Adam Schefter warns Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes of AFC West gauntlet in 2025 NFL season
Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs may be fresh off another Super Bowl appearance, but ESPN’s Adam Schefter believes their path to continued AFC West dominance in 2025 is anything but smooth.
Speaking on ESPN this week, Schefter highlighted the rising level of competition across the division and warned that the Chiefs may face their stiffest divisional schedule since Mahomes became the starter.
“This may just be the single toughest division and the most division challenges that Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs have faced since he started as the Chiefs’ starting quarterback,” Schefter said.
“I see huge division challenges all across the board for the Chiefs, making it difficult for them to finish in the type of spot with as many wins as they normally do.”
There’s merit to that concern. The AFC West has undergone considerable change this offseason. In Los Angeles, Jim Harbaugh has taken over the Chargers, implementing his trademark physical style while building around quarterback Justin Herbert.
Under Antonio Pierce, the Las Vegas Raiders fortified their defense and added veteran quarterback Geno Smith to compete with Aidan O’Connell.
Meanwhile, in Denver, first-round pick Bo Nix is entering his sophomore season as the Broncos’ QB1 under coach Sean Payton. Nix led the team to a 10-7 record and a playoff berth in his rookie year.
Kansas City Chiefs are no strangers to a tough NFL schedule
Kansas City’s 2025 slate adds even more weight to Schefter’s warning. The Chiefs open the season on September 5 with an international game against the LA Chargers in Sao Paulo, Brazil. In Week 2, they’ll host the Philadelphia Eagles in a Super Bowl LIX rematch, the same team that defeated them earlier this year.
Before their Week 10 bye, the Chiefs will also face the Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens and Detroit Lions, all 2024 playoff teams with elite quarterback play. That stretch includes games against MVP candidates like Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, with little room for rest.
No team will have a bigger national spotlight than the Chiefs. They’re scheduled for eight standalone games in 2025, including a league-high seven primetime appearances.
Their holiday schedule is packed: Thanksgiving Day in Dallas, Christmas Day at home against the Broncos and a Monday Night Football clash with the Bills.
“If you were sick of Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes and Taylor Swift last year, get ready for this year. It’s going to be a Chiefs overload,” Schefter joked.
"It just underscores how important Patrick Mahomes is to the National Football League. Because literally they're getting value out of him at every step of the way. They're milking Patrick Mahomes for whatever he's worth, and whatever the Chiefs are paying him isn't enough. The league should have to chip in a stipend for all the ways that the league is benefitting," continued Schefter.
Despite a 13-4 regular season in 2024 and an AFC title, the Chiefs' loss to the Eagles in Super Bowl LIX showed they’re not invincible. And with the division tightening, Kansas may not have the same cushion it’s enjoyed in past seasons.
The 2025 campaign could be the ultimate test of the Mahomes era. If Kansas City can survive this schedule and come out on top of the AFC West again, it may become one of the quarterback’s most significant accomplishments yet.