Patrick Mahomes has been working tirelessly on his comeback since tearing his ACL in the final stretch of last season. According to an NFL insider, this means there’s a good chance he’ll be back on the field as early as Week 1.

Will Patrick Mahomes be fit in time for the season opener?

This question has been on the minds of Kansas City Chiefs fans and staff for several months now. Now it looks as though the superstar’s comeback on opening day could very well happen.

According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, the odds are good that the quarterback will be on the field for the game against the Denver Broncos on September 15.

NFL: Patrick Mahomes is training “as intensely as humanly possible”

On the “NFL Network,” he explained: “The hope is that the Kansas City Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes, and the medical team—which is among the best in the NFL—will agree on the right course of action.”

He continued: “It’s a smart decision that, if it were up to him, would have Mahomes back on the field as early as Week 1. He tore his anterior cruciate ligament. He tore his lateral collateral ligament. We mustn’t forget that he underwent surgery immediately to give him the best possible conditions for a quick and safe return.”

He particularly highlights the 30-year-old’s strong training performances during his rehab: “Just under nine months will have passed by the start of the season. That’s incredibly fast. But Mahomes was back at the Chiefs’ training center the very day after his surgery. He spends about seven hours a day there and trains as intensely as humanly possible.“

That’s why a comeback as the starter against the Broncos is entirely conceivable: ”It certainly looks like Mahomes is well on his way to being on the field in Week 1, and the fact that they’ve added reinforcements, including Kenneth Walker, only works in his favor.”

Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs miss the playoffs for the first time in ten years

Mahomes tore the anterior cruciate and collateral ligaments in his left knee during the final minutes of last season’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers.

After the franchise lost the game 13–16, three more losses followed against the Tennessee Titans, the Denver Broncos, and the Las Vegas Raiders. As a result, the Chiefs finished the season with a 6–11 record and, after three consecutive Super Bowl appearances, missed the playoffs for the first time since 2015.

For Mahomes himself, it was a sobering year. He finished with 3,587 passing yards and 22 touchdowns on 11 interceptions—a solid performance, but by the standards the 30-year-old has previously set for himself, his worst NFL season to date.

Quarterback Rankings: Mahomes Not No. 1 for the First Time in Three Years

This is also why the quarterback did not finish at No. 1 in “ESPN’s” annual quarterback rankings for the first time in three years—a poll in which NFL executives, coaches, and scouts vote on the best players of the past season.

This year, Mahomes ranks only second on the list, behind Bills quarterback Josh Allen. “You understand that,” Mahomes said recently in an interview with “Yahoo Sports Daily” regarding the rankings.

He continued: “After an injury and since we haven’t played as well as we’d have liked in recent years, you naturally slip down the rankings a bit. But at the same time, there are a lot of good quarterbacks on this list, and I’m just glad to be a part of it.”

Next season, Mahomes wants to show once again why he belongs in the top spot: “You have to prove what you can do all over again every year. That’s why it’s my job this year to show why I can move back up to No. 1 on the list.”

He explained that his ultimate goal is to start in Week 1: “Hopefully, the doctors and coaches will give me the green light so I can get back on the field.”