It’s no secret that the Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals have developed quite a rivalry after several high-stakes matchups in recent years. And that rivalry has not calmed down, even though the Chiefs are taking on a different team this weekend.
Despite missing the playoffs this season, largely due to early-season struggles on defense, Bengals standout Ja’Marr Chase isn’t about to cheer for Kansas City in the big game.
Chase had an impressive season, dominating the league by leading in touchdown receptions, receiving yards, and total catches, securing the receiving triple crown. His stellar performance earned him a spot in this weekend’s Pro Bowl.
During the Pro Bowl, Chase was asked who he would be supporting in the upcoming Super Bowl LIX clash between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs.
To no one’s surprise, Chase made it clear he’ll be backing the Eagles, expressing his hopes that star running back Saquon Barkley has a monster game.
“Everyone knows I’m not a KC fan, so I’m hoping Saquon rushes for like 200 in this game,” Chase said on ESPN.
The rivalry between the Bengals and Chiefs dates back to the 2021 AFC Championship Game, when Cincinnati erased a significant halftime deficit to stun Kansas City and punch their ticket to the Super Bowl.
Although the Bengals haven’t had much success against the Chiefs since then, they still hold the distinction of being the last team to hand Kansas City a postseason loss.
Needless to say, these comments from Chase sparked a lot of reactions from fans.
“Love this! I’m glad that even though they’ve been down the last couple of years, Chase still keeps up his hate on the Chiefs. This kind of stuff from players is what makes rivalries fun,” one fan wrote on X.
“Woulda loved to see another Bengals / Chiefs AFC Championship match up,” someone else added.
“He will never in his life root for the chiefs…” another person wrote.
“The obligatory yearly video of him at the pro bowl watching the chiefs in the Super Bowl,” someone else added.
“Genuinely, I love this dude. We need this disdain back in sports,” another person said.
“The man is consistent,” someone else added.
This certainly has developed into one of the NFL’s best rivalries.
