Patrick Mahomes returned from injury as a Kansas City Chiefs opened the season with a 31-10 win over the Denver Broncos.
Mahomes, playing in his first game since suffering a serious knee injury, and new signing Kenneth Walker III impressed on the floor 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 few signs of concern during his return.
On his 10th snap, the quarterback rolled out of the pocket and dove into the end zone while being hit by two defenders for a 15-yard touchdown.
“Going into the end zone, it gave me a little bit of 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 go out there and play.”
Walker stars in Kansas City debut
Walker, the reigning Super Bowl MVP, was the standout performer in his first appearance with 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 quarter-and-inch run early in the third quarter.
On 26 carries, Walker produced 191 all-purpose yards and became just the third player since 2000 to record at least 100 rushing yards in his Chiefs debut.
“It means a lot,” Walker said. “We just had to come out here and execute it and show it.”
Chiefs coach Andy Reid praised the running back’s performance, saying, “For him to play the way he did, I thought it was spectacular.”