Patrick Mahomes isn’t really paying much attention to what his AFC West rivals are doing, especially in late July.
On Thursday, after video surfaced of Raiders rookie safety Trey Taylor taunting the quarterback with a Kermit the Frog doll during training camp, Mahomes offered a rather ambivalent opinion on the situation.
“It’s still early in the season, stuff happens,” Mahomes said. he joked on Friday. “It will be dealt with when it needs to be dealt with.”
There was no doubt that Taylor and Las Vegas were indeed poking fun at Mahomes, with the doll wearing a No. 15 jersey, a wig resembling Mahomes’ hair and Taylor mimicking Mahomes’ slogan, “I’m Here!”
But the two-time MVP isn’t just using that as extra fuel.
When asked if her friends and family had shared the video, the 28-year-old replied: “I don’t need them to send me anything to keep me motivated.”
Mahomes is 10-2 against the Raiders in his illustrious career.
Over the course of the full season, the quarterback completed 66 percent of his passes against Las Vegas for 5,062 yards and 43 touchdowns with just six interceptions, impressive numbers even by his otherworldly standards.
At times, things can look too easy in Las Vegas, with the Chiefs even sporting a backyard football-like formation.
But Antonio Pierce and the silver and black recently earned themselves some bragging rights by beating Mahomes and the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium last Christmas.
Still, the win does little to tarnish Mahomes’ incredible 30-5 record against the AFC West, a division the Chiefs have won every year since 2015.
Mahomes has won three Super Bowls since 2018, but the rest of his teams — the Raiders, Chargers and Broncos — have zero playoff wins and just two postseason appearances during that span.
Whether or not they gain any more momentum, Mahomes and the Chiefs are looking to win their third consecutive Lombardi Trophy in 2024.
The team’s first preseason game is Aug. 10 against the Jaguars.
