Silencing critics after a grueling ACL recovery, Patrick Mahomes dismantled the Colts with a vintage performance, proving the undefeated Super Bowl titans remain the team to beat.
The NFL world should be getting worried because the 2026 Kansas City Chiefs have started to look like one of their many great teams that earned a postseason spot for 10 consecutive seasons. After their Week 2 overtime win that has them atop the AFC West with a 2-0 record, the Chiefs look as good as any team in football.
Much of that is credited to quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who made his second start since returning from a torn ACL he suffered in the latter half of 2025. While he returned to the field for Week 1, many were questioning which version of Mahomes they’d be seeing. After Week 2, it’s getting clear that games still run through Kansas City’s QB.
Against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday Night Football, Mahomes threw for 382 yards and three touchdowns on 32 completions. It was the most passing yards for Mahomes since October of 2023 and his first with at least 350 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions since Week 1 of 2022. For his statement performance, Bleacher Report gave Mahomes an ‘A’ grade after the win.
Three Chiefs receivers, Travis Kelce, Tyquan Thornton, and Rashee Rice, tallied at least 83 receiving yards in the contest, with Kenneth Walker III contributing an additional 61 yards out of the backfield. It was the first game in which Mahomes and Kelce connected for at least 100 yards since 2024.
Mahomes’ arm is undoubtedly still slinging it just as hard as he ever was, but it is still likely to take more time for every aspect of his game to be back at the pre-injury level. While his movement in and out of the pocket is a known strength for Mahomes, he hasn’t quite showcased the same levels of athleticism in the first two games. That’s to be expected, though, as we’re only nine months post-injury.
While he continues to get comfortable with his legs, Mahomes’ arm is enough to win games on its own for now. With upcoming games against the 0-2 Miami Dolphins, the 2-0 but unproven Las Vegas Raiders, and the plummeting 0-2 Los Angeles Chargers, Mahomes should only be getting more and more comfortable with each passing quarter of football.
We saw the difference from last week to this week alone. In the second half of Week 1 against the Broncos, Mahomes looked like an entirely different quarterback than in the first half. He continued to build on that last night, having one of his best games in quite some time.
After some extra football against the Colts, Mahomes and the Chiefs will need some rest before traveling to Miami to take on the Dolphins at 1 p.m. EST on Sunday. Against a Dolphins defense that allowed 27 points to the Raiders in Week 1 and 35 points to the San Francisco 49ers yesterday, I’d expect even more fireworks from Mahomes next weekend.
If the Chiefs are set to only get better from here, that's a big scare for teams across the league. After a step back in 2025, Kansas City is coming back in 2026 with guns blazing. It's becoming harder and harder to keep Super Bowl-potential out of your mind.
