Inside the moment Patrick Mahomes passed the test he was waiting to take - USA Today

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – It came about halfway through the first quarter on Monday night, after Patrick Mahomes went through all the normal and not-so-normal formalities – the anthem, coin toss, opening kickoff and, well, seven handoffs to Kenneth Walker III – at steamy Arrowhead Stadium.

Mahomes, back in live action nine months to the day when he tore the ACL and LCL in his left knee on this safe turf, took a shotgun snap and scanned the field. Nothing.

So, the dynamic Kansas City Chiefs quarterback took off. Never mind the custom brace under his uniform that provides a reminder that he is coming back from the most significant injury of his football career – and most grueling rehab. Mahomes bolted from the pocket and threw caution to the wind as he scrambled from the Broncos 15-yard line.

This had to happen – eventually. Instincts took over. For an instant, Mahomes – who promised himself and declared publicly that he would run less than he has in recent years – figured he would get a few yards to set up a more manageable third down. Instincts. Mahomes saw a gaping hole in the middle of the field and a clear path to paydirt.

He went for it. To cross the goal line, he needed to take off on a dive from the 2-yard line, survive the equivalent of a car crash – and a hit on that left knee.

Done. And it not only held up, it felt so good.

For Mahomes, 30, the bang-bang sequence also indicated that he indeed had come all the way back. It’s routine for players returning from serious injuries to maintain that it’s like crossing a psychological – and physical – bridge when they absorb the first hit and nothing happens. And Mahomes, as great as he has proven to be over time, is no different.

If you saw the authentic joy that wrapped his end zone celebration – a thunderous spike and proud flex – you knew, too.

“Physically, that’s the moment,” Mahomes said during his postgame news conference following the 31-10 blasting of the Broncos. “I’ve still got to keep working. I want to get some of these passes down the field a little more. That’ll help me out mentally, to kind of get back into the rhythm of things.

“But that was definitely the moment, physically, to say, like, all this work’s paid off. I didn’t feel anything.”

Exhale, Chiefs Kingdom. Your franchise quarterback came back for a triumphant return – and with a lot of help from Walker, the recently-acquired running back who made life easier for Mahomes by scorching Denver’s D for 173 yards on 23 carries – to extract a measure of revenge on the Broncos squad that took away the AFC West crown from Kansas City.

There’s no shame, though, in holding your breath for final confirmation after Mahomes didn’t play a single snap in preseason and was, of course, off-limits for contact during training camp.

Chris Jones, the veteran D-tackle and ringleader of the Chiefs defense, watched from the sideline as Mahomes took off on his early scramble.

“I’m like, ‘Pat slide, okay?’ ”  Jones said.

“The ACL, I was a little nervous. But Pat has a big body, running in. Once he got up did the shoulders, I’m like, ‘Okay, we’re good.’ But for a minute I held my breath to make sure QB 1 is okay.”

Sliding is undoubtedly one of the themes that Chiefs coach Andy Reid is prone to discuss with his quarterback. Yet Reid also knows that at a certain point, the coaching tips are covered with trust.

“Once you put him in the game, he’s going to play,” said Reid, alluding to scrambles and other forms of instinctive actions. “And you’d better be confident.”

Reid grinned as he contemplated the scenario for Mahomes.

“Yeah, he kept saying he wanted to get that one hit, and he would be right back in the flow,” Reid said. “I’m not sure I agree with that part.”

Mahomes logged a career-high 422 rushing yards in 2025, and it had nothing to do with collecting style points. Instead, it reflected lagging support.

He was often running for his life behind an O-line that has had issues of consistency at the tackle posts, as Mahomes was sacked the most over two seasons in his career (70) the past two campaigns. And this went hand in hand with the lack of consistent punch in the running game. Mahomes hasn’t had a running back with a 1,000-yard season since Kareem Hunt in 2017, and last season in particular he became the team’s biggest rushing threat. Not good. Lamar Jackson has Derrick Henry and Josh Allen has James Cook. But Mahomes, who has had Hunt and Isiah Pacheco for relative bursts, has had to carry too much weight without a consistent backfield mate.

That will change now, with Walker, the reigning Super Bowl MVP, in the flow.

And this is just the beginning. Mahomes was undeniably a bit rusty in his return, with more errant throws than typical. The timing was off, the deep and intermediate passes not as crisp. He started the game just 2-for-12 and finished 15-for-27. He passed for two TDs, but one was a 1-yard flip to Walker on a goal-line gadget play and the other was a 13-yard toss to Rashee Rice that involved the receiver breaking tackles to turn it into six points. There was an ugly interception and an average 86.0 passer rating.

“I’ve got to be better,” Mahomes said. “But it’s a good start, as far as being out there and playing.”

But at least he’s checked the box for knowing that he can survive taking that first hit.