Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL in December and hasn't taken a preseason snap. Will he start Kansas City's opener against Denver on Sept 14?
85% of users predicted YES — the community got this one right. 13 predictions cast.
Patrick Mahomes started at quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs in their 2026 season opener against the Denver Broncos on Sept. 14, nine months after tearing his ACL and LCL in a December 2025 game. Mahomes did not play in any 2026 preseason game while rehabbing, but head coach Andy Reid said in the days before the opener there was a "pretty good chance" Mahomes would start "unless something were to come up."
Mahomes wore a brace on his surgically repaired left knee and went on to throw for 184 yards and two touchdowns while also scoring on a 15-yard rushing touchdown to cap Kansas City's opening drive, in a 31-10 win.
His availability had been in doubt for months; doctors had initially suggested an October return was more realistic, but Mahomes progressed faster than expected, taking first-team reps throughout training camp without landing on the physically-unable-to-perform list.
The Predict Six community had set relatively high odds, 85%, on Mahomes starting, and the outcome confirmed that expectation, reflecting how closely his recovery had been tracked through camp reports.