What Chiefs' early prime-time schedule means for Patrick Mahomes' knee recovery timeline

What Chiefs' early prime-time schedule means for Patrick Mahomes' knee recovery timeline originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . Besides giving NFL fans a glimpse of who their teams will be playing and when, Kansas City Chiefs fans may have just gotten a massive clue about when the NFL thinks Patrick Mahomes may return.

During Week 15 last season, the quarterback went down immediately, grabbing at the back of his left knee. Anyone who watches sports knows this almost always means a torn ACL, and that it was. The star was sidelined for the remainder of the 2025-26 disappointing Chiefs campaign with a scary injury.

However, eagle-eyed schedule viewers may have noticed that Kansas City has prime-time games in Weeks 1 and 2 this season. The NFL most likely would not have gifted Justin Fields these time slots, so many have started to believe Mahomes will potentially make his Arrowhead return in either Week 1 or 2. Here's how Kansas City's schedule may hint at where their franchise quarterback is on his recovery timeline.

MORE: What does Kansas City's schedule look like for the 2026-27 season? When will Patrick Mahomes return? While nothing is set in stone on a Mahomes return date, the quarterback has shown that he is progressing well.