Patrick Mahomes did it again.
He returned from a severe injury and won on a big stage while also avoiding an injury or re-injury.
Cool show.
Can Mahomes and the Chiefs keep this up?
Just nine months after reconstructive left knee surgery, Mahomes accounted for three touchdowns — one off a 15-yard rush — in Kansas City’s 31-10 season-opening win Monday night over the Denver Broncos.
Solving health challenges is a speciality of Mahomes and the Chiefs.
Twice, Mahomes quickly overcame a high ankle sprain to win games, most notably five years ago in the Super Bowl.
Here’s what made Monday’s performance by Mahomes and team both extra impressive and something to keep in mind with 16 games to go.
Mahomes’ left knee wasn’t 100%. And won’t be soon.
Even with a professional athlete’s resilience and today’s keen sport science, that’s how it goes with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, plus a torn lateral collateral ligament — the injuries Mahomes sustained in mid-December against the Los Angeles Chargers.
So says former longtime NFL team physician David Chao of San Diego, who’s also a member of the global ACL Study Group of orthopedic surgeons.
“To say that he was 100% defies medical science,” Chao said this week. “If he played any other position beside quarterback, he would not have been playing.”
Chao said he had doubts the Chiefs would start Mahomes on Monday.
He expressed no surprise, though, by how it turned out, and lauded how the three-time Super Bowl champion QB and the club handled affairs.
“Great job that he played, great job on his rehab,” said Chao, who provides NFL injury analysis on his Sports Injury Central website, sicscore.com, “but no way he was 100 percent. Medically, that was impossible. Was he good enough to play? Absolutely.
“The coaches,” added Chao, “took care of him with lack of air yards and ball out quick.”
The Chiefs ran a conversative offense, yet still popped explosive plays.
Getting the ball out extra fast, Mahomes shaved a half second off his 2025 average and dinked often, posting a meager air yardage of 4.6 yards per attempt.
Best of all for him, the Chiefs pounded out their third-highest rushing total in coach Andy Reid’s 14-year tenure, despite lacking left tackle/San Diego State alum Josh Simmons’ injury absence.
Kenneth Walker, the Super Bowl MVP with Seattle seven months ago, rushed for 173 yards.
Watching Mahomes go the full 68 snaps, NFL broadcasters had as much fun as Taylor Swift did.
“He’s been moving around fine,” ESPN’s Joe Buck said in the fourth quarter, adding that Mahomes “looks no worse for the wear.”
“He looked good,” chimed in analyst Troy Aikman.
Chao estimated Mahomes’ mobility at better than 90% within the pocket, but less so out of it.
Never making a big mistake, Mahomes drew from his Super Bowl performance on a gimpy ankle. On that day, Eagles QB Jalen Hurts did a lot right, but where Mahomes avoided any turnovers in finishing with three TDs, Hurts had a fumble that was returned for a touchdown.
Monday night, Broncos QB Bo Nix was returning from his own severe injury — the ankle fracture last January that led to surgery and a clean-up procedure in April.
Nix, appearing unsettled most of the game, took four sacks and had a pair of turnovers.
So, let’s revisit our question:
Can Mahomes and Chiefs continue to be so resourceful?
It may get tougher, starting Sunday night in Kansas City
Advantaged by the Game 1 film, the Colts figure to offer more resistance than a Broncos team that missed 38 tackles.