Patrick Mahomes already has one of two key pieces he needs to return to his MVP form

The NFL is back, and in addition to the season-opening Super Bowl rematch between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots, the opening slate features three thrilling prime-time divisional showdowns .

On Thursday night, Super Bowl favorites the Los Angeles Rams battle the San Francisco 49ers in the historic first-ever regular-season game played in Australia. For Sunday Night Football , the Dallas Cowboys face the New York Giants, marking the eighth time in 15 seasons these fierce rivals have met in Week 1.

Finally, Monday night closes out the opening week with an AFC West clash highlighted by the return of quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs welcoming Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos.

Rebuilding the Foundation: Eric Bieniemy Returns to Kansas City

Last season, the Denver Broncos made a major statement by snapping the Chiefs’ nine-year stranglehold on the AFC West division title , and their stout defense figures to make life difficult right out of the gate for Mahomes and company.

Notably, Mahomes did not take a single snap during the preseason for the first time in his career, meaning this Monday night matchup will mark his first game action at full speed in nine months-

Observers will recall that his offensive production dipped over the final three seasons prior to his injury absence, with none surpassing 27 touchdown passes or 4,200 passing yards , modest numbers compared to the record-shattering heights of his early career.

During those first five dominant seasons, which yielded two regular-season MVPs and two Super Bowl rings , Mahomes benefited immensely from offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy and star wideout Tyreek Hill , who served as his primary target for his first four years.

Fortunately for Kansas City, Bieniemy has returned to the sideline for this campaign, but Hill remains a free agent as he recovers from a severe knee injury suffered early last season.

Waiting on Tyreek Hill's Recovery Timeline

With Rashee Rice firmly entrenched as the clear-cut WR1, a 32-year-old Hill would not be asked to shoulder the exact same workload he carried during his initial six-year tenure in Kansas City, but his elite field-stretching capability would provide an enormous boost to a receiver room facing lingering depth questions.

Beyond Rice, only Xavier Worthy , whose weekly availability can sometimes be unpredictable. possesses the proven experience needed to lead this offense toward another deep playoff push .

If general manager Brett Veach intends to round out the roster with the dynamic free-agent speedster, however, patience will be required.

Hill continues working his way back from a dislocated knee sustained early last year, and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus , revealed on The Pat McAfee Show that medical personnel have advised him to hold off on a formal comeback until at least October.

Rosenhaus noted that while there is heavy league-wide interest in the veteran wideout, the priority is ensuring he is completely healthy before stepping back onto the gridiron, keeping one of Kansas City's potential mid-season reinforcements sidelined for at least another month.