Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs spent most of the offseason fielding questions about whether the two-time MVP’s best football was already behind him, and three weeks into the 2026 season, those doubts look considerably premature.
Kansas City finished 6-11 last year and missed the playoffs, with Mahomes completing just 62.7% of his passes for 22 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, numbers well below his usual standard.
A torn ACL and LCL suffered against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 15 deepened the concern, and the uncertainty carried into the NFL’s Top 100 rankings, where Mahomes slid from No. 5 to No. 18, landing behind three quarterbacks, including New England’s Drake Maye.
Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect
Mahomes, though, approached his recovery differently than most expected, taking every first-team rep through training camp and carrying that momentum straight into the regular season.
Kansas City has opened 3-0 behind wins over the Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts and Miami Dolphins, marking the fifth time under Mahomes that the Chiefs have started a season with a perfect record through three weeks.
Through three games, Kansas City’s star quarterback has thrown for 812 yards with seven touchdowns against two interceptions, completing 68.4% of his passes for a 108.9 passer rating.
Pro Football Focus took notice of the turnaround and unexpectedly moved him up three spots to No. 1 in its latest quarterback rankings heading into Week 4. His 91.4 overall grade sits second in the league, and his 5.9% big-time throw rate has come paired with a turnover-worthy play rate of just 0.9%.
Now Mahomes faces a divisional test with first place in the AFC West on the line. Kirk Cousins and the Las Vegas Raiders have also opened the season unbeaten, though Kansas City has won 13 of the last 16 meetings between the two franchises.
The Chiefs travel to Las Vegas on Sunday, October 4, for a 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff at Allegiant Stadium, airing on CBS and streaming on Paramount+. A win would push Kansas City into its Week 5 bye at a perfect 4-0.
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