Andy Lyons/Getty Images Adam Jones of the Cincinnati Bengals argues an unsportsmanlike conduct call with referee John Parry during the fourth quarter of the AFC Wild Card Playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on January 9, 2016.
On Monday January 31 former Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones was reveling in the AFC Championship game victory authored by his former team—a 27-24 win over the No. 2 seeded Kansas City Chiefs.
“Let us enjoy, let us enjoy our time now,” he told co-hosts Andrew Fillipponi and Dorin Dickerson, appearing on 93.7 The Fan (Pittsburgh).
All Aboard the Bengals Bandwagon?
Pacman Jones went on to make clear that he doesn’t want to see Steelers fans rooting for Joe Burrow & Co. when Cincinnati faces the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LVI, the organization’s first appearance in the Big Game since the 1988 season, when it lost to Joe Montana and the San Francisco 49ers, 20-16.
“We don’t want none of the Pittsburgh fans jumping on the bandwagon,” said Jones, as if that’s a widespread problem.
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When asked “Why not?” the former first-round pick backtracked a bit, going so far as to say that if the shoe was on the other foot he would be rooting for the Steelers, if only to stand in solidarity with the AFC North.
“If your division is going to the championship every time, that says something strong about your division,” said Jones, who went on to give props to former Steelers slot cornerback Mike Hilton, who signed with the Bengals as an unrestricted free agent in March 2021 and has been a difference-maker for Cincinnati’s defense, bringing leadership, trash-talking acumen and big plays.
“He’s got to be in the top three corners as far as slot guys for the whole year,” opined Jones, a reasonable take considering Hilton’s numbers, which include 66 tackles, two interceptions, five passes defensed and a forced fumble.
Pacman Jones on the Future of the AFC North
Pacman Jones doesn’t believe the Bengals are going to be a one-year postseason wonder either, not with Joe Burrow at quarterback and Ja’Marr Chase at wide receiver.
“I think they will be going back to the AFC Championship pretty often these next five years because they’ve got everyone back. They can only get better on offense,” he said.
Nor does he believe that the Steelers will present a significant challenge to presumed Bengals supremacy in the coming years, not with longtime Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger having recently retired.
“Only people on our radar right now truthfully is the Ravens because they on and off, their defense needs to be a little better and keep the quarterback healthy through the playoffs, that’s the only thing about it, [Lamar Jackson] hasn’t been healthy through the playoffs,” he said.
Nor does Pacman see the Cleveland Browns as a major threat, at least not as long as Baker Mayfield is the team’s starting quarterback.
“I hope they sign Baker to a five-year deal,” quipped Jones, who last played in the NFL in 2018, as a member of the Denver Broncos.
Jones, 38, entered the NFL in 2005, having been selected No. 6 overall by the Tennessee Titans out of West Virginia. He played two years for Tennessee before getting suspended for the 2007 season for violation of the NFL’s personal conduct policy. He returned to the league in 2008 with the Dallas Cowboys, then missed another season before playing for the Bengals between 2010-17, earning first-team All-Pro honors in 2014 and Pro Bowl honors in 2015.
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Pacman Jones Has Message for Steelers Fans as Bengals Return to Super Bowl