On Sunday, the Buffalo Bills (9-2) defeated the Kansas City Chiefs (9-1) for the first time in the 2024 season. However, a tiny group of Bills fans diverted focus away from the 30-21 victory before the highly anticipated AFC matchup even began. An NFL aggregator account tweeted a now-viral photo to X around 30 minutes before kickoff, which reached over five million people. A Kermit the Frog puppet wearing a Patrick Mahomes jersey and wig was pictured hanging from a post on a busy route outside Buffalo’s Highmark Stadium.
Fans have often jokingly linked Mahomes’ unusual voice to the “Muppets” persona, but comments online were mixed on Sunday, with some dismissing it as typical NFL fan behavior and others believing it went too far.
“THIS IS DISGUSTING #Bills fans are HANGING a Kermit the Frog in a Pat Mahomes jersey around the streets of Buffalo.
This is terrible and sickening,” the aggregator account tweeted, echoing a video clip shared by Marca. TMZ Sports also reported on it, noting, “The stunt is being talked about on social media — sparking a debate on whether it crossed the line given Mahomes is Black.”
“The Bills have the worst supporters in the NFL! “This is disgusting,” a Chiefs fan account posted on X. “Classy,” one fan wrote sarcastically. “Okay, this is crazy,” someone else wrote. “As a Broncos fan, even I think that’s a bit extreme,” another commented. Many supporters on the other side of the discussion criticized the outrage as “soft” and “blowing things way out of proportion.” “Buddy, this happened every year when Brady came to town lol,” one fan admitted.
This isn’t the first Kermit the Frog incident this season; the rival Las Vegas Raiders sparked controversy during training camp by playing with an identical Mahomes-style puppet. The Chiefs’ MVP quarterback later dismissed the joke, telling reporters, “It’ll get handled when it gets handled.”
On the field, Mahomes concluded Sunday’s game with 23-of-33 passing for 196 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions. He now has 11 picks in 10 games this season, three shy of his career high (14) set last season.
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