The Cincinnati Bengals rivalry with the Kansas City Chiefs has grown in recent years, and superstar wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase has not shied away from that in interviews and media Q&As.
In fact, Chase famously responded, “Pat who?” After being asked why he said Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow was the best player in the NFL despite Burrow himself voicing that it was Patrick Mahomes. Unsurprisingly, that exchange caused a stir among Chiefs teammates and fans.
That was in June of 2023, and on December 28 of the same year, Chase appeared to purposefully reignite the rivalry during a pregame chat with Cincy media. None of this has stopped Mahomes from respecting Chase though, apparently.
On Super Bowl media night ahead of the championship clash between the Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers, Mahomes was asked to construct an “all-time fantasy team” that does not include current KC players. Per The 33rd Team’s Ari Meirov, he listed Chase as one of three wide receivers.
Patrick Mahomes was asked for his all-time fantasy team, but he can’t pick any current players from the #Chiefs.
His offense:
• RB Earl Campbell
• WR Randy Moss
• WR Tyreek Hill
• WR Ja’Marr Chase
• TE Rob Gronkowski
Considering Mahomes could have chosen literally anyone — like Hall of Fame WR Jerry Rice for example — that is an incredibly high honor that the Bengals playmaker received alongside Miami Dolphins superstar Tyreek Hill and Hall of Fame WR Randy Moss.
Mahomes also named running back Earl Campbell, tight end Rob Gronkowski, safeties Brian Dawkins and Ed Reed, cornerbacks Deion Sanders and Darrelle Revis, defensive ends Reggie White and Von Miller, defensive tackles Vince Wilfork and Aaron Donald, and linebackers Ray Lewis and Zach Thomas. No quarterback was reported — although Mahomes has often referred to Tom Brady as the “greatest of all time.”
Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase’s Recent Comments on Chiefs Defense, Rivalry
In case you missed it, here was the most recent exchange between Bengals media and Chase ahead of Week 17 of the 2023 season.
“If I’m being honest, nothing,” Chase replied when asked what stands out about the Kansas City secondary (video shared by Cincy media member Mike Petraglia).
Ja’Marr Chase had quite the edge after practice today addressing reporters. Said Chiefs don’t have anyone that stands out on defense. “It’s not really like have a Jalen Ramsey on their squad.”
He added that the Chiefs “just know how to play us” at the time. Continuing: “They know the leverages. They know what splits we in. [And] they just know what we going to do [in] certain moments. They throw a little double-doubles at us to stop the two best players on our side and that’s all they do. It’s not really like they got a Jalen Ramsey on they squad.”
Later in the interview, Chase voiced that the Chiefs defenders “can take it how they want it,” stating that he’s “just adding fire to the fuel.”
“They gon’ take this [and] run with it — I hope they post it in they locker,” Chase challenged toward the end of the remarks. “It’s alright though. As long as I’m mentally ready to play.”
He also admitted to reporters that he enjoys playing Kansas City because “they talk the most [expletive].”
“It’s football, man. Y’all gon’ put whatever image y’all want on it already,” Chase concluded in December, answering “no comment” when the reporter wondered if there’s real hatred between the two teams.
Chiefs Currently Have Last Laugh Over Bengals
Considering they won the 2023 Super Bowl — eliminating the Bengals in the AFC Championship in the process — beat Cincinnati in December and made it to another Super Bowl this winter, the Chiefs currently have the last laugh over Ja’Marr Chase and company.
Maybe that’s part of the reason Mahomes was so generous in his praise.
Having said that, Chase and Cincy have still bested Mahomes and the Chiefs more often than not when Burrow has been healthy. With both quarterbacks on the field, the Bengals are 3-1 versus KC.
That record doesn’t include the Chiefs’ New Year’s Eve victory over Jake Browning’s version of the offense.
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Bengals’ Ja’Marr Chase Receives ‘All-Time’ WR Praise From Patrick Mahomes