Getty The Cincinnati Bengals secondary closes up around Kansas City Chiefs WR JuJu Smith-Schuster.
The Kansas City Chiefs lost to the Cincinnati Bengals by three points for the third-straight time in less than 12 months.
During that short period, this has developed into a bit of a rivalry for KC. In Week 13, that rivalry grew, and it all began with Chiefs safety Justin Reid.
After jawing back and forth with Reid all week, the Bengals got the last laugh on Sunday. As you can imagine, they were very happy to publicly rub that fact in Kansas City’s face on social media after the victory — adding a warning for the future.
Bengals Troll Chiefs After Win, Issue Playoff Warning
Several Cincy players had something to say on Sunday night but cornerback Mike Hilton’s comments stood out. NFL Network reporter Cameron Wolfe shared them from the locker room.
“They did a lot of talking, all week,” Wolfe relayed from Hilton. “But we’re 3-0 in the same year against them. I got a lot I can say but 3-0 in [the] same calendar year tells the story. We’ll probably see them again in the playoffs and they know THEY GOTTA PLAY US.”
Bengals CB Mike Hilton on Chiefs: “They did a lot of talking, all week. But we’re 3-0 in the same year against them. I got a lot I can say but 3-0 in same calendar year tells the story. We’ll probably see them again in the playoffs and they know THEY GOTTA PLAY US.”
That closing message from Hilton has an ominous vibe to it — “they gotta play us.” The Chiefs definitely don’t scare too easily but having said that, you have to wonder if Cincinnati has wiggled its way into their heads.
There was a lot of media chatter that the KC players had this game circled since the AFC championship loss and yet they still found a way to fall short.
These three games weren’t just losses either, they were fourth-quarter collapses headlined by atypical mistakes — like a Travis Kelce fumble. Sure, the calls have not gone Kansas City’s way at times, but that’s never stopped Patrick Mahomes before.
You have to hand it to the Bengals, they have the Chiefs’ number right now and until proven otherwise, there’s not much the Kansas City players can say to change that. They have to do something about it.
Potential Chiefs Bulletin Board Material From Bengals
When it comes to this budding rivalry, it’s time for the KC locker room to put their heads down and work. No more talk from Tyreek Hill (gone) or Reid (scolded by head coach Andy Reid), just focus and determination — and Cincy gave them plenty to work with after Week 13.
Let’s start with every Chiefs fan’s least favorite cornerback, Eli Apple, who voiced: “Someone pass that chief pack man that jawn hit everytime #whodey.”
Star wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase chimed in too, reiterating an insult at Justin Reid. “Tuna ina can #Wincinnati,” he tweeted with a touchdown celebration GIF versus Kansas City.
tuna ina can #Wincinnati
During his postgame press conference, quarterback Joe Burrow also noted that “I would have cared a lot more if [Reid] knew what he was talking about,” when asked about the safety’s trash talk before the 2022 face-off.
To be fair, Burrow did also refer to Mahomes as “the best in the game right now,” so it wasn’t just disrespect from the opposing signal-caller.
As for Justin Reid, the safety sounded very humbled after the loss. Fox 4 KC reporter PJ Green shared the footage once again, which was credited to Fox 4 KC’s Harold Kuntz.
#Chiefs Justin Reid apologizes to Hayden Hurst for not giving him the proper respect but said he still feels confident in his team.
Video and question by @HaroldRKuntz3
“I feel bad that I didn’t give the proper respect to [tight end] Hayden Hurst in knowing his name so I apologize to him for that,” Reid stated. “Still feel confident and always will be confident in our team and our defense to go out there and play tough football. But credit to them, they went out and played a hell of a game today, made a couple more plays than we did, and they came out with the win.”
Reid did not mention Chase or any of the Bengals wide receivers in this statement.