Vahe Gregorian: Patrick Mahomes' bold return to Chiefs is still just part of his comeback process

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Facing second-and-goal at the Denver 15-yard-line on the Chiefs’ first drive of the season, Travis Kelce was Patrick Mahomes’ primary target as the play unfurled.

But Kelce was well-covered and secondary choice Rashee Rice also was getting what Mahomes called a “lot of attention.”

“So it just opened up perfectly down the middle of the field for me,” Mahomes said after the Chiefs clobbered Denver, 31-10 in their season opener Monday night at Arrowhead Stadium.

As he zigzagged up and out of the pocket, Mahomes initially just was thinking about setting up a more manageable third down.

And some combination of will and adrenaline apparently suppressed even a flicker of hesitation because of the left knee he was putting on the line for the first time nine months to the day he suffered a season-ending injury.

Considering how he felt as he watched Mahomes make himself vulnerable in real time, coach Andy Reid smiled and said, “Once you put him in the game, he’s going to play. And you better be confident in that.”

If Mahomes wasn’t feeling that conviction as he launched himself through two defenders into the end zone, he sure was by the time he got up, spiked the ball and flexed his arm in celebration.

He felt everything, really, because he realized he didn’t feel anything awry.

“It kind of gave me that confidence,” he said, “that I could go out there and be myself.”

No doubt that was a statement in a moment of truth, and it’s easy to embrace the symbolism:

Mahomes and the Chiefs are back. With a vengeance, it seems. And that should send a shudder through the NFL, which perhaps had lulled itself into thinking that last season’s 6-11 detour had rendered obsolete the previous six seasons — a run that featured five Kansas City Super Bowl berths and three NFL championships.

There’s a long way to go, of course, to prove any of that.

But all of it may well prove true, considering how and why the Chiefs won this game so convincingly against a team that had a dominant defense a year ago and played in the AFC championship game.

With running back Kenneth Walker III (173 yards on 23 carries) infusing them with a dimension they haven’t had consistently since Kareem Hunt fleetingly provided it in 2017 and 2018. With a stellar defensive effort (176 yards allowed) highlighted by swamping Denver quarterback Bo Nix (four sacks). And with rookies like Mansoor Delane, Emmett Johnson, R Mason Thomas, Peter Woods and Kahlil Benson making key contributions.

And then there’s Mahomes, whose breakthrough run proved to be his sole highlight for much of the first half.

Because, let’s remember, this isn’t the end of his recovery phase.

It’s still part of the process.

As it happens, he had some rust to scrape off despite feverishly rehabbing his knee, meeting every check point during training camp and having an indomitable mindset that explains a lot about how the Chiefs came to achieve a dynasty that they yet hope to reboot.

For all that, though, Mahomes still essentially is regenerating himself and hadn’t played so much as a snap in a preseason game — and thus hadn’t encountered anyone with bad intentions on the field since he was injured against the Chargers last December.

As Reid put it, Mahomes “hadn’t had a chance … (to) see things coming at him quite that fast.”

Which helps explain why Mahomes was 2 of 12 for 14 yards with 4 minutes, 33 seconds left in the first half and the score tied 7-7.

As much as he felt like he was moving around well and fast, Mahomes said, he realized he was “a little quick with my reads.” And that he tried to force a few things, especially early in the game.

Oh, and also that he had a few overstrides.

“Which is kind of part of it,” he said, meaning getting back in game rhythm. “But I’ve got to get back to being balanced to where I can make those throws.”

Speaking of being balanced, though, that’s where Walker comes into play. In more ways than one, it turns out.

Because the start of Mahomes finding the touch that would enable him to complete 13 of his final 15 passes for 170 yards and two touchdowns was a third-and-10 pass to Walker in the left flat.

In one of the most pivotal plays of the game, Walker wheeled out of the catch and lunged for the first down. On the next play, he burst 28 yards ... reiterating the way he’ll take pressure off Mahomes. The drive culminated with Mahomes’ 13-yard touchdown pass to Rice.

Typical of Mahomes, he wanted it known that what the box score implies was an anemic day for Chiefs wide receivers (five catches for 37 yards between Rice and Xavier Worthy) was on him.

“I think y’all will see on tape,” he said, that those two and others were open downfield a number of times.

Putting his hand to his heart, he’d add, “At the end of the day, I have to be better.”

Then he candidly explained how he may have busted through a physical barrier with that early run but that he still has a few mental hurdles to cross.

“I have to have the trust in the offensive line, I have to have the trust in myself, that I can stand taking the hits,” said Mahomes, who also had an interception on an apparent miscommunication with Worthy. “But it’s a good start as far as just getting out there and playing.”

Especially since Walker is shifting the dynamics — perhaps soon to the point where his presence will open up the pass game in ways the Chiefs could only dream of in the last few seasons.

And especially since Mahomes is back … but not all the way back just yet.

“The guys around me stepped up,” he said, “and (know) that they’re going to have to help me as I kind of get back into the rhythm of things.”

When he does, a lot more could open up perfectly for the Chiefs just like it did on the play that made Mahomes feel like he was on the way to being himself again.