For the first time in months, a certain uneasiness had left my mind when it came to the NFL late Sunday evening.
Watching pro football had not been the same since Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes hobbled off the field during a December 2025 game against the Los Angeles Chargers. He had suffered a major knee injury, and his return for the Chiefs’ season opener at home against the vaunted Denver Broncos was in doubt.
While he vowed to return for the season’s first kickoff, I worried.
Don’t rush back, Patrick. Make sure you are 100% healthy. You are too valuable.
Those were my thoughts. I’m sure a multitude of Black NFL fans, not just Chiefs followers, were thinking the same.
When I say “too valuable,” I mean more than just at quarterback. Mahomes’ rise to stardom has captivated us for close to a decade now. My wife Carmen literally became a Chiefs fan because of Mahomes.
She sometimes refers to him as “my son.”
Mahomes has a lot of surrogate moms and dads out here, many of whom are fans of other teams.
On Sunday, Mahomes put most of my fears to rest when he guided the Chiefs to a 33-30 overtime victory against the Indianapolis Colts.
Mahomes passed for 382 yards and three touchdowns — and was clutch when the Chiefs needed a pair of field goals from Harrison Butker to pull out the overtime victory. Butker’s second kick, from 40 yards, won the game as time expired.
“It’s fun for me,” he said with a smile after the game.
“We showcased that we can throw the ball down the field, we can play action and can also still run the ball. I thought coach [Andy] Reid and coach [Eric] Bieniemy did a great job calling the game, mixing it in everywhere so they couldn’t get a good gauge on what we were doing.”
While Mahomes, as always, deflected the glory from himself, this was his game, his statement, his reminder to the NFL that he remains the best at the most important position.
Mahomes’ 97th regular-season victory matched Tom Brady’s total through his first 10 NFL seasons.
Mahomes’ thrilling performance was greeted with enthusiasm throughout the sports world. I was not alone.
Former Missouri star quarterback and ESPN analyst Chase Daniel declared on X, “Tonight … officially declaring Patrick Mahomes is back.”
Robert Griffin III, whose promising NFL career was derailed by a knee injury, wrote, “There is no one in the NFL that you can trust more than Patrick Mahomes with the game on the line. He is inevitable.”
Scott Kacsmar, an NFL data analyst and writer, declared, “Alright, maybe the 2018-22 Chiefs are back. Almost 400 yards for Mahomes and had to take the lead twice in OT to get the classic KC win.”
The 2-0 Chiefs are tied for first place in the AFC West with the surprising Las Vegas Raiders and are headed to Miami for their first road game on Sept. 27. Look for the Mahomes magic to continue against the struggling Dolphins.
I’ll still hold my breath every time Mahomes is hit this season, but I breathed a sigh of relief on Sunday. Patrick Mahomes is back.
The Reid Roundup
Along with Patrick Mahomes, new Kansas City Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker III has put a charge into the NFL season. He is the league’s rushing leader after two games with 290 yards, including 117 against Indianapolis… Kansas Citian Jason Sudeikis included the National Negro Leagues Museum in the season four opening episode of “Ted Lasso” that aired in August. The result is a surge in attendance at the museum. “I’ll tell you — it has superseded anything that I could have ever even remotely imagined,” Bob Kendrick, president and CEO of the museum said. “I honestly did not know that it would have this kind of interest and immediate impact on the museum.”…Actor Tom Cruise visited the museum while in Kansas City for the Chiefs’ home opener against Denver…While he slumped in September, Jordan Walker should be the St. Louis Cardinals’ MVP for 2026.