Chiefs let Mahomes down again and their schedule’s about to get worse
Playing quarterback in the NFL obviously comes with heavy scrutiny. Patrick Mahomes has dealt with critics and doubters throughout various points in his football career. But as usual, he and the Kansas City Chiefs are going to continue to see everyone's best shot every week.
Mahomes was very impressive in the first game of the season. Even with a loss in Brazil, the Chiefs' signal caller was effective as a runner, throwing on the run, and reintroducing a deep ball to the K.C. offense. Kansas City still had some issues to clean up going into the next game offensively. Yet, Mahomes was placed with a massive burden on his shoulders in Week 1.
Mahomes answered until the very end. Unfortunately for the Chiefs, his effort was not enough to get them across the finish line victoriously.
Kansas City has been able to win many games and win Super Bowls by having Patrick Mahomes act as Superman. However, the team is going to have to pick things up around him if they are going to get on a roll soon. The Chiefs cannot continue to be so average around one of the best quarterbacks in the league.
The Chiefs have to find a way to help Mahomes out in the next few games.
The Chiefs truly did not make many moves this past offseason. A new draft class is expected to get a heavy dose of action throughout this season. Kansas City opted to re-sign a decent number of players. A good chunk of those are not getting any younger and are no longer in their prime. Sure, the free-agent class was largely hit and miss for key options. The Chiefs just did not make a ton of splashes this offseason.
Beginning with that framework heading into the 2025 regular season, there are many opportunities up for grabs all over the Kansas City roster. Younger pieces are looking to stake their claim for more defensive snaps on the defensive line and in the secondary.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs' wide receiver room continues to be a pick-your-poison situation of who will remain healthy and available. As a result, many of the most dependable spots on the team around Patrick Mahomes are potentially entering a transition or possible reset as the season gets deeper and into next year.
Let's focus on the current stretch that the Chiefs find themselves in. After dropping the first game in Brazil to the Los Angeles Chargers, they come home to face the Philadelphia Eagles in a Super Bowl rematch. Philadelphia lost some pieces from last year's defensive front. But as we know, physicality and toughness will remain an emphasis with the Eagles' defense. Do the Chiefs have what it takes to come through and help Mahomes make the necessary plays in that highly pressurized game?
Even if they survive that one, games against the Ravens, Lions, Raiders, and Commanders await before a date with the Bills. Kansas City will have time to adjust and adapt before we get all the way to some of those matchups. But when you consider the tough early schedule, and the weak points from the season-opening performance, it makes it that much more frustrating that the Chiefs made silly mistakes in an otherwise solid showing by Mahomes.
Kansas City has to be able to let Patrick Mahomes put an easy drive into the fairway from time to time. Do not force him to hit the perfect shot on each attempt. His heroics are as good as anyone's. But in this next stretch, especially if Xavier Worthy misses extended time, K.C. must learn to lessen the overall burden on his shoulders.
Broncos name Burnham Yard as ‘preferred site’ of new stadium location
The Broncos are one step closer to a new home.
The team released a joint letter on Tuesday — from co-owners Greg Penner and Carrie Walton Penner, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis — naming Burnham Yard as the “preferred site” for construction of the next Broncos stadium.
Burnham Yard is a historic Denver rail yard south of Colfax Avenue and east of Interstate 25. The Broncos were previously connected to a series of land deals, totaling $146 million, surrounding the area.
The Broncos are planning for “a world-class retractable roof stadium anchoring a dynamic mixed-use district” that will be privately financed with “no new taxes,” according to the joint letter. The playing surface will be natural grass.
The Broncos are targeting the 2031 NFL season as a stadium completion date. The team’s lease to play games at Empower Field at Mile High runs through 2030. Burnham Yard is about one mile southeast of the current stadium.
“Today is not yet a celebration but rather a meaningful checkpoint reflecting years of research, collaboration and planning as well as necessary land agreements and feasibility studies,” the joint letter states. “Most importantly, this announcement marks the beginning of a much deeper and transparent phase of broader engagement with our neighbors.”
The state currently owns Burnham Yard. The Colorado Department of Transportation bought the 58-acre property in 2021. It planned to widen I-25 and relocate railroad tracks, but after a transportation planning study, the state decided it wasn’t feasible and opened the process to sell it. The Broncos have a “conceptual agreement” to purchase the land, the team said.
The area is also home to Denver Water and the site of its operations complex. The public agency must “relocate some of its facilities on the south side of the complex” for the proposed stadium plan to work, according to a news release. Relocation includes buildings that currently house the public agency’s operations and maintenance, distribution, trades, fleet, meter shop warehouse and health clinic workers.
“While this is not something we sought, Denver Water understands the significance of this opportunity for the city of Denver and the economic importance for the larger community we serve,” Denver Water CEO/manager Alan Salazar said in a news release. “Over the last several months, we have been exploring how we can help to keep the Broncos in Denver at their preferred location without compromising our critical mission or jeopardizing our financial or operational needs. Most important of all, accommodating a new stadium cannot be financed or subsidized by our ratepayers.”
The surrounding neighborhood to Burnham Yard is La Alma-Lincoln Park. It is home to a significant blue-collar and Latino population as the epicenter of Denver’s Chicano movement.
“We are excited to work with the Broncos on the community benefits agreement that will meet the needs and concerns of the neighborhood,” Nolan Hahn, president of the La Alma Lincoln Park Neighborhood Association, told The Denver Gazette.
Among the neighborhood’s top priorities is traffic safety and how a massive influx of future game-goers could reshape the character of their neighborhood.
“We already have a lot of cars moving through our neighborhood at high speeds, and we don’t want more,” Hahn said. “So we’d like to see as many people as possible get to the stadium by other means.”
“The Broncos are fully committed to a strong and inclusive Community Benefits Agreement process that will begin immediately,” the joint letter states. “Together, we will work hand-in-hand with the Denver City Council, local neighborhoods and community organizations — including Denver Water — to shape this vision with their needs and priorities in mind.”
The Broncos also considered new stadium sites outside of Denver, including Lone Tree and Aurora.
Several Broncos players reacted Tuesday on social media to the Burnham Yard plans.
Outside linebacker Nik Bonitto: “Huge news! Greg and Carrie Penner continue to invest in our team and city!”
Defensive end Zach Allen: “This is awesome! Love this investment from Greg and Carrie and so excited to keep playing in the best city for the best fans!”
Inside linebacker Alex Singleton: “Best city and best owners in the world, love what will always be next for this team!”
Kicker Wil Lutz: “Big things happening! Excited for the future at Burnham Yard!”
Mayor perspective
Johnston told The Denver Gazette that he prioritized making sure the stadium wasn’t taxpayer funded, that it would be located on the west side of the city and easily accessible by public transit.
“On every front, this was our dream come true outcome,” Johnston said.
While the Broncos will privately fund the land and the stadium, Denver’s mayor said currently the city’s main job will be to build out the roads that make up the neighborhood.
When asked if there were any contingency plans in case the Broncos decided not to move the stadium, Johnston said “we’re all in on making this site work.”
Johnston added that he believes the Broncos are the best bet to revitalizing Burnham Yard, a complicated piece of land that has been empty for more than a decade and still needs environmental remediation and a rail line moved.
“I don’t think there are any other developers that could bring the type of resources you would need to make this site successful,” Johnston said.
If the Broncos leave, the 80 acres that make up Empower Field will belong to the city and give officials a blank space to create another new development. Johnston said there’s currently no plans for the current stadium site, but a community process will begin soon to have a vision ready within four to five years.
“So, the day that the Broncos move out, we’re ready to put shovels in the ground to make something magical happen over on the west side of Denver,” he said.
The deal could create a potential for more affordable housing in the area, the mayor said, as the city has control over the land and how it’ll be used. And as part of the community benefits agreement, Johnston said they’re working to prioritize affordable housing at Burnham Yards, too.
“These are two new neighborhoods where Denverites can hope that they’ll get to call home someday and where hopefully our kids and grandkids will get to live someday,” the mayor said.
Johnston also stressed that investing in new stadiums like the Broncos and the National Women’s Soccer League’s Denver Summit team can help the city climb out of its budget woes that have led to mass layoffs of city workers.
Attracting major events like the Super Bowl, Taylor Swift concerts and the Final Four is more feasible with a retractable roof and can help bring in more than $1 billion in sales tax revenue to the city each year, according to the mayor.
“We think our job is to grow our way out of this crisis as much as it is to manage our expenditures,” Johnston said.
He said no city money will fund the construction or the land, as will no dollars from the city’s general fund will contribute to the stadium. Johnston stressed that the Broncos’ commitment to pay for a world-class stadium in Denver is an “unprecedented” deal.
The Broncos did not specify the private cost of building the new stadium. But it is expected to be a multi-billion dollar project if compared to recently constructed NFL stadiums. SoFi Stadium, the NFL home of the Chargers and Rams located in Inglewood, Calif., was privately funded by Stan Kroenke — owner of the Avalanche, Nuggets and Rapids. It was a $5.5 billion project that opened in 2020.
Below is the Broncos’ joint letter in full:
Broncos Country,
Today marks an important step forward in a shared vision for the Denver Broncos, the city of Denver and the state of Colorado.
Together, we are pleased to announce historic Burnham Yard in the heart of Denver as the preferred site for a world-class retractable roof stadium anchoring a dynamic mixed-use district. Once a vital railyard that played a key role in Denver’s past, Burnham Yard now represents a transformational opportunity to reimagine the future with deep respect for the rich history of the area.
In the spirit of a true civic partnership, the Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group will privately fund this investment and work with the community, city and state to reconnect historic neighborhoods—with no new taxes. These shared public improvements will ensure benefits extend far beyond gamedays with better accessibility, connectivity and multimodal transit options.
While this is an exciting milestone, we recognize there is much more work to be done ahead of a targeted stadium completion for the 2031 NFL season. Today is not yet a celebration but rather a meaningful checkpoint reflecting years of research, collaboration and planning as well as necessary land agreements and feasibility studies.
Most importantly, this announcement marks the beginning of a much deeper and transparent phase of broader engagement with our neighbors.
The Broncos are fully committed to a strong and inclusive Community Benefits Agreement process that will begin immediately. Together, we will work hand-in-hand with the Denver City Council, local neighborhoods and community organizations—including Denver Water—to shape this vision with their needs and priorities in mind.
Our goal for this ambitious project is to build a community that connects fans, neighbors and future generations across Colorado. In addition to creating a modern new home for the Broncos, this vibrant hub will attract premiere events driving impact for Denver and the entire Rocky Mountain Region.
With a storied history that predates Colorado statehood, Burnham Yard stands poised to be revitalized into a thriving development where sports & entertainment, housing, business and community blend to create a one-of-a-kind year-round destination.
Denver has been the proud home of the Broncos since Day 1. This community-inspired vision will allow our city and team to continue to grow and thrive together at Burnham Yard.
There is a long road ahead and we believe we can get there together. Every step of the way, our approach will be guided by humility, respect and a shared commitment to the city of Denver, state of Colorado and all of Broncos Country.
Sincerely,
Greg Penner & Carrie Walton Penner, Broncos Owners
Mike Johnston, Denver Mayor
Jared Polis, Colorado Governor
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Denver Gazette reporters Bernadette Berdychowski and Deborah Grigsby contributed to this report.
The post Broncos name Burnham Yard as ‘preferred site’ of new stadium location appeared first on Denver Gazette.
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