People have been waiting for Patrick Mahomes to hit a bump in the road, and it looks like he finally did just that. Well, sort of. A recent situation at a McDonald’s in Lawrence, Kansas involved Mahomes, the fast-food chain, two fans, a car, and the police. It sounds like a situation out of a sitcom or comedic movie, but in reality, the details are downright bizarre. 

Patrick Mahomes in Kansas 

It makes sense that the people of Kansas love the star quarterback. The 24-year-old went from bench QB to MVP practically overnight. Mahomes’ rookie year was an instant classic as he threw 50 touchdowns and only 12 interceptions along with 5,000 yards. He finished the season with an 80.4 quarterback rating. 

Because of this, Mahomes instantly became a face of the NFL, with the home crowd being especially passionate about the up-and-coming star. The Tyler, Texas native appears in ad campaigns, on billboards, and everywhere else you’d expect to find a young NFL superstar.

A pair of fans saw one of Mahomes’ promo materials at a McDonald’s and decided to take it home as a souvenir. It did not go as they hoped.

Do you want fries with that?

According to Sports Illustrated, the two men saw a cardboard cutout of the quarterback at a McDonald’s. Rather than admiring it from afar, they grabbed it and ran to their car. The duo sped away as though they just committed the crime of the century. However, they did not get very far. 

Not long after, officers responded to a report of a two-car accident. Who did they see staring at them from the seat but a cardboard cutout of Patrick Mahomes? The car matched the description that McDonald’s employees gave the police, and the two were charged with theft and the accident. 

Luckily for Chiefs fans and the cardboard cutout, it was returned to its home at McDonald’s unscathed. While this story is bizarre, it demonstrates just how much fans love Mahomes — enough to go through these excessive actions over a cardboard cutout.

Patrick Mahomes’ 2019 season

The former Texas Tech quarterback is on-track to have a better season than last year in nearly every area. Mahomes’ passing, which was at 318 yards per game, has skyrocketed to 377 yards per game. He is throwing with more accuracy and on pace to shatter last year’s 5,000 passing yards by nearly 1,000.

Even when Mahomes struggles, as he did against the Detroit Lions, he positions his team to win. While the lack of a touchdown pass may hurt his overall numbers for 2019, the fact that Mahomes can help guide his team to victory without a superstar performance is a plus.

This story may be a silly one about a cardboard cutout and the knuckleheads who went to great lengths to acquire it, but it also shows how big Mahomes’ fandom has become in such a short time. If the QB keeps having seasons like this one, he could be the subject of many more cardboard cutout heists.