The Kansas City Chiefs were scheduled to take on the Denver Broncos at 8:15 p.m. ET in Week 1 of the NFL season on the night of September 14, which was expected to mark star QB Patrick Mahomes' first appearance since December 14, 2025, when Mahomes suffered a torn ACL and LCL in his left knee.

Prior to the game, Jason Kelce, brother of Mahomes' multi-talented teammate Travis Kelce, shared what he wants to see from Mahomes roughly nine months removed from his catastrophic injury.

“We're waitin' to see what Pat Mahomes looks like. I've been through an ACL rehab; the magic number's nine (months recovery),” Jason Kelce said.

“I've actually dealt with something very similar to this in Philadelphia, Carson Wentz, who was injured late in the season…He still hasn't been hit, he still hasn't been tackled. Runnin' around and creating things is such a superpower that Pat Mahomes has, do we see that tonight? That's what I'm lookin' to see. What version of Pat are we gettin'?”

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Mahomes was scheduled to face off against former teammate Davis Webb of the Broncos in a game pitting 2025's AFC West winner against the Chiefs, who finished 6-11 without their leader at quarterback. Mahomes still put up over 3,500 passing yards last season in 14 games while rushing for a career-high 422 yards.

Mahomes has the skills to be a dual-threat quarterback again. Now the question is whether or not he can pick his spots effectively enough to stay as upright as possible and healthy for an entire season.

The Chiefs added star running back Kenneth Walker this offseason, a huge addition that could pay dividends starting tonight. Walker is expected to be ready after prior injury concerns and could take the pressure off of Mahomes as Kansas City's quest for its fifth Super Bowl title begins.