If you were wondering whether Patrick Mahomes would be his old self following the serious knee injury he suffered exactly nine months ago to the day that the Kansas City Chiefs opened their 2026 season on Monday night, then rest easy.
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Chiefs → wonder → night
The quarterback scored on a 15-yard run to culminate his team's first offensive drive of the season against the Denver Broncos and, honestly, the zigzagging dash to the end zone that he finished with a dive said something:
He's baaaack!
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He → score → something
"That was definitely the moment physically where that kind of said all my [rehabilitation] work paid off," Mahomes said.
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Mahomes → say → ?
"Like, I didn't feel anything.
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I → feel → anything
And it's still a process, I still have to keep getting better and better and stay on top of it.
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I → have → it
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page → contain → partners
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News → sign → wager
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that → create → newsroom
The Chiefs, which sunk to a 6-11 record last season, seem to be back as well.
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which → sink → record
They pummeled a talented Denver Broncos team by riding a stifling defense and running back Kenneth Walker rushing for 173 yards and a touchdown.
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They → pummel → yards
Look, it remains to be seen how the season ultimately unfolds for the Chiefs and for what many consider to be the NFL's top quarterback.
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many → look → Chiefs
Mahomes was by no means dominant, completing only 55 percent of his passes and throwing 2 TD passes and 1 interception.
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Mahomes → complete → passes
The focus was gauging Mahomes and his return to health.
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focus → gauge → health
Could he function?
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he → function → ?
Could he still run?
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he → run → ?
Could he still cause problems for the defense?
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he → cause → defense
That first drive, with the quarterback showing no fear of being hit, made a statement that put the rest of the league on notice.
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that → show → notice
"It gave me that confidence back and let me be out there and be myself," Mahomes said.
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Mahomes → give → confidence
Mahomes, who is turning 31 later this week, did not get hit in organized team activity sessions in the spring.
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who → turn → spring
He didn't get hit in training camp.
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He → hit → camp
He didn't get hit in the preseason, because he didn't play in any of the Chiefs' three games.
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he → hit → games
He was hit during the game and so that psychological obstacle is now moot.
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obstacle → hit → game
"I just wanted to play," Mahomes said.
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Mahomes → want → ?
"It was great to get Patrick back in the mix there and knock a little rust off," Chiefs coach Andy Reid said.
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Reid → get → rust
"He hadn't had a chance to play and see things coming at him quite that fast, so I was proud of him and how he handled it."
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he → have → it
Mahomes is wearing a lightweight brace on his left knee.
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Mahomes → wear → knee
He has said it does not deter him from moving as he did before his surgery, but he does eventually expect to shed the gear — perhaps as early as late in this season.
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he → say → season
Mahomes tore both the anterior cruciate ligament and lateral collateral ligament in his left knee during the Chiefs’ Dec. 14, 2025, game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
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Mahomes → tear → Chargers
He underwent surgery in Dallas the next day, with doctors repairing the torn ACL and LCL, and began rehabilitation almost immediately.
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doctors → undergo → rehabilitation
The exceedingly quick timetable for having the surgery was part of a plan, Mahomes has said.
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Mahomes → have → plan
While many doctors urge their player patients to wait until their inflammation goes down before having surgery, Mahomes said his doctors urged him to get the surgery before the inflammation took root.
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inflammation → urge → root
Mahomes then committed to an intensive recovery program that included roughly seven hours of rehabilitation per day.
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that → commit → day
All that led to Monday night.
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that → lead → night
"Once you put him in the game, he's going to play and you better be confident in him running," Reid said.
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Reid → put → game
"The only thing I asked was that [he] get down and, for the most part, he did that."
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he → ask → that
The Aporia
