The Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals rivalry just witnessed a new dose of kerosene being thrown into their fast-growing, heated battle.
This time, All-Pro wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase went viral with one answer that’ll likely make its rounds to the Chiefs facility, plus help rekindle their growing fiery matchup.
Ja’Marr Chase Declines To Call Patrick Mahomes the NFL’s Best Player
The NFL Network will soon unveil its Top 100 players of the 2023 season. And all it took was a small, simple quote from Chase to reignite this growing NFL rivalry.
When he was given a chance to name off who he believed was the top player from last season, Chase refused to mention Super Bowl 58 Most Valuable Player Patrick Mahomes.
“I’m not saying him,” Chase said. “I give credit when it’s due, but I’m not saying his name.”
Chase immediately believed Mahomes was anointed as the league’s top player. But he chose to dance around the response.
“I’m not saying his name.”
Only room for one QB in Ja'Marr's vocabulary 😂 @Real10jayy__ pic.twitter.com/AYdh1OxWkN
— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) July 24, 2024
Instead, Chase opted to praise his own quarterback, Joe Burrow.
But back to Mahomes, Chase added, “he’s good, he’s amazing, not going to lie. But I’m salty, though. I’m a little salty.”
Chase was clearly thinking of the last two times the Chiefs and Bengals played, which resulted in victories for Kansas City. And that includes the 2022 season AFC Championship Game.
Because Burrow endured a truncated 2023 season with an injured wrist, the All-Pro Bengals QB is likely not going to surface as the league’s top player on any preseason ranking lists. However, he earned a top-15 ranking in Pro Football Network’s Top 100 list ahead of the upcoming season, checking in at No. 12 overall.
MORE: Pro Football Network’s Top 100 NFL Players of 2024
Burrow ranked behind PFN’s top player, Mahomes, last year’s league MVP Lamar Jackson, and Josh Allen among quarterbacks, with the Buffalo Bills star landing in front of Burrow at No. 11. But Burrow managed to rank higher than Dak Prescott, who was the next closest QB at No. 32 overall.
Bengals vs. Chiefs Resume Rivalry in Week 2
The NFL is fascinated with heated rivalries, especially when it involves two teams battling for conference supremacy.
The league watched the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys slug it out in conference championship games for a trip to the Super Bowl during the 1990s. The New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts eventually took over as the top rivalry during the 2000s.
Now, the Bengals and Chiefs have been on a recent collision course to claim the top spot in the AFC.
This rivalry officially sparked during the 2021 AFC Championship game. Once down 21-3 and hearing the deafening sounds of Chiefs Kingdom, the Bengals stunned Arrowhead Stadium by storming back to win 27-24 over the favored Chiefs.
Then in 2022, both teams endured another 27-24 contest, with this one once again claimed by Cincinnati in front of the Bengals’ home crowd at Paycor Stadium. But the AFC title game rematch that same season really sparked the rivalry.
Bengals cornerback Mike Hilton got caught on camera saying, “We’ll see y’all in Burrowhead,” after his team eliminated the Bills in the Divisional Round. Kansas City, however, completed its revenge by defeating the Bengals 23-20 … later prompting Travis Kelce to say in front of CBS cameras, “Burrowhead my a–!”
This year’s matchup won’t take place at the end of the regular season like in previous years. Fans will be treated to a Week 2 battle between both powerhouses.
The Bengals will likely have a healthier Burrow for this meeting. He was not active in last year’s 25-17 loss, as Jake Browning handled the quarterback duties. Cincinnati also won’t have Joe Mixon, who was on the two Bengals teams that faced Kansas City for the conference title, in the backfield.
KEEP READING: 2024 NFL Strength of Schedule Rankings for the AFC
The Chiefs, meanwhile, will shoot for a three-game winning streak against its fast-growing rivals outside of the AFC West. The Chiefs haven’t defeated the Bengals three straight times since 1983-86.
The back-to-back Super Bowl champs will enter ’24 with high expectations and a shot of becoming the league’s first-ever three-peat champion. But with the Bengals at full strength under center, Cincinnati is expected to re-emerge as a force again across the league.
And now, Chase’s refusal to say Mahomes’ name adds the latest gas to this fiery rivalry.