Nine months to the date after tearing both the ACL and LCL in his left knee, Patrick Mahomes was back under center for hte Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season against the Denver Broncos.
It did not take long for Mahomes to put any concerns over his left knee to rest.
Mahomes scrambled for a touchdown on Kansas City’s opening drive, escaping a collapsing pocket and diving headfirst into the end zone for the game’s opening score:
The touchdown scramble came one play after it seemed that Mahomes had scrambled for a touchdown, only for that score to be taking off the scoreboard due to a pair of holding penalties on the Chiefs offensive line.
Kansas City was given incredible field position to start the drive, thanks to an interception from rookie cornerback Mansoor Delane, making his first NFL start:
Another notable aspect of Kansas City’s first drive? The presence of running back Kenneth Walker III. The new Chiefs running back had seven carries on the first possession of the game, picking up 32 yards on the drive.
That includes runs like this to the right edge:
But the story, of course, is Mahomes. The quarterback somehow worked back to be ready for tonight’s game, again nine months to the day after injuring his left knee in a game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
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