The Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals have a budding rivalry brewing, and they also boast two of the better teams and quarterbacks in the NFL. On the field the teams have played four nailbiters over the past two seasons, including back-to-back AFC championship matchups, with both teams winning one.
This new rivalry has sparked real vitriol and downright disdain for each another, and it even had Bengals star wideout and 2021 Offensive Rookie of the Year Ja’Marr Chase take a shot at Chiefs superstar signal-caller Patrick Mahomes recently.
In an interview at the team facility during OTAs, Chase called his QB Joe Burrow the best in the league. When asked what about Patrick Mahomes who’s the reigning MVP and Super Bowl MVP, Chase said, “Pat who?”
A couple days later at the Chiefs ring ceremony, Mahomes seemingly responded to Chase, with this gesture:
While that seemed to be a good enough response, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce made sure to let Chase know you don’t get to disrespect my quarterback.
Kelce Defends Mahomes, As He Should’ve
During a recent episode of “The Heights” podcast with his brother Jason, Kelce had this to say to Chase.
“I thought it was a little bold,” Kelce said. “Mahomes is a two-time league MVP, Super Bowl MVP. To say ‘Pat who’ is like …”
Co-host Jason, who happens to be Travis’s older brother, even chimed in on the situation.
“It’s a little disrespectful. Pat didn’t like it.”
Jason’s Eagles also came up on the wrong end of Super Bowl 57 against Travis, Patrick and the Chiefs, losing on a last-second field goal 38-35.
Kelce wasn’t done, and the game’s best tight end finished with this:
“It is what it is, dog. Who doesn’t love some good locker room banter, man? Shoutout to Ja’Marr Chase for holding it down for his QB, but don’t you ever disrespect Pat Mahomes now. If you want to talk your s—, talk your s—, pimp. Just better back it up.”
Bengals Are In Catch-Up Mode, Chiefs Lead 2-0
Despite the Bengals winning three of the four matchups with the Chiefs in the Burrow/Mahomes eras, KC leads in the most important category, and that’s with Lombardi Trophies (2-0). And while, the Bengals have all the ingredients to unseat the Chiefs and win the Super Bowl, until they do it, it’s Mahomes’ world and everyone else is in chase mode.
The team’s face off again in Week 17 of the 2023 NFL season.
