Patrick Mahomes on Raiders’ Chiefs Muppet: ‘It’ll get handled’ in due time

Las Vegas Raiders coach Antonio Pierce said Friday that the team has addressed a video in which rookie safety Trey Taylor was seen playing with a Kermit the Frog doll dressed in a Patrick Mahomes jersey, but the coach didn’t elaborate how.

“It’s over with,” Pierce said.

A Raiders fan attending the team’s training camp in Costa Mesa, California, reportedly brought the doll. Taylor is seen on the video laughing with other players while placing the puppet on his right hand. The Kermit doll is likely a reference to the unique sound of Mahomes’ voice.

Mahomes was asked about the doll at the Kansas City Chiefs camp. “Stuff like that happens,” Mahomes said. “It’ll get handled when it gets handled.”

Mahomes added that his teammates don’t need to send him anything to stay “motivated.”

The Chiefs and Raiders have a longstanding rivalry as members of the AFC West, though it has been decidedly one-sided in recent years. The Chiefs have won six of the last seven matchups and have an overall record of 71-54-2 against the Raiders in the regular season. 

Kansas City and Las Vegas split the 2023 regular-season series, with the Chiefs getting a 31-17 win on the road in November and the Raiders returning the favor with a 20-14 win on Christmas Day.

That said, the Week 16 loss became the Chiefs’ last loss of the season, as they ran the table and went on to win Super Bowl LVIII, their second consecutive championship and third title in five years.

With Mahomes under center, the Chiefs are a combined 10-2 against the Raiders since 2018, with the signal-caller boasting a career 109.6 passer rating against the AFC West rival. Furthermore, K.C. has won 18 of the last 22 matchups.

They next face each other on Oct. 27 in Las Vegas.

The rivalry has led to heated moments.

In the Netflix documentary series “Quarterback,” Mahomes repeatedly yelled “I’m here” at Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby during an October 2022 meeting. Both players later called it emotions in the heat of competition.

Pierce added his own fuel to the rivalry in February when he said on Crosby’s podcast, “The Rush,” that there would be “Patrick Mahomes rules.” It was a reference to the famous “Jordan rules” in the late 1980s when the “Bad Boys” Detroit Pistons roughed up superstar Michael Jordan in the NBA playoffs.

The consensus No. 1 quarterback in the league, Mahomes totaled 4,183 passing yards, 27 passing touchdowns, 14 interceptions and a 92.6 passer rating, while completing 67.2% of his passes last season. The two-time NFL MVP and three-time Super Bowl MVP also rushed for 389 yards.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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