Friday Faceoff: Who is currently Denver’s greatest sports villain?

Kyle Fredrickson, Broncos beat reporter

Answer: Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes 

The Chiefs drafted Patrick Mahomes with the No. 10 overall pick of the 2017 NFL draft. The Broncos endured seven consecutive losing seasons starting in 2017. 

Coincidence? No way.  

Denver’s reign as AFC West superpower died just as Mahomes resurrected Kansas City to build a dynasty exceeding the best runs in Broncos’ history. Mahomes appeared in five Super Bowls over the last six seasons with three Lombardi Trophies to his credit. Broncos Country can only dream. 

Denver’s all-time villains include but are not limited to Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, Red Wings menace Darren McCarty, even the great Kobe Bryant.

But Mahomes has beaten the Broncos like a bad habit, over and over, during nine seasons and counting in Kansas City. He is 13-1 as the starting quarterback against Denver with his only loss in 2023 when ex-Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson led the team to a 24-9 victory. Mahomes didn’t play in Week 18 a year ago when Denver rolled over Chiefs’ backups.  

Mahomes might be starting to show his football age at 30. The Chiefs are 5-4 coming off their bye week. But doubt him at your own risk. Mahomes enters Week 11 with a QBR of 74.5 — the second-highest mark in the NFL.  

Mahomes is still king of the AFC West until someone takes his crown. It feels like this Broncos defense is up to the task with the league’s most effective pass rush. They’re certainly confident. But talk is cheap when Kansas City has won the division nine consecutive years.  

Mahomes lacks the personal bravado that defines many sports villains. His greatness and dominance over the Broncos, and the NFL at large, makes him an easy target. The home fans at Empower Field will lose their minds on Sunday if the Broncos topple Kansas City and mighty Mahomes. 

Chris Schmaedeke, digital sports editor

Answer: Rockies owner Dick Monfort

Dick Monfort is public enemy No. 1 in the minds of a lot of Colorado sports fans.  

As the Rockies continue to lose at a historic pace, including 119 defeats last season, the consensus among fans is usually that Monfort needs to sell the team. There are signs at Coors Field and plenty of posts on social media calling for new ownership of the Rockies.  

Not fielding a competitive team in a market that loves a winning baseball team makes Monfort the top villain in Colorado sports. 

Fans see Monfort as only caring about making money and not winning. He built a party deck at Coors Field, but doesn’t spend money on free agents. When he does spend money, it is on has-beens like Kris Bryant, who has played in only 170 games with the team since signing in 2022. Or he approves the organization trading Nolan Arenado and sending $50 million to the St. Louis Cardinals. 

The list goes on and on for fans when talking about Monfort. And none of it seems to be positive. The Rockies have made the playoffs five times in their history. 

Even recently, when the Rockies finally moved on from general manager Bill Schmidt and announced they would look outside for help rebuilding the Rockies, Colorado hired Paul DePodesta, who hasn’t worked in baseball for 10 years because he was with the Cleveland Browns. DePodesta’s impact remains to be seen. But if he fails, the blame will once again fall on Monfort for not going after a more current name. 

Colorado loves baseball, and Coors Field is one of the best ballparks in Major League Baseball. If a turnaround doesn’t start soon, the signs calling for Monfort to sell the team will only multiply.