Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Denver Broncos 31-10. Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills then pulled off a 36-31 win over the Houston Texans. Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens put up 41 points against the Indianapolis Colts, while Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals started the season with a win.

For ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter, seeing those four quarterbacks open the season with victories brought back memories of the AFC battles from earlier in the decade.

“Well, it's one week into the season, but it feels like it's back to the future. We're talking about Mahomes and the Chiefs being back. We're talking about Lamar and the Ravens being back. We're talking about Burrow and the Bengals being back. We're talking about Josh Allen and the Bills being back,” Schefter said on September 17.

Schefter pointed to the same four teams that were regularly in the AFC conversation a few years ago.

“And these four teams that vied for AFC supremacy at the start of the decade feel like they're going to be doing it again,” NFL insider Adam Schefter said on "Get Up" on September 17.

Allen's win in Houston stood out after he had lost four straight games against the Texans. He finished the job with a late go-ahead touchdown pass to Josh Palmer in the 36-31 victory.

Kansas City also got a big performance from Kenneth Walker III. The running back rushed for 173 yards and two touchdowns against Denver in Mahomes' return from his knee injury.

The Bengals' win also put Cincinnati back into the early AFC conversation after a difficult 2025 season.

“But it just feels like Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, and Josh Allen are going to have a big say in the AFC playoff race this season,” Schefter added.

It is only one week into the season, but the four quarterbacks have already given the AFC an old-school feel.

But Mahomes’ story doesn’t stop with the Chiefs. His Texas Tech roots are still showing up, too.

Why is Texas Tech turning to Patrick Mahomes ahead of Friday night?

Patrick Mahomes may be back with the Kansas City Chiefs, but his connection with Texas Tech is still showing up on the football field.

According to ESPN, the Chiefs quarterback's alma mater will wear its special “Let's Ride” uniforms against Houston on Friday night. Mahomes worked with Texas Tech on the design, which features an all-black look with bright red accents.

His gladiator logo is placed underneath the left shoulder, giving the quarterback a clear presence on the Red Raiders' new threads.

Texas Tech also added another familiar Mahomes connection to the uniform. State Farm will have its logo on a patch just above Mahomes' personal logo. The location fits given Mahomes' endorsement deal with the company.

The uniforms come just days after Mahomes returned to NFL action following a torn ACL and LCL injury.

He helped Kansas City open the season with a 31-10 win over the Denver Broncos in Week 1.

Written by

Debanjali Rakshit