Patrick Mahomes returns from knee injury as Kansas City Chiefs storm past Denver Broncos

Kenneth Walker III ran for 173 yards and scored two touchdowns on debut while Patrick Mahomes made his return from knee surgery as the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Denver Broncos 31-10 on Monday night.

Mahomes did not appear to be affected by the knee, or the brace he wore on it, as he threw for 184 yards and two scores while running for another to help the Chiefs snap a three-game skid against the rival that ended their nine-year run as AFC West division champions.

Walker carried 23 times to finish with the most yards rushing by a Chiefs player since Jamaal Charles ran for 226 against the Colts in 2012, the year before Andy Reid became their coach. The ex-Seahawks star, who signed with the Chiefs in free agency, also had three catches for 18 yards.

The Broncos, meanwhile, were abysmal on offense in their first game with coordinator Davis Webb calling the plays.

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Stats leaders

Broncos:

Passing: Bo Nix, 17/28, 131 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT

Rushing: J.K. Dobbins, 8 carries, 36 yards

Receiving: Evan Engram, 4 catches, 43 yards, 1 TD

Chiefs:

Passing: Patrick Mahomes, 15/27, 184 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT

Rushing: Kenneth Walker, 23 carries, 173 yards, 1 TD

Receiving: Travis Kelce, 3 catches, 71 yards

Bo Nix threw for 131 yards with an interception and a lost fumble, and the Broncos finished with 176 yards of offense, all despite the offseason splash they made by trading a package of draft picks to Miami for wide receiver Jaylen Waddle.

Waddle had one catch for two yards, while Evan Engram led the Broncos with four catches for 43 yards and their lone touchdown.

The big question, even after Mahomes participated in the entire offseason programme and every practice of training camp, was how his surgically repaired left knee would hold up nine months to the day since he was hurt in a game against the Chargers. He erased any doubts when he capped the Chiefs' opening drive with a 15-yard touchdown run.

It was Walker who did most of the running, though. The Super Bowl MVP for Seattle, who signed a three-year, $43.05m deal this offseason, had 14 carries for 89 yards in the first half alone, along with a couple of catches out of the backfield.

The Broncos tied the game on Nix's 19-yard touchdown pass to Engram, but Walker carried the load as the Chiefs pieced together a 10-play, 80-yard drive late in the half. It ended when Mahomes found Rashee Rice, fresh off a knee injury of his own, and he caromed off a couple of Broncos defenders and into the end zone to make it 14-7 at the break.

Then it was Walker's turn to bounce off a defender, turning a fourth-and-one carry into a 60-yard touchdown run to start the third quarter.

The teams traded field goals later in the quarter thanks to big plays by each side: Brandon Jones intercepted Mahomes deep in Chiefs territory, setting up Wil Lutz's chip shot, and then Mahomes connected with Travis Kelce for 59 yards to set up Harrison Butker's field goal.

Nix's fumble on the ensuing possession allowed the Chiefs to put the game away.

Mahomes hit rookie running back Emmett Johnson on third down for a 26-yard gain, setting up first-and-goal at the Denver two. Andy Reid then turned to his bag of tricks as Mahomes lined up in a three-point stance alongside back-up QB Justin Fields, took the snap and shovelled the ball to Walker, who scooted untouched for the score.

'Mahomes makes the game easier'

Walker credited the presence of Mahomes as a contributing factor to his dazzling Chiefs debut as the Kansas City quarterback sought to reignite what has been a spluttering offense in recent seasons.

"They got to key on Pat. Pat's the best quarterback in the league," Walker said. "He makes the run game a lot easier."

Mahomes suffered a season-ending ACL and LCL injury last December before immediately undergoing surgery and dedicating the offseason to his recovery. Any questions over his mobility would be answered swiftly on Monday night by way of his 15-yard touchdown scurry.

"If I was going to say I was nervous for anything, it was getting hit on it," Mahomes said. "But I just wanted to play. I've done so much rehab and so much work to put myself in this position. I just wanted to play.

"This is what you do it for. My guys around me helped me. I didn't play my best football and we went out and beat a really good football team pretty well, and it's because the guys around me stepped up.

"It's just the start of it. We're still so early in the season. It's a great win but it's just Week One."

Head coach Reid hailed Mahomes as "phenomenal" as his team laid down an early statement after failing to win their division for the first time since 2015 last season.

"It was great to get Patrick back in the mix there, knock a little rust off," said Reid. "I was proud of him and how he handled it, and he ran the ball a couple of times, and your hat goes off to the guy. Phenomenal."

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