Patrick Mahomes had gone nine months without playing in a real game. When Monday night arrived, so much of the pregame discussion centered on what his return would look like. With the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback coming back from a torn ACL and LCL, the Denver Broncos’ defense was expected to give him a serious test at Arrowhead Stadium.
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Brittany Mahomes, wife of the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, watched all of that build-up. Then she watched the actual game happen, as the Chiefs won 31-10. Afterward, she shared a clip of that ESPN graphic on Instagram with a single caption: “Oopsies.”
Credits: Instagram/@brittanylynne
The jab made more sense once the game was over. Kansas City beat Denver 31-10 at Arrowhead, turning what had been a week of questions about Mahomes’ return into a very different story by the end of the night.
And it wasn’t just that ESPN had put up one graphic before kickoff. ESPN analyst and former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky had also raised concerns on “NFL Live” earlier in the week when he was asked directly about Mahomes facing Denver’s defense in his first game.
“Yes, significant concerns,” Orlovsky said. “That being said, never take greatness for granted.”
Orlovsky wasn’t dismissing what Mahomes had already accomplished just by making it back for Week 1. He pointed to Denver’s pass rush, which had led the NFL with 68 sacks in 2025, the fifth-most in league history. And that number came even without edge rusher Jonathon Cooper, who started the season on the Commissioner’s Exempt list.
“This defensive front, even without Jonathon Cooper, led the NFL in sacks,” Orlovsky said. “Because of the way the offensive makeup is right now, I’m a little bit cautious going into this game if I’m Kansas City.”
That concern was part of the conversation around Monday night’s game. ESPN’s own Week 1 predictions piece even asked, “Could the Broncos upset the Chiefs?” as one of its featured storylines.
In total, 19 ESPN experts picked the Broncos to be their AFC champion, compared to just two who picked Kansas City. That doesn’t mean all 19 were predicting Denver to win this particular game against Kansas City in Week 1, but it does show how highly regarded the Broncos were entering the season.
Denver entered the game as the reigning AFC West champion off a 14-3 season and an AFC Championship appearance, while Kansas City was coming off a 6-11 finish, its worst record since 2012, and its first missed playoffs since 2014.
None of that caution held up once the game started. Running back Kenneth Walker III, making his Chiefs debut after joining Kansas City in the offseason, ran for 173 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries. He also caught three passes for 18 yards.
Mahomes finished 15-of-27 for 184 yards and two touchdowns, adding a 23-yard, one-touchdown rushing performance that included a highlight-reel 15-yard scramble into the end zone. He did throw an interception, but it barely registered against how thoroughly Kansas City controlled the game.
Denver’s offense, playing under new playcaller Davis Webb, was held largely in check, while its defense, the same unit Orlovsky had flagged as the source of his concern, struggled to tackle consistently and surrendered the ball on a Bo Nix strip-sack fumble late in the third quarter that set up more Kansas City points.
After four quarters at Arrowhead, Kansas City had the answer. The Chiefs finished with 392 total yards to Denver’s 176, controlled possession for more than 33 minutes, and converted nine of 17 third downs.
For Brittany, one screenshot was enough to make the point. The Chiefs had heard all the doubts before Mahomes’ return. By Monday night, they had given her a final score worth posting.