It would’ve been easy for the Kansas City Chiefs to put the ball in Patrick Mahomes’ hands on fourth-and-1 at the 40-yard line in the third quarter. He is still the face of the NFL. Even though it was Mahomes’ first game back from an ACL injury, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who’d argue with giving him the ball.
Instead, Chiefs coach Andy Reid gave the ball to running back Kenneth Walker III. Even Walker, who joined the team in free agency this offseason, understood the significance of the decision. He went out of his way to point it out after the Chiefs beat the Broncos 31-10 on Monday night.
“We got the fourth down and we still ran the ball,” Walker told reporters after the game. “They trust the run game.”
They didn’t in 2025. But the Chiefs do now. Walker took that fourth-and-1 carry to the house for a 60-yard touchdown.
All that said, Kansas City’s offense still has issues. And we’ll get to those.
But first, let’s contextualize the way the Chiefs reinvented this element of their offense — and used that newness to defeat the Broncos. The Chiefs moved from a shotgun-dominated offense to an under-center operation, in large part to build their identity around Walker. (And in large part to respond to league-wide trends.)
Imagine a snowboarder who spent all offseason — without snow, akin to the lack of full tackling in NFL practices — practicing a new trick, akin to working under center. Then, on his first attempt in competition, he sticks the landing. This is roughly what Reid, Mahomes and the offensive line did against the Broncos.
I was dubious it would work so immediately. I’m still a little dubious that it’ll have staying power. But there’s no doubt about its effectiveness. Walker posted 173 rushing yards with a touchdown. He managed 101 rush yards over expected. He had more runs of 20-plus yards (two) than last season’s entire Chiefs backfield (one). He forced 14 missed tackles, more than Isiah Pacheco forced all of last season, per PFF.
He was special.
“I told you all, literally, like first press conference. Y’all were asking, ‘What’s the difference with our offense?’ And I said K9,” Mahomes told reporters after the game, referring to Walker. “Like, it’s just that simple.”
So that actually brings up the issue still lingering from last season. It’s the passing game — and the fact that, unlike the run game, it doesn’t look different.
I don’t want to overestimate the importance of one game — and a small sample size. But there were some underlying statistics that suggest things are worse for K.C.’s passing game.
Mahomes was the only quarterback in Week 1 to not complete a pass over 10 yards downfield, per Next Gen Stats. Mahomes’ only deep attempt (20-plus yards) was an interception. Mahomes appeared to be on a totally different page than receiver Xavier Worthy, who finished the game with three catches for 18 yards. Mahomes’ air yards per attempt were at 4.7, down from 7.9 in 2025. He took just 2.27 seconds to throw, down from 2.79 in 2025. Both of Mahomes’ passing touchdowns went to targets behind the line of scrimmage.
This is not an explosive passing offense. Mahomes could not use every blade of grass. The passing attack was flat. It was quick. The Chiefs played afraid.
There are three major contributing factors to these limitations.
First, Mahomes is coming back from his ACL and LCL injuries. It made sense that the Chiefs would want to avoid putting him in harm’s way on deep dropbacks.
Second, you would absolutely be putting him in harm’s way, because undrafted rookie Khalil Benson was the team’s left tackle, filling in for starter Josh Simmons (back injury).
Third, it was the Broncos’ defense, with edge Nik Bonitto and company. It might not have looked high or mighty in this game, but Denver’s defense was elite last year, leading the NFL with 68 sacks.
This game plan was what was best for Mahomes. And you can’t really argue with it, given the Chiefs won with a three-touchdown differential.
The question is whether they can attack five yards past the line of scrimmage. Or 10. Or 20. The Chiefs will eventually need juice from their passing attack.
Even when we saw running back Saquon Barkley power the Eagles’ offense to a Super Bowl victory, Philly generated plenty of explosives from A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. The same is true of the Seahawks, where Walker came from, with receivers Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Rashid Shaheed generating big plays on the way to their Super Bowl win last season.
Now, you’d think: The Chiefs can’t keep getting away with this.
But actually, they might be able to — at least for the next few weeks. In Week 2, Kansas City hosts the Colts, who are coming off a brutal loss to the Ravens. The Chiefs will then travel to Miami in Week 3 and to Las Vegas in Week 4, both manageable games. Then the Chiefs get an early bye, out of which they’ll face what appears to be an unserious Chargers team in Week 6, though the verdict is still out on the Jim Harbaugh’s squad.
It’s not until Week 7 that the Chiefs face a serious opponent: the Seattle Seahawks.
The Chiefs have time to figure out their passing game. If I’m being honest, I don’t think it’s time that they need. It’s pass-catchers. It’s the same old story for the Chiefs, who’ve cycled through receivers for years. The key to fixing their run game was injecting a star in a key position. The key to fixing the passing game requires something similar: a WR1.
I’m fairly certain that’s not Rashee Rice or Worthy. And I’m fairly certain they won’t find a game-changing pass-catcher during the course of the season. Nor do I think, even if they trade for someone like Jacksonville’s Brian Thomas Jr., that the Chiefs can fully acclimate that player in-season.
They can save these issues for a later date. In the meantime, this game was a huge step forward for the Chiefs. Once again, their offense is dangerous.
