Getty Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase beats Kansas City Chiefs safety Juan Thornhill for a touchdown.
Earlier today on November 30, Kansas City Chiefs safety Justin Reid stirred up some drama when he told reporters that he was going to “lock down” Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins — per Fox 4 KC’s PJ Green.
It turns out Reid had the wrong player. After forgetting the name of his target initially, the 2022 signing eventually commented on the video link, noting that he “meant [tight end] Hayden Hurst for the man matchups.” This makes sense based on position and the original quote — Reid called him number 88, which is Hurst not Higgins.
@PJGreenTV Tbh, I meant Hayden Hurst* for the man matchups. Nonetheless, any and everybody still getting locked up
Despite the error, Reid didn’t stop there adding that “any and everybody [on the Bengals] still getting locked up.” After all, a little friendly trash talk never hurt anybody, right?
Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase Calls Out Chiefs’ Justin Reid
After Reid first disrespected Higgins accidentally, then Hurst purposefully, rising Cincy star Ja’Marr Chase decided to get involved.
“Let’s put some money on it big time,” Chase challenged publicly, which began a bit of a back-and-forth spat.
“Y’all welcome for the extra motivation,” Reid conceded, voicing: “Ima see you Sunday champ.”
@JustinqReid @PJGreenTV tuna ina can 🐱
Chase then wrote back “tuna ina can” with a cat emoji, to which Reid replied “noted,” followed by a GIF of rapper T.I. nodding.
Although the exact meaning of Chase’s final comment is unclear, many inferred that he was insulting Reid’s manhood on Twitter — especially when you consider that the KC defender did not accept his offer to “put some money on it.”
Chase is reportedly expected to return from a hairline fracture in his hip and a hyperextended right leg on Sunday. He’ll join Higgins and Hurst, as well as slot receiver Tyler Boyd and running back Joe Mixon, who is also trending toward a return.
If there weren’t enough storylines heading into this AFC championship rematch already, we just got ourselves another. Buckle up Chiefs Kingdom.
Chiefs Defenders Have Extra Motivation in Week 13, Led by Game-Wrecker Chris Jones
When defensive tackle and team leader Chris Jones addressed the media on November 30, he had an extra edge about him.
“It was the driving force for this offseason,” Jones admitted after reminiscing on some plays from the AFC title game that he wishes he had back. “You can always look back and push yourself to do something better… [there were] a lot of plays that I left on the field that I think could have sealed the game and put us in a better position to win.”
He isn’t the only one that’s been looking forward to this rematch. According to Arrowhead Pride, defensive end Mike Danna voiced that “everybody knows in the facility that this is a big game… We still have a salty taste in our mouths about last year. We have to go in and handle business this weekend.”
Even a newcomer like Reid understands the gravity of the situation. “The guys were talking about three games [on the schedule when I arrived in KC],” the hard-hitter revealed to Sam McDowell among others, “the [Buffalo] Bills, Tennessee [Titans], and most of all Cincinnati.”
As for Jones, he’s spent most of the week studying tape on this new Bengals blocking unit.
“They have a completely different offensive line,” Jones mentioned. “Everyone is new. I’ve been trying to get a beat on how they set, how that group is blocking together, so I haven’t had time to go back to last year [yet].”
“Right now our focus is on this year [and] winning this game,” Jones reiterated, “[and just] putting ourselves in the position so we can go out and compete.”