Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who suffered an ACL and LCL tear in December, is ready to play his first football game in nine months against the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football.
After finishing 6-11 last season, sitting out Week 1 was never an option in Mahomes’ mind. “I don’t want to miss that game because that’s the team that won the division while we were gone and you want to be out there and ready to go with your teammates,” Mahomes told reporters in July.
“I’ll give every single thing I can to be out there Week 1, and hopefully the doctors and the coaches give me the green light, and I’m able to go out there with my guys and compete against one of the best teams in the league.”
Now, the three-time Super Bowl MVP is ready to go. “His strength is symmetrical from side to side—his function is the same side to side and his graft is fully healed,” ESPN insider Ian Rapoport shared.
“We are going to see as close to 100% of Patrick Mahomes as we could possibly see considering the timeline.”
Throughout the long and arduous rehab, Mahomes leaned heavily on his wife, Brittany Mahomes. “It was a long offseason, a lot of work and a lot of great people around me—trainers, Brittany, and my family, supporting me,” Mahomes told reporters last week.
In fact, Brittany and Mahomes’ youngest daughter, Golden, played a huge role in his rehab process.
Patrick Mahomes’ Wife Brittany’s Family Video Leaves Fans in Tears Before the Broncos-Chiefs Game
On the morning of the Chiefs’ season opener, Brittany, 31, shared a video with The Players’ Tribune featuring good luck messages from the couple’s children, Sterling, 5, and Bronze, 3. Golden, 20 months, is also featured in the clip.
“Daddy, I love you. I’m so happy you get to play football,” one of his kids says. “We’re so happy you get to play football again. And we get to watch you.”
Mahomes reposted the heartfelt tribute on his Instagram Stories and simply posted three red-heart emojis.
The video drew quite an emotional response from friends and fans. NFL chaplain Marcellus Casey commented, “I’m not crying, you’re crying..” Chiefs owner Clark Hunt’s wife, Tavia Hunt, added “😭❤️🎊🙏🏼.” A fan account added, “Man. Just pull on all the heart strings 🥹🐐.” One man gushed, “Bruh I’m crying lmao.”
The Chiefs official account commented, “Alright, who cut the onions?”
Patrick Mahomes Struggled the Most With Rehab While Spending Time With His Kids
The press conference question featured at the start of the video is from training camp. When Steve Walls asked about the toughest mental hurdle amid his rehab process, it wasn’t about missing games or football.
“Honestly, the toughest part was at the beginning, not being able to get up and chase my kids around,” Mahomes answered. “I know it sounds crazy, but being a dad and being active, I always want to be around my kids and playing and stuff like that. That was tough.”
“But once I was able to do that, it kinda motivated me to keep getting better and better. So, when Bronze has a T-ball game, or Sterling is playing soccer, I can be out there with them. I always knew I was going to get back to [training camp]. Just because of my mindset and the people around me. Once I was able to do that, it mentally helped me get through this process.”
Patrick Mahomes Has No Words for Wife Brittany’s Post Before Chiefs Game