As we all know by now, the Kansas City Chiefs stormed out of the gates on Monday night, defeating the defending AFC West champion Denver Broncos 31-10 in front of the entire NFL world. Kansas City looked largely dominant in almost every facet of the game against Denver. Kenneth Walker's debut as the Chiefs' bell-cow back went swimmingly to the tune of 191 total yards and 2 scores, rookie Emmett Johnson added 68 yards of his own on 10 touches, and the offensive line looked dominant even in the absence of starting left tackle Josh Simmons.
The Chiefs' defense also looked like it had regained an edge that we hadn't seen since, well, 2023. Add that to the fact that there was an influx of both young talent (R Mason Thomas, Mansoor Delane, Peter Woods) to accompany an old friend in L'Jarius Sneed, who brought back a tenacity that the Chiefs' secondary had been missing the past two seasons, one that appears to pair well with the physical play style of Nohl Williams. The only thing that you could say was lacking in Monday's domination of Denver was the Chiefs' passing attack.
The pessimistic view of the Chiefs' passing game
There are two ways to look at the Chiefs' overblown struggles through the air. First, we'll touch on the pessimist's outlook. Chiefs wide receivers, a unit that has been one of the more heavily maligned on the team over the course of the past 4 seasons for various reasons, were essentially a no-show. Yes, Rashee Rice did have a 13-yard touchdown grab in which he broke several tackles en route to the Chiefs' second score of the night late in the first half, but all in all, the Chiefs' receiving corps produced just 5 receptions on 10 targets for 37 total yards—a number Travis Kelce buried with one 59-yard reception at 36 years old.
Xavier Worthy looked lost at times, which isn't exactly new. You could argue that Mahomes' lone interception late in the third quarter was on Worthy, although none of us will ever really know. Tyquan Thornton and Cyrus Allen were non-factors. It was an overall uninspiring performance from the wide receiving corps. There's your pessimism, and there is likely some truth to all of that that could just be a flash in the pan or could be a lingering issue. Only time will tell.
Mahomes' slow start gave way to a very different finish
Now, for the optimistic outlook. Consider where the Chiefs started Week 1 for a second. Patrick Mahomes, 364 days removed from reconstructive knee surgery, was playing his first live snaps against a defense that was top 5 in the NFL and led the league in sacks in 2025. The game plan was, and always should have been, to hit the Broncos in the teeth with the rushing attack early and often and to get those pass rushers on their heels. And it worked very well, in fact. But a byproduct of that was a slow start for Mahomes and the passing attack.
How slow? Well, through most of the first half, Mahomes was 2/12 on his first 12 attempts with just 14 passing yards and no TD. That snippet of the game would leave him with a measly 39.6 passer rating and would lend credence to those who are still trying to hang on to the "Mahomes is washed" narrative. But a funny thing happened late in the second quarter.
The Chiefs' gouging of Denver's defense with the run game opened up seams both in the middle and on the outside of Denver's defense. Mahomes began to do what Mahomes does—finding guys in creases on the field for positive gains. Credit Mahomes, credit Travis Kelce and the tight ends, the running backs out of the backfield, but also give a heaping amount of credit to Andy Reid, Eric Bieniemy, and the offensive staff for sticking to the game plan and allowing things to flow organically. What happened as a result was quite different than the 2/12 start.
From late in the second quarter on, Mahomes completed 13 of his last 15 attempts for 170 yards and 2 touchdowns and the pick I mentioned earlier that I'm not sure I want to put on him. Sure, the second TD pass was a shovel pass to Walker on the beautiful "1936er" play where Mahomes started out in one of the funniest 3-point stances of all time, but a TD pass is a TD pass. All of the Josh Allen stans out there have no ground to stand on in criticizing that. That line gave Mahomes a 125.7 passer rating on his final 15 attempts, which would be among the best in the league after Week 1. It wouldn't have outpaced legends like Trevor Lawrence or Jaxson Dart, but we all know Mahomes isn't in their league anyway. Just watch as the sarcasm drips from that last statement like barbecue sauce off a Joe's KC rib.
The Chiefs may have found their formula for Week 2
What does that mean moving forward? Well, nothing if the Chiefs go back to how Monday night's affair started or if the wide receivers continue to have issues finding separation. But heading into Week 2 with a matchup against the Colts looming, the momentum and creativity that the Chiefs found in the passing attack in the middle of their Week 1 win over Denver could lend itself to success against Indianapolis. Lamar Jackson and Baltimore carved up Indy for 324 yards through the air with the assistance of a 144-yard, 3-TD day from Derrick Henry and the Ravens' rushing attack.
The recipe Baltimore whipped up to defeat the Colts 41-23 is an exact replica of what the Chiefs' strengths appear to be heading into their Week 2 matchup. If Kansas City can maintain its relentless effort and physicality in the rushing attack and continue to build on its eventual success in the passing game from Week 1, we should see a similar result on Sunday Night Football.
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