Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton spoke with reporters earlier in the week. He shared his thoughts on how Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes' injury recovery status is affecting his team's Week 1 preparation.
"I'm going to probably say the same for Bo [Nix], you've seen enough things where he's going to be 100 percent, and we're preparing for him at his best," said Payton. "We know how talented he is, and I'm sure he's attacked the rehab the way Bo has with completely different injuries. That's kind of our approach to it."
Nix is coming back from an ankle injury that cost him a chance to play in the AFC Championship Game last season. Payton reiterated his focus on playing against the best competition, not just matchups with Mahomes
and the Chiefs.
"We have to face him; I've answered that before. When I took this job, it wasn't like I was looking for the division with Pat [Mahomes] and Andy [Reid]; the [Walton-Penner] ownership structure was the reason. Earlier or later, I don't know," said Payton. "You have to be ready and prepare for what you know is his best." That's in the pocket, that's the extended plays, that's him running, all of those things. So you don't give it a lot of thought because you can't control it. It's kind of one of those things where that's not going to occupy my thinking because I have no control over it."
Mahomes finished the 2025 season with 22 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions in 14 games before the knee injury. He also rushed for 422 yards and five touchdowns. The Broncos swept Kansas City last season as Mahomes missed the Week 17 matchup on Christmas night.
"I think that it's just now and that you play them twice; that's a division team. In Week 1, what I'd want to know is how do you prepare for or adjust to some of the changes if you're Kansas City for [Offensive Coordinator] Davis [Webb] or if you're Denver for the new adds. There's always in Week 1, even though they're a division opponent, there's usually some wrinkles and things that teams want to do," said Payton. "So the early part of the season, until you get to that three, four-game mark regardless of who you're playing, you don't quite have the same library. You have years past, but you know that there's other things that they're doing and that we're doing. So I think early in the season, with good games and good teams, that part of it is important. How quickly are you kind of seeing maybe some wrinkles?"
Mahomes suffered a torn ACL and LCL late during the Chiefs' Week 15 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. Dr. Dan Cooper, the Dallas Cowboys' team physician, performed the surgery. He repaired Mahomes' left knee last December, shortly after the injury, setting him up for a likely return to the lineup on September 14.
This article originally appeared on Chiefs Wire: Sean Payton on Patrick Mahomes' status impacting his preparation
