5 takeaways: Chiefs put NFL on notice by dominating Broncos to open season

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — KSHB 41 reporter Tod Palmer covers sports business and eastern Jackson County, including Independence. Share your story idea with Tod.

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Kenneth Walker III scored two touchdowns and showed breakaway ability unseen in the Kansas City Chiefs backfield since Kareem Hunt was a rookie in a 31-10 dismantling of the Denver Broncos to open the season on Monday Night Football at Arrowhead Stadium.

The Chiefs didn't run for more than 158 yards in any game last season and the ground game topped 150 yards twice in 2024.

But powered by Walker, who finished with 23 carries for 173 yards, Kansas City blew past 200 yards rushing for the first time since an Oct. 1, 2023, win at the New York Jets on Sunday Night Football.

The Chiefs finished with 38 carries for 220 yards, the most since totaling 245 yards on the ground at Buffalo during the 2020 season.

1. Mahomes serves notice on opening drive

Patrick Mahomes served notice that he will not be babying his knee or avoiding contact, despite being nine months removed from a major knee reconstruction.

Mahomes suffered a torn ACL and LCL in his left knee on Dec. 14, 2025, late in a demoralizing loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.

He returned to action exactly nine months later and capped his first drive back with a 15-yard scramble for a touchdown.

As the pocket collapsed around him, Mahomes tucked the ball and took off, splitting a pair of Broncos defenders and outrunning two more.

Near the goal line, Travis Kelce blocked Talanoa Hufanga while Mahomes secured the ball as he dove, absorbing a shot from safety Brandon Jones to land on the goal line for his 20th career rushing touchdown.

Otherwise, it was far from a vintage Mahomes performance. He moved fine but generally struggled, including a rough interception to set up Denver’s third-quarter field goal.

He finished 15 of 27 for 184 yards with two touchdowns, including a 13-yard second-quarter touchdown to Rashee Rice and a 2-yard touchdown on a nifty misdirection pop pass to Walker.

2. Walker brings new dimension

The Chiefs’ first four offensive snaps were run plays, including a fourth-and-2 effort with Hunter Nourzad as a sixth offensive lineman and Khyris Tonga as a wishbone fullback.

If the goal was to send the rest of the NFL a message about Kansas City’s intentions on offense this season, it was received.

Walker had seven carries for 32 yards on the Chiefs’ first possession of the season, a 10-play touchdown drive.

He finished the first half with 14 carries for 89 yards, adding two catches on five targets for another 16 yards.

It only got better after halftime.

After getting stuffed on a first-down run, Walker bounced a fourth-and-1 run outside — with Tonga leading the way — and took it to the house from 60 yards out.

The longest run by any Kansas City running back during the last two seasons was 34 yards.

Walker’s 60-yard touchdown was the longest for a Chiefs player since Damien Williams’ 91-yard touchdown in a Week 9 matchup against Minnesota on Nov. 3, 2019.

He also had a 28-yard run earlier in the game, in a tackle-breaking display unseen in Chiefs Kingdom since 2021.

Walker’s 173 yards were a career-high and tied for 15th-most in a game in franchise history. He also had three catches for 18 yards, giving him a career-best 191 yards from scrimmage.

It was the second time in Walker’s career he had a rushing and receiving touchdown in the same game.

3. Chiefs pass rush shows juice

Kansas City did OK generating pressure last season, but it seldom affected the play in a meaningful way.

The Chiefs ranked in the top half of the league in pressure rate, but only six teams finished with fewer sacks last season.

Kansas City tied for 26th in the NFL with 14 turnovers created.

But the Chiefs pass rush showed up from the start, especially Lee’s Summit native and former first-round pick Felix Anudike-Uzomah. The fourth-year defensive end reduced inside on third-and-obvious passing downs, generating consistent pressure one-on-one against the Broncos’ interior offensive line.

Anudike-Uzomah’s pressure helped force Nix’s interception on the first drive, and he had a third-quarter strip-sack, which Chris Jones recovered, in a similar situation.

Rookie defensive end R Mason Thomas, who was a second-round pick in April, also got in on the act with his first career sack.

4. Faith in young corners rewarded*

There were plenty of heads a-scratching when the Chiefs traded Trent McDuffie and let Jaylen Watson walk in free agency.

With the prevalence of pass-heavy NFL schemes, cornerbacks with shutdown skills are valuable commodities, but Kansas City rolled the dice that it could replace the 2022 draft picks.

Nohl Williams, a third-round pick in 2025, impressed the Chiefs’ coaching staff last season to slot into one corner spot, while GM Brett Veach moved up to No. 6 overall for LSU’s Mansoor Delane.

Both impressed Monday, but that comes with a massive asterisk.

Delane intercepted Bo Nix on the game’s first third down, stepping in front of Courtland Sutton 15 yards downfield.

Unfortunately, Delane, who was limited during training camp with a right shoulder injury, left the game after being tackled following the pick. He was first considered questionable to return with a shoulder injury before being ruled out for the game.

But Williams was a consistent menace. He sacked Nix on the game’s first snap and sniffed out a screen pass for a 5-yard loss, though an offside penalty negated the play.

Williams also blanketed Troy Franklin deep downfield in the closing minutes for a turnover on downs that helped ice the win. He finished with three tackles and a pass defense.

5. Kelce’s still got it

Veteran tight end Travis Kelce — whose wife Taylor Swift attended the game with Tom Cruise, a crazy sentence to type after a summer filled with World Cup hysteria — finished with three catches for a game-high 71 yards.

That included a 59-yard catch-and-run, which set up a 28-yard Harrison Butker field goal late in the third quarter.

It was the longest reception of Kelce’s career since 2021.

Injury report

Delane (shoulder) did not return after the first drive.

Linebacker Cooper McDonald left the game after suffering an apparent knee injury on the kickoff after the Chiefs’ first touchdown. He went straight to the trainer’s table on the sideline, but McDonald remained on the sideline.

Both Chiefs players were ruled out at halftime.

Up next

The Chiefs (1-0) host the Indianapolis Colts (0-1) on Sunday Night Football at 7:20 p.m.

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