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Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes completed one of the more miraculous injury comebacks in recent NFL history. He returned to game action this past Monday, nine months removed from tearing his ACL and LCL in Week 15 of the previous regular season.
While it took him a while to get going and look like his usual self, Mahomes found his footing after a subpar 2-for-10 passing start. He finished the 31-10 win over Denver with 184 yards passing, two touchdowns, and seven carries for 23 yards, including a 15-yard rushing touchdown that came in the first quarter.
Mahomes has explicitly asked the media to stop asking about his knee so often, as he's repeated on several occasions that he feels fine. However, he did field one question about how his knee felt during his Wednesday press conference and said that if anything, the rest of his body had to adjust the most since he hadn't played in a live game in so long.
"I feel normal. Actually, it's like a blessing and a curse, you get sore everywhere else because you haven't played football in so long," he joked. "The leg is the least of my worries right now. I'm just excited to be out there. At the end of the day, you don't know until you get out there and play, and I was able to. I feel good today."
It was fantastic to see the Texas Tech product back on the field at Arrowhead Stadium, but the star of the show was running back Kenneth Walker III. He finished his Chiefs debut with 173 yards on the ground and a rushing and receiving touchdown, turning in one of the best performances by a K.C. tailback in recent history.
Mahomes credits Walker for opening up the passing game. Denver had to start showing more run-oriented looks on defense to stack the box and stop Walker, which in turn helped Mahomes make easier reads and throws.
"When you're able to run the ball like that, defenses have to adjust and have to change," Mahomes said. They probably came out in more shell coverages than we even expected from prior years. We were able to kind of showcase that we're gonna stay true and we're gonna run the ball and get them out of those. And once they got out of those shell coverages, the pass game opened up."
Sep 14, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) reacts against the Denver Broncos in the fourth quarter at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
You don't see a running back post nearly 200 yards from scrimmage and break off as many explosive plays as Walker did on a regular basis. Mahomes knows that the team has a special player in "K9," who ended with the most rushing yards by a Chiefs running back since Jamaal Charles in 2012.
"I think it just more solidified what your beliefs were," Mahomes said about his running back. "I knew he had the speed, I knew he ran tough. But the contact balance and seeing him break those tackles, you could see it in practice, but we're not fully tackling every single day. He showcased it. You've got to wrap him up; you have to hit him the right way in order to tackle him, and if not, he's going to get those yards."
Luckily, Mahomes was able to escape his return game unscathed, largely due to Walker's show-stopping outing and a remarkable effort from the defense. But a big concern going into the night was how the offensive line would fare.
Because Josh Simmons was sidelined with a lingering back injury, undrafted rookie free agent Kahlil Benson filled in for him at left tackle. He had never taken a snap at the position in his collegiate career, yet was tasked with protecting Mahomes' blind side in his professional debut. Talk about pressure.
Reporters asked Mahomes whether he had any advice for Benson going into the contest. He said that he told him just to be himself and do the work that got him to this position.
"The only thing I said to him right before the game was, 'I believe in you,'" Mahomes stated. "That's it. You're out there for a reason. Just go out there and be yourself, do what got you here."
Benson turned out to be excellent in his new role, allowing just one pressure in 32 pass-blocking snaps, per Next Gen Stats. The entire offensive line did well, making sure Mahomes was safe and sound in the pocket.
Although Mahomes can't rely on Walker to put up performances like that every week, he should continue to improve as he ramps back up to game speed. After all, he did not appear in the preseason for the first time in his NFL career. It shouldn't be long before Mahomes starts to look like a premier signal-caller again.
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