Nine months ago, Patrick Mahomes tore the ACL and LCL in his left knee.
In his first NFL game back, he didn’t just stand in the pocket and protect that knee.
He ran 15 yards for a touchdown.
That immediately creates a bigger question:
How was Mahomes already confident enough to run like that after such a serious knee injury?
He Wasn’t Just Cleared to Play
Mahomes entered Week 1 without an injury designation after participating fully in practice.
That matters because returning from ACL surgery and being ready for an NFL pass rush are very different things.
Denver had led the NFL in sacks for two straight seasons, making this a particularly physical first test for his reconstructed knee.
Yet on Kansas City’s opening touchdown, Mahomes saw space and scrambled 15 yards into the end zone.
Did Mahomes Look Completely Back?
Not necessarily.
His final rushing numbers were modest: 7 carries for 23 yards and one touchdown.
But that may be exactly why the touchdown was so interesting.
Mahomes didn’t need to prove that he could run like a running back again. He needed to show that when a play demanded movement, he trusted his knee enough to react naturally instead of hesitating.
That is a very different milestone from simply being medically cleared.
The Bigger Test Comes Next
Kansas City beat Denver 31-10, and Mahomes finished with two passing touchdowns plus the rushing score.
But one game cannot tell us whether his knee will respond the same way over an entire NFL season.
For now, though, perhaps the most important moment of his comeback wasn’t one of his passes.
It was those 15 yards.
Nine months after tearing two knee ligaments, Mahomes saw an opening — and ran.