Patrick Mahomes has been working through a knee that is still on the mend, and the Chiefs’ schedule finally gave him room to do it. Kansas City sits at 4-0, but the bye week arrived at a useful moment, giving the quarterback seven days away from game-day contact. Mahomes made clear the timing mattered.
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“I mean for me just gives my knee an extra week just to rest and stuff like that,” Patrick Mahomes said to the reporters. “Obviously I felt great this season and being able to rehab and do stuff like that. But it kind of gives me another week where I can kind of, all right, I got through that first few games, kind of reset, reevaluate where I’m at, and then kind of move forward going ahead.
“And so obviously winning there helps out a ton. And then getting a week of rest, kind of seeing around the NFL what everybody’s got, and then kind of coming back with the right mindset is big.”
Mahomes tore the ACL and LCL in his left knee on December 14, 2025, in a game against the Chargers and had surgery the very next day. That same game was the second of two losses to Los Angeles last year. The first came in Week 1, the second NFL game ever played in Brazil (following 2024’s Week 1 matchup), and the Chargers swept the Chiefs in both.
That history makes this week’s matchup particularly significant. Kansas City hosts the Chargers, the third and final AFC West team they’ll face for the first time this season, with a chance to go 5-0.
For now, the Chiefs are coming out of their bye week, and it’s worth remembering how unusual this one was. Week 5 is the earliest break of the Patrick Mahomes era. During his break, the QB appeared in advertisements for a couple of brands, including State Farm, which he shared on Instagram. He also posted moments of quality time with his family ahead of the Week 6 game.
As for the break itself, Andy Reid wasn’t fussed about its timing.
“I’m not sure we’ve had one this early that I remember, but it doesn’t matter,” Reid said. “I mean, even a regular week, you might leave town, but you’ve got an iPad with you. So you need to set it up somewhere where you don’t get too far.”
Now Kansas City turns toward the stretch run, with 13 straight games standing between them and early January. They are arriving in good shape. At 4-0, the Chiefs hold the best record in the AFC and sit first in the AFC West, so the No. 1 seed is the obvious target. Mahomes has been a big reason why.
He has thrown for 1,037 yards and nine touchdowns against two interceptions, completing 64.1% of his passes. His best day came in the 33-30 overtime win over the Colts, where he recorded 382 yards and three scores.
Over four games, he has been sacked six times and hasn’t fumbled once.
A win on Sunday, October 18 against the Chargers would also put Reid in rare company. He would become just the third head coach in league history to start a season 5-0 on six different occasions. It fits a resume that already includes three Super Bowl titles in six appearances, all three coming since he arrived in Kansas City.
The injury report, on the other hand, has a couple of players to keep an eye on. Receiver Rashee Rice is dealing with a hamstring strain that’s believed to be minor. Tyquan Thornton’s situation is far more serious. He dislocated his ankle, underwent surgery, and was placed on injured reserve with a projected recovery timeline of 12 to 16 weeks.
So the Chiefs return almost fully healthy and unbeaten, facing a familiar rival with plenty of unfinished business.