout defense and Mahomes’ playmaking, it could reshape how contenders approach roster construction and injury returns leaguewide.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
