Patrick Mahomes answers troubling questions about his serious knee injury on first drive of the Chiefs season

If you were wondering whether Patrick Mahomes would be his old self following the serious knee injury he suffered exactly nine months ago to the day that the Kansas City Chiefs opened their 2026 season, then rest easy.

The quarterback scored on a 15-yard run to culminate his team's first offensive drive of the season against the Denver Broncos and, honestly, the zigzagging dash to the end zone that he finished with a dive said something: He's baaaack! CHIEFS FACE CRITICAL 2026 SEASON WITH PATRICK MAHOMES RETURNING FROM ACL TEAR Look, of course, how the 2026 season ultimately unfolds for the Chiefs, and for what many consider the NFL's top quarterback, remains to be seen.

But that first drive, with Mahomes showing absolutely no fear of being hit, was a statement that puts the rest of the league on notice.

Mahomes basically let it be known he was not worried about getting hit, and that scramble proved it.

He also made it obvious he can maneuver through a defense, gain yardage, do damage, and emerge unscathed.

Even after everything his knee has been through.

TRUMP PRESSES KANSAS CITY BBQ RESTAURANT OWNER ON WHETHER PATRICK MAHOMES WILL START WEEK 1 OF NFL SEASON Mahomes, who is turning 31 later this week, did not get hit in organized team activity sessions.

He didn't get hit in training camp.

He didn't get hit in the preseason, because he didn't play in any of the Chiefs' three games.

He's been hit this game and so that psychological obstacle is now moot.

THE CRAIG CARTON SHOW–UNFILTERED, UNAPOLOGETIC AND UNMISSABLE.

DOWNLOAD HIS DAILY PODCAST NOW! Mahomes is wearing a lightweight brace on his left knee.

He has said it does not deter him from moving as he did before his surgery, but he does eventually expect to shed the gear — perhaps as early as late in this season.

Mahomes tore both the anterior cruciate ligament and lateral collateral ligament in his left knee during the Chiefs’ Dec.