Patrick Mahomes did it again.<\/p>\n
He returned from a severe injury and won on a big stage while also avoiding an injury or re-injury.<\/p>\n
Cool show.<\/p>\n
Can Mahomes and the Chiefs keep this up?<\/p>\n
Just nine months after reconstructive left knee surgery, Mahomes accounted for three touchdowns \u2014 one off a 15-yard rush \u2014 in Kansas City\u2019s 31-10 season-opening win Monday night over the Denver Broncos.<\/p>\n
Solving health challenges is a speciality of Mahomes and the Chiefs.<\/p>\n
Twice, Mahomes quickly overcame a high ankle sprain to win games, most notably five years ago in the Super Bowl.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s what made Monday\u2019s performance by Mahomes and team both extra impressive and something to keep in mind with 16 games to go.<\/p>\n
Mahomes\u2019 left knee wasn\u2019t 100%. And won\u2019t be soon.<\/p>\n
Even with a professional athlete\u2019s resilience and today\u2019s keen sport science, that\u2019s how it goes with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, plus a torn lateral collateral ligament \u2014 the injuries Mahomes sustained in mid-December against the Los Angeles Chargers.<\/p>\n
So says former longtime NFL team physician David Chao of San Diego, who\u2019s also a member of the global ACL Study Group of orthopedic surgeons.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo say that he was 100% defies medical science,\u201d Chao said this week. \u201cIf he played any other position beside quarterback, he would not have been playing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chao said he had doubts the Chiefs would start Mahomes on Monday.<\/p>\n
He expressed no surprise, though, by how it turned out,\u00a0 and lauded how the three-time Super Bowl champion QB and the club handled affairs.<\/p>\n
\u201cGreat job that he played, great job on his rehab,\u201d said Chao, who provides NFL injury analysis on his Sports Injury Central website, sicscore.com,\u00a0 \u201cbut no way he was 100 percent. Medically, that was impossible. Was he good enough to play? Absolutely.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe coaches,\u201d added Chao, \u201ctook care of him with lack of air yards and ball out quick.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Chiefs ran a conversative offense, yet still popped explosive plays.<\/p>\n
Getting the ball out extra fast, Mahomes\u00a0 shaved a half second off his 2025 average and dinked often, posting a meager air yardage of 4.6 yards per attempt.<\/p>\n
Best of all for him, the Chiefs pounded out their third-highest rushing total in coach Andy Reid\u2019s 14-year tenure, despite lacking left tackle\/San Diego State alum Josh Simmons\u2019 injury absence.<\/p>\n
Kenneth Walker, the Super Bowl MVP with Seattle seven months ago, rushed for 173 yards.<\/p>\n
Watching Mahomes go the full 68 snaps,\u00a0 NFL broadcasters had as much fun as Taylor Swift did.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s been moving around fine,\u201d ESPN\u2019s Joe Buck said in the fourth quarter, adding that Mahomes \u201clooks no worse for the wear.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe looked good,\u201d chimed in analyst Troy Aikman.<\/p>\n
Chao estimated Mahomes\u2019 mobility at better than 90% within the pocket, but less so out of it.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Monday night, Broncos QB Bo Nix was returning from his own severe injury \u2014 the ankle fracture last January that led to surgery and a clean-up procedure in April.<\/p>\n
Nix, appearing unsettled most of the game, took four sacks and had a pair of turnovers.<\/p>\n
So, let\u2019s revisit our question:<\/p>\n
Can Mahomes and Chiefs continue to be so resourceful?<\/p>\n
It may get tougher, starting Sunday night in Kansas City<\/p>\n
Advantaged by the Game 1 film, the Colts figure to offer more resistance than a\u00a0 Broncos team that missed 38 tackles.<\/p>\n
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