The Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals rivalry that’s evolved over the past several seasons, especially in the AFC playoff picture, has been palpable.
From Cincinnati’s mayor dishing out trash talk, to Chiefs players mocking the Bengals’ "Cancun" diss two seasons ago, it’s fair to say these two teams don’t like each other.
Well, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow may have added to that rivalry with his recent comments about his team and how they match up with the back-to-back Super Bowl-champion Chiefs heading into the 2024 season.
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Burrow’s confidence has never wavered since he entered the league as the No.1 overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft, and during an appearance on the "New Heights podcast" with Jason and Travis Kelce, he said he feels the Bengals are built to beat Kansas City.
"I think we both work really hard," he said. "They have great players, we have great players. I think we match up pretty well with them. I think we’re built to beat them."
To Burrow’s credit, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that teams would want to structure their roster to beat the Chiefs, as Patrick Mahomes & Co. have an even larger target on their backs this upcoming season than they did a year ago. Every team who didn’t hoist the Vince Lombardi trophy will want to take down the one that did.
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That said, Burrow always enjoys it when the Bengals see the Chiefs on their schedule.
"I always appreciate the legendary battles we have. Guys are out there always making plays," he said. "Patrick is always out there making plays. Both teams have big-time defensive lines. It’s a great matchup."
The Bengals faced off against the Chiefs in back-to-back AFC title games in the 2021 and 2022 seasons, but after Burrow’s wrist injury last season derailed the team’s playoff trajectory, Kansas City never saw Cincy in the playoff. Instead, they took down the Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens before defeating the San Francisco 49ers in overtime to win the Super Bowl.
Burrow and the Bengals were able to defeat the Chiefs the first time around in 2021, when they reached the Super Bowl but fell to the Los Angeles Rams.
Still, Burrow is 3-1 against Mahomes and the Chiefs over the course of his career, something other quarterbacks wish they could say. It’s why Bengals fans were calling the Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium "Burrowhead," including Cincinnati’s mayor, Aftab Pureval.
However, that would backfire when Mahomes led a game-winning drive at home in the AFC title game in the 2022 season to beat the Bengals to reach the Super Bowl, where they’d defeat the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Chiefs are now looking to be the first NFL team to win three straight Super Bowl titles this upcoming season, but Burrow, who hopes to stay healthy throughout the year, and the Bengals want that success for themselves.
Both teams will see each other next year, as the Bengals are scheduled to travel to the Chiefs at some point during the regular season. Then, who knows what the AFC playoffs will deliver with this rivalry?
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