Chiefs' win over Broncos reveals new weapon for Patrick Mahomes

Kansas City Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker III. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Chiefs' win over Broncos reveals terrifying new weapon for Patrick Mahomes

By Chris Pownall | Last updated Sep 15, 2026 9:02 AM ET

Patrick Mahomes didn't light up the Denver Broncos on Monday night. He didn't have to.

Kenneth Walker III took care of most of the damage in Kansas City's 31-10 win, giving the Chiefs something that has been missing from their offense for quite a while.

Kenneth Walker gives Chiefs a different look

The Chiefs didn't bring Walker to Kansas City to be another piece in the Patrick Mahomes offense. They needed somebody who could make defenses pay for spending so much time worrying about Mahomes.

Denver found out quickly what that could look like.

Walker carried 23 times for 173 yards, with most of the attention going to one run. Facing fourth-and-1 from their own 40 early in the third quarter, the Chiefs handed him the ball.

Sixty yards later, he was in the end zone.

It was exactly the type of play Kansas City's running game has too often lacked. The Chiefs needed a yard and instead got a touchdown.

Walker eventually got Denver through the air, too, catching a short Mahomes pass for a fourth-quarter touchdown.

Suddenly, Andy Reid has another way to make a defense miserable.

Mahomes gets something he hasn't always had

The funny part about Monday night was how little Kansas City needed from Mahomes.

He threw for 184 yards, finishing with two touchdowns and an interception. Those aren't the numbers usually attached to a Chiefs blowout.

Yet Denver never really threatened after halftime.

That's what makes Walker's performance interesting beyond one big night. Kansas City has spent years asking Mahomes to find an answer whenever an opponent takes something away. Sometimes that meant extending plays until somebody broke open. Other times it meant throwing underneath all night and waiting for the defense to blink.

Now handing the ball off might be the answer.

Denver couldn't sit back and wait for Mahomes with Walker running the way he did Monday. Bringing another defender toward the line of scrimmage isn't exactly an appealing alternative when Mahomes is standing on the other side.

That's a lousy choice for a defense.

One game doesn't make Walker the missing piece of another Chiefs championship run. But 173 yards against a division rival will get everyone's attention.

Mahomes has already been difficult enough to deal with.

He might have just gotten some help.

Chris Pownall

Chris Pownall is a Contributor to Yardbarker covering all major sports, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, college athletics, and the biggest storylines shaping the sports world. His work focuses on timely analysis, strong opinion, and the narratives fans are actually talking about. He also serves as an NFL Analyst for Last Word on Sports, where he provides in depth coverage and league wide perspective on the NFL

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