The back-and-forth offseason trash talk between the Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals is the newest NFL rivalry that just won’t quit.
It all started when Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase disagreed that Patrick Mahomes was the best quarterback in the NFL — a statement made by his own teammateJoe Burrow, earlier that week. “Pat who?” Chase said when asked. Mahomes, meanwhile, posted a two-word, two-emoji tweet after the Chiefs’ Super Bowl ring ceremony in response to Chase’s comment.
Now, Travis Kelce weighed in on the verbal sparring with a little more … color.
“I thought it was a little bold,” Kelce said on his “New Heights” podcast. “[Mahomes] is a two-time league MVP, two-time Super Bowl MVP. To say ‘Pat who?’ is like, I don’t know.
“It is what it is, dog. Who doesn’t love some good locker room banter, man? Shoutout to Ja’Marr Chase for holding it down for his QB, but don’t you ever disrespect Pat Mahomes, now. If you wanna talk your s—, talk your s—, pimp. Just better back it up.”
Individually, Chase has backed up his talk — against the Chiefs’ defense. He has 18 receptions for 363 yards and three touchdowns in two regular season games as well as 12 receptions for 129 yards and one touchdown in two postseason games.
But as for the Mahomes vs. Burrow debate, the two-time MVP and two-time Super Bowl MVP has the edge in all statistical categories and accolades except competitive percentage. So while Burrow may very well be the second-best quarterback in the NFL, he is almost certainly behind Mahomes for the time being.
Regardless, the rivalry between two of the best teams in the AFC is one to look forward to for a long time. The Bengals actually hold a 2-0 regular season record against Mahomes’ Chiefs, but the two sides are 1-1 in the postseason.
We’ll have to wait until Week 17 on Dec. 31 to see these two heavyweights face off again.