"Long live Mexico!": Patrick Mahomes' celebration after playing again with the Chiefs
The Chiefs quarterback celebrated the Chiefs' victory with an emotional message to Mexican fans.
P atrick Mahomes played an official game again nine months after suffering an injury that affected the anterior cruciate and lateral collateral ligaments in his left knee. The quarterback responded in his return with a victory for the Kansas City Chiefs, who defeated the Denver Broncos 31-10 in the first Monday Night Football game of the 2026 season.
But the night still had one last moment in store. The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback closed his interview with ESPN alongside journalist John Sutcliffe with an enthusiastic “Long live Mexico!” . The phrase, aimed at Mexican fans and spoken just days before the celebration of Mexico's Independence, quickly drew attention on social media.
A return with victory and several protagonists
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) returned after nine months out with his ACL injury and did so in the sweetest way possible, winning.
Mahomes completed 15 of his 27 passes for 184 yards, with two touchdown passes and one interception. He also added another rushing touchdown, in a performance in which he did not appear limited by his surgically repaired knee.
The great offensive protagonist, however, was Kenneth Walker III . The MVP of the last Super Bowl ran for 173 yards on 23 carries and scored a spectacular "touchdown" after a 60-yard rush in his first official game with the Chiefs, following his extraordinary season that ended with the title with the Seattle Seahawks. Walker totaled 173 yards and broke his personal record.
On the other hand, Travis Kelce also left his name in the NFL record books . The tight end surpassed Jason Witten and moved into second place among the tight ends with the most receiving yards in league history, behind only Tony Gonzalez.
All of these ingredients made it a special game and it ended with a celebration that got a reaction from all the fans.
Mahomes focuses on what's next
The quarterback wanted to downplay the importance of his individual return and emphasized the collective effort.
"They're a good football team. They reached the AFC final for a reason," Mahomes said about Denver. "Us coming out and winning like that is the first step. It shows that all the work in training camp was worth it. But how can we improve?"
Kansas City's response was emphatic. The Chiefs finished with 392 total yards, including 220 on the ground, while Denver managed just 176 yards of offense. The home defense also pressured Bo Nix and forced two turnovers.
For Mahomes, the day meant competing again after a long recovery and doing so with a victory. For the Chiefs , it was also a way to begin the season against a divisional rival that had finished 2025 with 14 wins and had reached the AFC championship.
And after all that came the moment that ended up spreading beyond the field. Mahomes, still riding the emotion of his return and the victory, used his interview to deliver his “Viva Mexico!” . A brief phrase that capped an important night for Kansas City and drew an immediate response from Mexican fans.
