The Kansas City Chiefs and Las Vegas Raiders have never liked each other. From feuding owners to brawls on the field, the two franchises have been at odds since they were founded in 1959 and 1960, respectively.
The rivalry may have lost its luster in recent years, but thanks to the Raiders’ recent antics, tensions are high between the two teams.
The Raiders Poked the Bear With Viral Kermit Doll
The Raiders seemingly poked the metaphorical bear early on in training camp when rookie safety Trey Taylor used a fan-made doll of Kermit the Frog dressed up as Patrick Mahomes and made fun of the Super Bowl MVP’s voice.
Mahomes, whose voice has been compared to Kermit’s, was the butt of the joke between a Raiders fan and Taylor, who tried to mimic his voice.
The Raiders have a Patrick Mahomes Kermit the Frog puppet at training camp?
The man is 10-2 against the Raiders, Chiefs have won 8 straight AFC West titles and they just guaranteed themselves an ass whopping they won’t forget. @PatrickMahomes
🎥 @RaidersAQ pic.twitter.com/rzBJnVlUTF
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) July 25, 2024
Mahomes and his camp immediately took notice. First, Mahomes’ trainer responded on X (formerly Twitter) by posting, “We will remember.”
Then, Mahomes responded by telling reporters: “It’ll get handled when it gets handled.”
Patrick Mahomes is a media master. His answer on the Raiders Kermit video circulating… “it’ll get handled when it gets handled”… and the last part… 🤫 pic.twitter.com/2FM1tPjYpw
— Lexi (@lexiosborne) July 26, 2024
That certainly sounds like Mahomes plans to get his revenge on the field. The Chiefs travel to Las Vegas to face the Raiders today at 4:25 p.m. ET, and it’ll be interesting to see how Mahomes fares against his AFC West rival.
While Taylor’s antics certainly added some fuel to the fire that rages between the Chiefs and Raiders, this isn’t the first time the Raiders have spoken out about Mahomes recently.
Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce also made headlines when he said that his team would play Mahomes far differently this season, noting that he implemented the “Patrick Mahomes Rules” before explaining what that means.
“You got the ‘Jordan Rules.’ I’m calling it from now on, as long as I’m here, the ‘Patrick Mahomes Rules.'” Pierce said on The Rush Podcast. “Before he became Michael Jordan, Air Jordan, the [Detroit] Pistons used to whoop his ass. Any time he came to the hole? Elbows, feeling him, love taps, we touched him, we’re in their head, mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually, I’m touching you. As long as I’m here, it’s the ‘Patrick Mahomes Rules.'”
In other words, expect a physical game today. It’ll be interesting to see how the three-time Super Bowl champion and two-time NFL MVP fares against the Raiders today and in their Black Friday showdown in Week 13.
How Has Patrick Mahomes Fared Against the Raiders?
Over the last six seasons, the Raiders have been a punching bag of sorts for Mahomes and the Chiefs. Kansas City is 10-2 against Las Vegas since Mahomes took over as the Chiefs starting quarterback in 2018.
Things seemed to shift late last season, though.
On Christmas Day of 2023, the Raiders shocked the Chiefs and Mahomes with a 20-14 upset. Mahomes, for his part, had one of the worst passing games of his career by going 27-for-44 passing for 235 yards, with a touchdown pass and an interception. The interception was returned for a touchdown by Jack Jones, which was enough to give Las Vegas the upset win.
The game was Mahomes’ second-worst passing game during the 2023 season, as he posted his second-worst EPA of the year, according to TruMedia. It was also Kansas City’s fourth loss of the last six games during their down stretch of the 2023 season.
Mahomes and the Chiefs were able to bounce back, as they didn’t lose another game for the rest of the season and ultimately won their second-straight Super Bowl. The Raiders, however, appear to be making this rivalry far more competitive than in years past.
Today, the Chiefs enter this game short-handed, with no Rashee Rice, Isiah Pacheco, Hollywood Brown, or JuJu Smith-Schuster. However, Mahomes will still have several reliable weapons in tight end Travis Kelce, first-round rookie Xavier Worthy, and recent acquisition DeAndre Hopkins. All eyes will be on Mahomes to see if he can make the Raiders pay later this afternoon.