Walker's 173-yard Chiefs debut powers 31-10 win over Broncos — SkimNews
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- Patrick Mahomes returned from a nine-month ACL/LCL rehab and helped deliver a 31-10 season-opening win over the Broncos, scrambling 15 yards for a touchdown on his 10th snap while reaching 15.8 mph — 2.5 mph faster than his 2025 rushing average, per Next Gen Stats.
- Kenneth Walker III rushed for a career-high 173 yards in his Chiefs debut — the most by a Kansas City back since 2018 — adding two touchdowns and 191 all-purpose yards on 26 touches, and becoming the third player since 2000 to top 100 rushing yards in a Chiefs debut.
- Walker capped his night with a 60-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-inches early in the third quarter and forced 14 missed tackles, the most by any Chiefs player in a game since at least 2018.
- The Chiefs called 31 designed runs against just 27 pass attempts, partly because undrafted rookie Kahlil Benson started at left tackle in place of an injured Josh Simmons — the first undrafted rookie on offense to start a Week 1 game under Andy Reid.
- Mahomes caught fire after halftime, completing 7 of 9 passes for 122 yards in the second half while conceding he "didn't play my best."
- Walker's 101 rushing yards over expected against Denver was the most by a Chiefs running back since at least 2018, per Next Gen Stats, and Kansas City never trailed.
Why it matters: Walker arrived as the reigning Super Bowl MVP after winning a title with Seattle, and his instant fit — 173 yards behind an undrafted rookie left tackle — gives Kansas City the run-game balance it lacked last season. Mahomes' willingness to absorb contact on a December-repaired knee is the kind of health data point the Chiefs will track all year.
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