The Kansas City Chiefs could have not asked for a better start to their 2026 season. Following a thorough beatdown of the rival Broncos last Monday, they followed up that effort with a resilient 33-30 victory over the Indianapolis Colts in overtime.
These first two weeks have shown the balance the Chiefs have as an overall team. Last week, the win was largely powered by their defense and running game. Steve Spagnuolo's unit held Denver to just 10 points and a mere 176 total yards of offense, with 68 of those coming on their lone touchdown drive. As for their rushing attack, Kenneth Walker III went nuclear in his Chiefs debut, rushing for 173 yards on 23 carries, including a game-changing 60-yard run to open up the second half.
Against the Broncos, the Chiefs were able to overcome a pedestrian outing from Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs' passing attack. In his first action back from his December ACL tear, Mahomes threw for just 184 yards on 27 attempts with two touchdowns and an interception. Additionally, the Chiefs' signal-caller did not complete a pass that traveled over six yards in the air in last week's game.
Chiefs found a different way to win against the Colts
The manner in which the Chiefs won on Sunday night could not be further from what occurred in their Week 1 matchup. While Walker was once again spectacular, rushing for 117 yards on 24 carries while adding 61 yards through the air, Kansas City's young defense took a considerable step back against the Colts. The Chiefs allowed 27 points, and the Colts scored on six of their nine drives in the game (not including the end of the half). Colts star running back Jonathan Taylor also presented issues for the Chiefs, as he ran for 92 yards and two scores while hauling in four passes for 40 yards. On multiple occasions, the Chiefs lost contain on Taylor leaking out of the backfield, which allowed him and Daniel Jones to play pitch-and-catch for first downs.
After doing an excellent job of generating a pass rush against Denver, the Chiefs did not record a sack of Jones in this game. This statistic proves how unpredictable the game of football can be, as the Broncos have one of the best pass-protecting units in the league, while the Colts are an underwhelming unit up front sans Quenton Nelson. While the Chiefs' defense was far from perfect on Sunday night, one cannot argue that they weren't clutch. With the game tied at 27 and 3:15 left in regulation, the Colts got the ball on their own 18 with two timeouts. While the Chiefs allowed two first-down conversions on the drive, they forced consecutive incompletions with the Colts at midfield, leading to a punt.
In overtime, the Chiefs also bent but didn't break. After allowing a 48-yard completion to Laquon Treadwell, Indianapolis gained just two yards on three plays and was forced to settle for a field goal. While some would argue Colts head coach Shane Steichen was too conservative in his play-calling, Kansas City's defense deserves credit for holding on that critical third down. Kansas City's defense is inexperienced but has great talent and athleticism and should continue to develop as the season progresses.
Patrick Mahomes looked like his old self again
With all of that said, Patrick Mahomes was the story of this game and then some. On Sunday night, Mahomes went out and put forth arguably his best single-game performance since his last MVP season in 2022. He threw for 382 yards on 8.1 yards per attempt with three touchdowns and no interceptions. The box score matched the eye test as well.
An element of the Chiefs' offense that has been sorely missing over the past three seasons has been their deep passing game. That returned in emphatic fashion on Sunday night, as Mahomes connected with Tyquan Thornton on two perfectly thrown deep-pass attempts, with one leading to a touchdown and the other leading to a field goal in overtime. Thornton is the Chiefs' best deep threat, as he and Mahomes have developed a strong connection down the field dating back to the early portion of last season.
Watching the game, one would never guess that Mahomes suffered a significant lower-body injury just over nine months ago. His pocket movement was as good as ever, and his passing aggression was the best it has been in quite some time, as he made numerous high-level throws into tight windows. Mahomes received a PFF grade of 94.2 and was credited with four big-time throws (PFF $).It was nothing short of an A+ performance from the league's gold standard at quarterback.
Travis Kelce is turning back the clock
Yet Mahomes was not the only star to shine on Sunday night, as Travis Kelce also had a vintage performance. At 36 years old, many wondered if the future Hall of Fame tight end's best days were long in the past. While Kelce has remained a productive player, he has not eclipsed 1,000 yards in a season since 2022 and has shown a decline in athleticism at times. Through two games, he has totaled 12 receptions for 172 yards and one touchdown, which came in the first quarter of this last game. Against the Colts, Kelce hauled in nine of his 11 targets for 101 yards and the aforementioned score. He looked closer to 26 than 36 and has proven that he remains one of the league's premier tight ends.
Kelce's start to the season is notable due to the manner in which he started each of the past two seasons. In 2024, Kelce caught just four passes for 39 yards, while last season he had just six catches through two games, including the infamous goal-line drop-turned-interception against the Eagles. Thus far in 2026, Kelce looks re-energized following speculation that he could have retired after last season.
Andy Reid has his Chiefs offense humming again
While Mahomes and Kelce deserve every bit of praise for their performances, there is one last future Hall of Famer whose start to 2026 garners a shout-out, and he wears a headset and roams the sidelines. Many people, myself included, questioned Andy Reid coming into the season. From 2023-2025, his offense had ranged from middle of the pack to downright bad at times, with rock bottom taking place last season.
Coming off a six-win campaign, it was fair to question whether the league's oldest coach had fallen behind the times of the modern NFL. Could Reid still be a coach who could elevate an offense, or had he been left in the dust by younger, more innovative play-callers? Had his offensive system grown stale? Through two games, the 68-year-old coach has answered those questions with flying colors. Reid's offense is averaging 32.0 points per game, which ranks third across the NFL, while pacing the league in total yards.
It is not just the numbers that display Reid's coaching this season, but the details within his offense have improved tremendously from what we've seen over the last couple of seasons. The Chiefs' offense has displayed a level of creativity that has been missing in recent years, and Reid has provided Mahomes with more "easy buttons" by scheming pass-catchers open.
Over the last three seasons, Mahomes had been playing on hard mode far too often, trying to make something out of nothing. Thus far in 2026, Reid has made life easier for his star quarterback by creating a more balanced attack between rushing and passing and scheming up more advantageous matchups for the Chiefs' pass-catchers. Perhaps Reid read some articles that were critical of his approach in past seasons or was rejuvenated over the offseason, but the Chiefs' offense looks like a well-coached unit again.
Throughout their dynasty, the Chiefs have been at their most dangerous when they've been doubted. Their against-all-odds Super Bowl run in the 2023 season is a shining example of this. This offseason, many wondered if this iteration of the Chiefs had anything left in the tank. While it is still early, this version of the Chiefs is motivated and perhaps more complete than ever.
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