"They’re vulnerable" - Broncos legend sounds alarm over Patrick Mahomes' team losing intimidation in NFL heading into 2025 season

Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs have been the model NFL franchise over the past decade. The Chiefs have won three Super Bowl rings in the Mahomes era and have reached five Super Bowl games in that span.

However, Denver Broncos legend Mark Schlereth believes Mahomes & Co. are losing their intimidation factor ahead of the 2025 regular season. The three-time Super Bowl-winning offensive lineman appeared on FS1's Breakfast Ball, where he said:

"I think for the first time in a long time, do a radio show in Denver, people feel like, like there was a time- there's blood in the water? Yeah, there was a time that Patrick Mahomes was the boogeyman, right? Sure. There's nothing we can do.

"But there feels like there's this league-wide sense that this is the first time in Kansas City, in his tenure at Kansas City, that they're vulnerable. Like that somebody else could- And that's off of a 15-win season winning this division."

Schlereth knows a thing or two about being part of teams with an intimidating air around them. He won one Super Bowl ring with the Washington Redskins and two with the Broncos. Both teams were stacked with Pro Bowl talent and were a nightmare to come up against.

Schlereth believes the Chiefs need to put in the work to get back the fear factor in the 2025 campaign. The loss against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX makes the Andy Reid-led dynasty look somewhat human at the moment.

What's next for Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs?

Patrick Mahomes is preparing for his ninth season in the NFL. The Chiefs superstar has arguably enjoyed the greatest start to an NFL career by a quarterback, having won three Super Bowl rings, two MVP Awards, three Super Bowl MVP awards, the 2018 Offensive Player of the Year Award and set numerous Chiefs and NFL records during that time frame.

However, Mahomes is coming off arguably the most damaging loss of his career versus the Eagles in Super Bowl LIX.

The Texas Tech product enters the 2025 season with a chip on his shoulder as he looks to bring the Vince Lombardi Trophy back to Arrowhead. However, he will have his work cut out as his side's AFC rivals have been active in the offseason, and the Eagles have made numerous improvements as well.

The Chiefs will hold training camp later this month, followed by preseason games. The perennial Super Bowl champs have games against the Arizona Cardinals, Seattle Seahawks and Chicago Bears to navigate before the start of the regular season.

Following the preseason, there is a matchup against Jim Harbaugh's Los Angeles Chargers. Mahomes & Co. will look to win the game to pay down a marker for the rest of their opponents in the campaign.