Chiefs defeat Broncos 31-10 as Kenneth Walker posts career-best rushing performance

Kansas City rallied to a 31-10 victory over the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football, relying heavily on the ground game after quarterback Patrick Mahomes returned from a nine-month recovery from torn ACL and LCL injuries. The Chiefs ran the ball 38 times for 220 yards, the third-highest total for an Andy Reid-coached team in the franchise’s history.

Running back Kenneth Walker, who signed with Kansas City as a free agent after being named MVP of Super Bowl LX, rushed for a career-high 173 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries and added a receiving touchdown, bringing his total yards from scrimmage to 191, more than the entire Broncos offense managed.

Mahomes contributed a 15-yard rushing touchdown and threw two touchdown passes — a 13-yard strike to Rashee Rice and a 2-yard pass to Walker — but completed 15 of 27 attempts for 184 yards and was intercepted once.

For Denver, quarterback Bo Nix completed 17 of 28 passes for 131 yards, a touchdown to tight end Evan Engram and an interception, while also losing a fumble. The Broncos managed only 15 rushing attempts for 61 yards and trailed 14-7 at halftime before the Chiefs pulled away in the second half.