Patrick Mahomes will not forget the first time he had to face Buffalo Bills supporters on the road.
Mahomes led the Kansas City Chiefs to a road victory in the divisional round of the playoffs in January, defeating the Buffalo Bills to advance to the AFC championship game. The game marked Mahomes’ first encounter with Bills fans, with his last visit to Buffalo occurring during the 2020 season in front of an empty stadium.
In an appearance on the Impaulsive podcast this week, Mahomes said he had a realization when Bills fans welcomed him with nasty gestures and pummeled him with snowballs after the game.
“These people really don’t like me,” Mahomes explained to host Logan Paul. “It is not fake at all.”
Despite the chilly greeting, Mahomes made an unexpected statement about Bills supporters and the animosity they’ve developed with his club.
“They have a great fanbase,” he remarked.
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When asked if he had played long enough to become a “villain” in the NFL, Mahomes referenced the moment his team arrived in Buffalo for the playoff game.
“This year definitely was a more villain type role for the whole team,” Mahomes said. He went on: “I didn’t know how real it was until I got to Buffalo this year and I think I saw 40,000 middle fingers on the way into the stadium.”
Mahomes recounted a moment after the game when the Chiefs held on to win despite the Bills missing a late field goal that would have knotted the game. The Chiefs quarterback stated that he was walking up to a little kid to hand him his sleeve when Bills fans hurled snowballs.
“I’m trying to hand my headband and sleeve to a kid and snowballs are just flying at me,” Mahomes complained.
But the Chiefs quarterback said he understands their enthusiasm and enjoys the rivalry that has developed between his team and the Bills.
“We have a healthy respect and rivalry with the Bills, and the fan base, they just want to beat us,” said Mahomes, who has sent the Bills home in the playoffs three of the last four years.
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Not everybody was as forgiving as Mahomes. Some chastised Bills fans for throwing snowballs after the game, particularly since it occurred when the Chiefs quarterback was talking with a little fan on the sidelines.
The snowballs continued as Mahomes made his way off the field and down the tunnel to the locker room, causing him to crouch for shelter.
