It’s game day in Las Vegas with the Chiefs in town. It’s the first game between the Raiders and Chiefs this season. And the Chiefs have plenty of motivation considering they are facing the last team to beat them. And they did it on Christmas Day last year.
But apparently that’s not enough. No, as predicted the undefeated reigning Super Bowl champs are using this stupid, media manufactured controversy as some form of extra motivation when facing the Raiders today.
The Chiefs have not forgotten how the Raiders mocked Patrick Mahomes in July with a Kermit The Frog puppet. At the time, Mahomes said, “I’ll get it handled when I get it handled.” This is the first time the Chiefs quarterback will have the opportunity to get it handled. pic.twitter.com/t9mbN4rfw8
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 27, 2024
Some of you may not follow these things as closely as we do, so for those of you with lives outside of football in the offseason, let’s go back and see how this came about.
Back in late July, when the Raiders were in training camp in Costa Mesa, they had some bleachers set up and were allowing a few fans to attend each day. One of the fans brought a goofy Kermit the Frog puppet and put a little Mahomes jersey on it with a curly wig.
Then, after practice, when some of the players came to the side to sign autographs, he tossed it to rookie Trey Taylor, who understandably thought it was hilarious and proceeded to pick it up and put it on his hand and play with it.
Everyone had a good laugh, and another fan caught it on his camera and tweeted it out.
Keep in mind, the Mahomes Kermit stuff goes way back. His voice sounds like Kermit. It’s no secret. Everyone has fun with it, including Mahomes himself who was asked about it on Super Bowl media day back in February.
Reporter: “What is your best Kermit the Frog impression?”
Patrick Mahomes: “I’m talking right now… That’s it.” 🐸😂pic.twitter.com/8CSbwGGlHS
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 6, 2024
Despite that, some rather irresponsible media accounts, who were not on hand at Raiders camp to see how the whole Kermit doll thing transpired, began immediately wildly speculating that this puppet was brought to camp *by* Raiders players who were passing it around *among each other* and mocking Mahomes.
The #Raiders appear to have a Patrick Mahomes Kermit the Frog doll at training camp. 👀
(🎥 @RaidersAQ)
pic.twitter.com/vaOs2TNrQh— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) July 25, 2024
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
The Raiders passing around a Patrick Mahomes Kermit puppet at camp 💀 pic.twitter.com/R2bqsDoa9r
— X Picks (@XPicks24) July 25, 2024
The Raiders brought a Patrick Mahomes Kermit the Frog doll to training camp 👀😳
(via @RaidersAQ)pic.twitter.com/RyYJZlVI7D
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) July 25, 2024
This Raiders Kermit Mahomes doll is going to age abysmally pic.twitter.com/Z4p5GNCgZL
— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) July 25, 2024
The person who originally posted the video deleted it when they realized how the media was seizing upon it and had misconstrued that the doll belonged to a fan and the only way it was being “passed around” was between fans.
Not only that, it was a young rookie in his first NFL training camp who picked it up. Someone who had never donned a Raiders jersey, let alone been a part of this rivalry or had ever faced Mahomes or the Chiefs in a game.
Was it a stupid move by Taylor? Oh, most definitely. Quite immature. And he was admonished by his head coach for doing it. In other words, the team did not approve of it. It was a stupid move by a young kid who will learn from it and which had absolutely nothing to do with the team.
No matter, message quickly got to Chiefs media who asked Mahomes about it and instead of just brushing it off as silly nonsense, Mahomes gave the media a nice red meat soundbite in response, saying “It’ll get handled when it gets handled” which Schefter put in his tweet about how the Chiefs “have not forgotten” about it.
And now, of course, the media is bringing up their own creation again, to get the fans worked up all over again.
“It’ll get handled when it gets handled.” – Patrick Mahomes during training camp after a Kermit the Frog doll was seen at Raiders camp.#Chiefs vs. #Raiders on Sunday….pic.twitter.com/rslyEFCwpQ
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 27, 2024
The Raiders taunted Patrick Mahomes with a Kermit the Frog puppet and now their chickens will roost https://t.co/o3uwRriIvv pic.twitter.com/ujKVPwSX3y
— For The Win (@ForTheWin) October 27, 2024
Reminder that the #KermitNarrative is in play tomorrow.
A Raider or some Raiders mocked Patrick Mahomes back in July. With a Kermit The Frog puppet.
“It’ll get handled when it gets handled,” Mahomes said at the time. pic.twitter.com/tKogsWVe7k
— Adam Levitan (@adamlevitan) October 26, 2024
The whole thing is one of the best examples of how the media has become an instigator, creating controversy where there shouldn’t be any and thus inserting themselves into this rivalry. And the Chiefs are willing and enthusiastic participants in this because — for whatever reason — are always looking for another reason to get motivated.
The loss on Christmas Day should be plenty for a dominant Chiefs team to take down a Raiders team in utter disarray, but, by all means, lets revisit the dumbest controversy of the offseason and run with it all over again.
