Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are finally getting the update they’ve waited nine months for. The quarterback carries no injury designation into Monday night’s opener against the Denver Broncos, clearing him to start after tearing his ACL and LCL last December.
It’s the return Kansas City has built its entire offseason around, and it fittingly arrives against the defending AFC West champions. Kansas City is looking to move past a 6-11 season that snapped nearly a decade of dominance.
In fact, the Broncos swept Kansas City in 2025, though Mahomes played in just one of those meetings. He tore multiple ligaments in Week 15 against the Los Angeles Chargers, ending his season early.
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But Monday isn’t just another opener for Mahomes. Nobody has watched his recovery as closely as his wife, Brittany, who’s stood by his side through every stage of the comeback.
Ahead of kickoff, Mahomes shared a hype video built around his highlights and his own voice-over, framing his return as a step toward getting Kansas City back into the championship conversation. Brittany re-posted it and added a message of her own, “I’m so ready for this!😎🗣️💯🔥.”
The Chiefs missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014 and lost their grip on nine straight AFC West titles. Mahomes posted his least productive season as a starter too, throwing for 3,587 yards, 22 touchdowns and 11 interceptions across 14 starts. Now the six-time Pro Bowler and three-time Super Bowl MVP begins his 10th season.
Mahomes has three Super Bowl rings and three Super Bowl MVP trophies to his name, but Monday marks the first real test of what he looks like on the other side of a major injury.
Mahomes will make his eighth straight Week 1 start when the Chiefs host the Broncos at 8:15 p.m. ET Monday.
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