Beat: Chiefs eager to test Mahomes (knee) limits

Mahomes was under duress throughout this one. He took multiple hits and was sacked twice, but managed to come up with just enough plays to pull off the road win against a spry Raiders team. Mahomes threw his first touchdown of the day in the first quarter, finding Tyquan Thornton for a two-yard score, then connected with Thornton again in the fourth quarter for an eight-yard touchdown near the back of the end zone. Mahomes’ longest play of the game also went to Thornton, when the speedster broke free down the left sideline to make a 55-yard catch. Unfortunately, Thornton exited the game with a gruesome ankle injury after the play, but he did set up Kenneth Walker for a two-yard touchdown run on the ensuing play. Mahomes and the Chiefs are now 4-0 as they enter their Week 5 bye week. They’ll play host to the Chargers, who are 0-4 when they return in Week 6.

With the Dolphins playing ball-control offense, the Chiefs were limited to just 49 total plays, but Mahomes and company compensated with extreme efficiency. That included long catch-and-run gains to Travis Kelce and Rashee Rice, with Mahomes also finding the former for an end zone score. Mahomes has now posted multiple passing scores in each of his first three starts. It took him seven games to accomplish that feat last year. There was a scary moment when Mahomes got “body weighted” by DL Chop Robinson, but Mahomes shook it off as Robinson was flagged for roughing. Currently averaging 8.3 yards per attempt after that number was 7.1 a year ago, Mahomes is looking at home in this “new look” Chiefs attack once again coordinated by Eric Bieniemy. He has another soft Week 4 matchup in the Raiders before the Chiefs head on early-season bye.

Mahomes looked much more like himself against the Colts than he did against the Broncos in Week 1, with his typical mobility in the pocket on full display as he extended plays. He even escaped the pocket twice to pick up crucial first downs with his legs in key situations, looking closer to how he did before tearing his ACL in 2025. Mahomes managed to complete two passes greater than 30 yards, one to Tyquan Thornton and one to Rashee Rice, an area of his game that he has not excelled in over the previous two seasons. Even so, it took the Chiefs two possessions in overtime to finally sneak by the tenacious Colts, moving to a 2-0 record ahead of a road date with the Dolphins in Week 3. Mahomes has returned to weekly QB1 status, although the team could look to continue its dominance on the ground against a week opponent.

Mahomes ran the ball seven times for 23 yards and one touchdown last week before practicing in full this week. Both factors are encouraging. The Chiefs’ star quarterback warrants QB1 treatment against the Colts in Week 2.

Rashee Rice (knee) is also practicing in full. Both players underwent offseason knee procedures and had slow ramp-ups during the summer. Both players were active for Week 1 and found the end zone. Mahomes did so on the ground, putting the notion that he would be hampered by the knee issue to rest. The passing attack still looked shaky in Week 1, but there are no health concerns for either player. Mahomes will be a low-end QB1 versus the Colts, and Rice will hold a spot in the WR2 ranks.

A rushing score on the team’s first possession appeared to calm fantasy owners’ nerves as that was the area of Mahomes’ game most in question coming off the injury, but concerns grew as he completed just two of his first 12 pass attempts in his first start since suffering a torn ACL in 2025. A passing score to Rashee Rice at the end of the first half elevated his counting stats further before a shuttle pass touchdown to Kenneth Walker after the break took him into fantasy QB1 territory. Even so, the outing was far from perfect as Mahomes missed numerous open receivers on his way to a paltry 6.8 yards per pass attempt. Mahomes’ lone interception was a badly overthrown ball on a miscommunication in the third quarter that could have been much more damning had the Kansas City defense not held the Broncos to a field goal on the resulting possession. With games against the Colts, Dolphins, and Raiders on tap the next three weeks, the Chiefs could continue to lean on Walker after the recent addition out-gained the entire Denver offense by himself in Week 1. Mahomes will be difficult to trust until he proves to be more accurate through the air.

Earlier this week, Chiefs coach Andy Reid said there is a “good chance” that Mahomes starts in Week 1. At this point, we would be surprised if he didn’t. The Chiefs’ quarterback is coming off season-ending ACL and LCL tears and will likely scramble less frequently than he did last year, potentially hurting his expected fantasy football output. He is a borderline QB1/2 against the Broncos’ elite defense.

We would be very surprised if Mahomes didn’t start Week 1 given how this has trended this offseason, but Reid left it in some doubt, adding “Most likely, he’ll be the guy that’s out there.” Justin Fields would be the starter if Mahomes couldn’t go, we doubt we’ll be talking about that possibility seriously on Friday or Saturday ahead of Kansas City’s MNF opener.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid and QB Patrick Mahomes believe last season’s run game failed to make defenses respect their play-action run fakes. With Walker now on board, the Chiefs believe both the run game and play-action game will improve. The staff has catered to Walker by installing more plays from under center, which Walker prefers to shotgun. “One way Walker can help transform the offense,” per Taylor, “is by becoming a true dual-threat player.” Reid believes Walker’s “receiving skills and ability to make defenders miss” will allow Reid to incorporate “one of his favorite passing concepts: the variety of plays where a play-action fake to the running back is executed before a short screen pass is thrown back to the same running back.” Walker should be expected to handle a high-end, dual-threat workload. He is a locked-in RB1 with immense upside.

Mahomes will sit the entire preseason, though that shouldn’t be taken as an indication that he won’t be ready for Week 1. He suffered a torn ACL and LCL in Week 15 last year, which would normally make the 2026 opener a tight turnaround. Superstars just recover differently from other players. Mahomes has had no issues throwing or running during training camp and his absence from the preseason is likely a precautionary measure from Andy Reid and the Chiefs. We fully expect him to take on the Broncos when Week 1 rolls around.