Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes appears on track to start Week 1 against the Denver Broncos

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes appears on track to start for the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1 against the Denver Broncos.

The two-time MVP has stated ever since he underwent surgery in December to repair torn ligaments in his left knee that his goal was to be on the field when the season begins.

And while doctors initially cautioned Mahomes that it could be October before he was ready to play, the quarterback surged past all expectations in his rehab, working with the first team throughout training camp.

Mahomes did not play in any preseason games. But that was always by design.

“He's going to keep practicing just like he's been doing,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Wednesday, after their first practice following roster cuts. “These are more like practice here, a lot of one-versus-one play these next couple of days. That's a good thing.”

The Chiefs will practice again Thursday before a long weekend, then resume work Monday. After that, they'll be into their game-week schedule, pointed toward a Monday night showdown between two of the favorites to win the AFC West this season.

One question looming over Mahomes' return: Will not playing in a preseason game affect his performance? The only other time he has gone an entire preseason without a game snap came during the pandemic, when all of the exhibition games were canceled.

“Me and Pat, we've kind of been working this offseason, the timing and stuff you need to work on,” Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy said, when asked about the rapport with his quarterback. “I feel like when it's time to play, we'll all be ready.”

Worthy always thought Mahomes would be ready for the start of the season. In fact, he returned to Kansas City early this summer to work out with Mahomes, who was spending his days rehabbing his knee while watching World Cup games on TV.

“His will and want-to is beyond anything I've ever seen,” Worthy said. “He kind of leads the team in that way. You have your leader leading like that and guys fall behind. He's just a ‘will’ guy, always willing to work.”

Exactly who is protecting Mahomes should he play Week 1 is another question mark.

Left tackle Josh Simmons remained out of practice Wednesday with a lingering back injury, forcing Kansas City to shuffle the offensive line. Undrafted rookie Kahlil Benson has been moving around in his absence, while Jaylon Moore has also gotten first-team reps.

Perhaps wary of the injury woes up front — guard Trey Smith has been dealing with a hip injury — the Chiefs made a couple of moves to build their depth in recent days. They sent a conditional sixth-round pick to Baltimore for undrafted rookie Diego Pounds, and they acquired Joshua Ezeudu from the Giants for a seventh-round selection.

“It's just a matter of them getting adjusted to everything, from the snap count to the plays to the calls to the pass protection,” Reid said. “It was great to get them in there. There were a couple of hiccups in there but for the most part they did a great job.”

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