Mahomes, Walker Power Chiefs Past Broncos — SkimNews
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- Patrick Mahomes returned from a December knee injury to rush for the opening touchdown and throw two more scores in the Chiefs' 31-10 season-opening win over the Denver Broncos at Arrowhead Stadium.
- Kenneth Walker, the reigning Super Bowl MVP from Seattle, rushed for a career-high 173 yards and scored twice on his Chiefs debut, prompting Mahomes to declare: "K9 is going to make a difference."
- Travis Kelce moved to second on the NFL's all-time receiving yards list for tight ends with a 59-yard play, trailing only Tony Gonzalez (15,127 yards) after passing the 13,000-yard mark.
- Bo Nix and the Broncos tied the game in the first quarter but managed just 10 points overall, with Nix sacked four times and intercepted once as the Chiefs pulled away.
- Taylor Swift and Tom Cruise watched the victory together from a suite at Arrowhead, the celebrity pairing noted across ESPN's parallel coverage of the opener.
- The victory carries extra weight because Denver won the AFC West last season, ending the Chiefs' run of nine consecutive divisional titles.
Why it matters: The Chiefs reasserted themselves against the very team that snapped their nine-year AFC West title run, and Walker's 173-yard debut suggests Kansas City's offense didn't miss a beat despite Mahomes coming back from December knee surgery.
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