Nine months and three missed games later, Patrick Mahomes is back.
The Kansas City Chiefs' starting quarterback was a full participant in practice all week leading up to his team's Week 1 clash with the Denver Broncos on "Monday Night Football." Mahomes had no injury designation on the Chiefs' injury report either, another sign pointing to the two-time MVP's Week 1 debut.
Mahomes tore his ACL and LCL in a game against the Los Angeles Chargers last December. One day later, he was on the operating table to repair the knee ligaments with a mission to return in time for Week 1.
The Chiefs' offense and its quarterback have their work cut out for them in the season opener. Denver boasted one of the best defenses in football last year. The Broncos ranked
No. 1 in the NFL in limiting opponents' success rate on dropbacks (38.5%) thanks to a pass-rush attack led by Nik Bonitto and a stellar secondary led by 2024 DPOY Pat Surtain II.
Monday's clash will be the first look at a 2026 Chiefs team looking to bounce back from a 6-11 season that included a missed playoff berth for the first time since 2014. It will also be the first game of Mahomes' 10th season in the NFL, and his ninth straight Week 1 start.
Is Patrick Mahomes playing tomorrow?
Yes, Mahomes is set to start in Week 1 for the ninth consecutive season since taking over as Kansas City's starter in 2018. He had no injury designation on the Chiefs' official injury report and was listed as a full participant in practice every day this week.
The Chiefs' star quarterback did as much as he could to return to the field by Week 1 of 2026. A day after tearing his ACL and LCL in a Week 15 game against the Chargers last December, Mahomes underwent surgery. By March, the quarterback was posting videos of himself throwing with a sleeve on his left leg. In May, Mahomes was able to be a limited participant in the Chiefs' OTAs.
In July, Mahomes reiterated to reporters that he wanted to return by Week 1, specifically so he could take on the reigning AFC West-champion Broncos.
"I don't want to miss that game because that's the team that won the division while we were gone and you want to be out there and ready to go with your teammates," Mahomes said. "I'll give every single thing I can to be out there Week 1 and hopefully the doctors and the coaches give me the green light and I'm able to go out there with my guys and compete against one of the best teams in the league."
Chiefs QB depth chart
- Patrick Mahomes
- Justin Fields
- Garrett Nussmeier
Outside of Mahomes, the Chiefs' quarterbacks room has a new look to begin the 2026 season.
Gone are last year's backups Gardner Minshew II and Chris Oladokun. In to replace them are Fields, whom the Chiefs traded for in March in exchange for a 2027 sixth-round pick, and Nussmeier, the rookie whom the Chiefs drafted in the seventh round of this year's draft.
Of the three rostered QBs, Nussmeier got the most work in the preseason. He finished the exhibition schedule 44 for 70 (62.9%) for 370 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. Fields got the next-most work, finishing 13 for 16 (81.2%) for 105 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions. Mahomes did not play in the preseason.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Is Patrick Mahomes playing tomorrow? Chiefs QB Week 1 injury update
