Patrick Mahomes played his first game since tearing the ACL and LCL in his left knee, and the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Denver Broncos 31-10 on Monday Night Football at Arrowhead Stadium to close Week 1 of the 2026 season.
Mahomes completed 15 of 27 passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns. He also scored on the opening drive, scrambling out of the pocket for a 15-yard touchdown run at a top speed of 15.8 mph, per ESPN. Kansas City led 14-7 at halftime, per FOX Sports.
The injury and the return
Mahomes was hurt on December 14, 2025, in Week 15 against the Los Angeles Chargers, when his left knee hyperextended as he planted on a scramble. Dr. Dan Cooper performed surgery in Dallas the next morning, ESPN reported. The Chargers loss eliminated Kansas City from the playoffs for the first time since 2014, and the Chiefs finished 6-11, according to FOX Sports. Mahomes was fully cleared for training camp in July, a month after he signed a $504.75 million extension, the first NFL contract over $500 million.
Walker, Kelce and the defense
Kenneth Walker III, the reigning Super Bowl MVP, ran for 173 yards and finished with 191 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns, one rushing and one receiving, in his first game with Kansas City. His rushing score went for 60 yards on fourth-and-inches in the third quarter. He is the third Chiefs player since 2000 with 100 rushing yards in a team debut.
Travis Kelce caught three passes for 71 yards and passed Jason Witten for the second-most receiving yards by a tight end in NFL history. Heavy reports Kelce now has 13,067 career yards, 2,060 behind Tony Gonzalez.
Denver quarterback Bo Nix went 17 of 28 for 131 yards with a touchdown and an interception, per NBC New York, fumbled three times and lost one, and was sacked four times. Cornerback Mansoor Delane had the Chiefs' interception, and R Mason Thomas had a sack.
The Chiefs host the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, September 20, at 8:20 p.m. ET, per ESPN. Every other Week 1 result is in our NFL Week 1 scoreboard.
Source: ESPN
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