Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes facing big question in injury recovery

The Kansas City Chiefs may no longer be the team to beat in the AFC, but they will always be a force to be reckoned with for as long as Patrick Mahomes is there.

Mahomes suffered the first major injury of his career, but he seems to be beating the odds again by looking far ahead of schedule. That said, it doesn't mean he will be as mobile and elusive in Week 1, given the significance of his injury.

Considering that, ESPN insider Dan Graziano believes that being healthy enough to play in the season opener may not be enough for the Chiefs to get back to the mountaintop.

Patrick Mahomes will need to do the heavy lifting

"So far, all reports about Mahomes’ rehab have been positive and encouraging. A Week 1 return feels like a strong possibility. The question then becomes whether the injury affects him moving forward, and if so for how long," Graziano wrote. 

The Chiefs spent most of their draft capital on defense, and they have yet to add a weapon to the passing game. While Kenneth Walker III and new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy should be able to fix their broken running game, Mahomes still doesn't have another reliable pass-catcher next to the aging Travis Kelce. That's why Mahomes might have to do more heavy lifting than a player coming off a torn ACL and LCL should.

"The Chiefs did a lot to strengthen their defense this offseason, and they made the big-splash signing of Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III at running back," added Graziano. "But they still haven’t done much with the wide receiver group, and tight end Travis Kelce has slowed down late in his career. So the Chiefs still need Mahomes to be their difference-maker. The sooner he looks like his old self, the sooner we can get back to talking about the Chiefs as Super Bowl contenders."

Mahomes might be under center from Day 1, but there are no guarantees that he'll be able to extend plays as often and efficiently as he did before the injury. Rashee Rice's status and health are major question marks, and Xavier Worthy hasn't lived up to the hype as a former first-round pick.

And with few options to improve their wide receiver corps after letting Marquise Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster go, the Chiefs might have to dip their toes in the trade market to give their superstar quarterback a hand.