Patrick Mahomes has recalled the moment when the Kansas city Chiefs received a hostile reception of "40,000 middle fingers" and "snowballs" from Buffalo Bills fans.
The eventual Super Bowl LVIII winners were able to see off their rivals from New York State in the divisional round of the playoffs in January in a bear pit atmosphere at Highmark Stadium. This 27–24 win on the road represented the third time the Chiefs have defeated the Bills in last four post-season campaigns.
With the all-conquering KC having won the Super Bowl in three out of the last five seasons too, fans in Buffalo will be forgiven for looking on with envy at the heroics of Mahomes, Travis Kelce and others. There certainly appeared to be no love lost toward the Missouri outfit on their approach to the stadium in early 2024, therefore.
In fact, Mahomes has now recalled the vitriolic response the Kansas City players and staff endured - recounting some genuine demonstrations of distain from the host fans. Speaking on the Impaulsive podcast, the 28-year-old even earmarked this moment as the time when he realized that the team had picked up some serious enemies along the way during their triumphant recent years.
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"This year, definitely, was the more villain-type role for the whole team," he admitted. "I don't think I really realized it - I heard people talking and obviously social media, there's people always talking - so I didn't know how real it was until I got to Buffalo this year.
"I think I saw 40,000 middle fingers on the way into the stadium. They were ready to go. We go out there and win, I'm trying to hand my headband and sleeve off to a kid, and snowballs are just flying at me. I'm just like, 'These people really don't like me!' It's not fake at all. I think they have a great fan base."
Still, it appears that the KC star is largely unmoved by the hostility he encountered on his most recent trip to Buffalo, with the support from his own fans enough to keep him happy. Speaking glowingly about his relationship with the KC fanbase, he said: "I love it, man. I love the people... The people are what make the city and they embrace you.
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"You can walk down the street and people come up and are like, 'We love what you do, we love your work' - and they want to let you have a great day they're not trying to take pictures. The people make the city."
Perhaps put out by the speculation that emerged, with the lease on their current Arrowhead Stadium home set to expire in 2030, Mahomes said: "I do love the fans. The best part of Kansas City is that they love it but they embrace everybody that comes to the games and they tailgate it. There's not a ton to do so they really enjoy those football games."
Addressing the rumors, Chiefs CEO, Clark Hunt, said: "Arrowhead is a special place for our family and our fan base. That was one of the reasons that we focused on it with the last effort, but going forward it may make more sense for us to be in a new stadium."
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