Kenneth Walker III dominates debut; Chiefs rout Broncos 31-10 as Mahomes returns

Kenneth Walker III had 26 touches for 191 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns in his Kansas City Chiefs debut, propelling the Chiefs to a 31-10 victory over the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football. Patrick Mahomes, returning from nine months of recovery following surgery on a torn ACL and LCL suffered December 14, led the offensive attack in his first game since the injury. Walker's 173 rushing yards marked the fourth-most in any player's debut with a new team in NFL history and the most in Chiefs franchise history, per CBS Sports. He converted on four short-yardage situations, including a 60-yard touchdown on fourth-and-inches in the third quarter. Walker had a rushing touchdown and a receiving touchdown. Per CBS Sports, his 173 rushing yards exceeded the most any running back gained against Denver in all of 2025, and his 191 all-purpose yards outgained the entire Broncos offense. Walker, who was the reigning Super Bowl MVP before joining Kansas City in March, signed a three-year deal with the Chiefs, per CBS Sports. He has now recorded two rushes of 25-plus yards, more than the entire Chiefs running back room combined in the prior season, which had one such play, according to CBS Sports. He was the first back to rush for 140 yards and score a rushing touchdown in a game since Kareem Hunt in 2017. Mahomes finished with 184 passing yards and two touchdown passes on 15-of-27 completions. He scored a 15-yard rushing touchdown on the Chiefs' opening drive. According to Next Gen Stats via ESPN, his top speed on that run was 15.8 mph, 2.5 mph faster than his average rushing speed last season. However, per CBS Sports, Mahomes averaged 4.9 air yards per pass attempt and was the only quarterback in Week 1 (minimum 10 attempts) to not complete a pass over 10 yards downfield, indicating a measured approach to his return. The Broncos' defense collapsed in coverage and tackling. Denver missed 28 tackles and allowed 247 yards after missed tackles, the most by any defense in a game since at least 2018, per Next Gen Stats reported by CBS Sports. Eight different Broncos players missed multiple tackles. Jaylen Waddle, one of Denver's biggest offseason acquisitions, was held to one reception for 2 yards. Bo Nix, making his return after two offseason surgeries to repair a fractured right ankle that forced him to miss the AFC Championship Game, threw an interception on the Broncos' opening drive. The Chiefs recorded four sacks. Mansoor Delane, the sixth overall pick in the 2026 draft, intercepted Nix to set up Kansas City's first touchdown. Nix fumbled three times, losing one, marking just the third lost fumble of his career, with one occurring in last season's opener. Denver ran the ball just 12 times in the game. The Broncos finished with 176 total yards, their fewest under head coach Sean Payton, per CBS Sports. Monday was only the second time under Payton's tenure when Denver played without a 20-yard play. Payton handed play-calling duties to offensive coordinator Davis Webb, a decision CBS Sports characterized as "curious." The Chiefs were 6-11 last season and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014, having won the AFC West in each of the previous nine seasons. The Broncos went 14-3 in 2025, earning the No. 1 seed in the AFC, before losing to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game without starting quarterback Nix. Mahomes finished last season with a career-low 62.7% completion rate and 7.1 yards per attempt, along with a career-low 22 touchdown passes, but ran for 422 yards and five scores, his best rushing season. The Chiefs started undrafted rookie Khalil Benson at left tackle in place of their regular starter, who was unavailable Monday.