Patrick Mahomes made his return from injury as the Kansas City Chiefs opened the season with a 31-10 win over the Denver Broncos.
Mahomes, playing his first game since suffering a serious knee injury, and new signing Kenneth Walker III both impressed on the ground as the Chiefs never trailed at Arrowhead Stadium.
Mahomes underwent surgery in December to repair a torn ACL and LCL in his left knee, but showed little sign of concern during his return.
On his 10th snap, the quarterback scrambled out of the pocket and dived into the end zone while being hit by two defenders to score a 15-yard touchdown.
“Going for the end zone, it kind of gave me that confidence that I can go out there and be myself,†Mahomes said.
“I just wanted to play. I had done so much rehab and so much work to put myself in this position. I just wanted to get out there and play.â€
Walker stars on Kansas City debut
Walker, the reigning Super Bowl MVP, was the standout performer in his first appearance for the Chiefs after joining from the Seattle Seahawks.
He rushed for a career-high 173 yards and scored two touchdowns, including a spectacular 60-yard run on fourth-and-inches early in the third quarter.
Across 26 touches, Walker produced 191 all-purpose yards and became only the third player since 2000 to record at least 100 rushing yards on his Chiefs debut.
“It means a lot,†Walker said. “We just had to come out here and execute and show it.â€
Chiefs coach Andy Reid praised the running back's performance, saying: “For him to play the way he did, I thought it was spectacular.â€
