The Kansas City Chiefs are on top of the football world. They are the defending Super Bowl champions, taking home the Lombardi Trophy for the second time in four years. The last thing they need is bulletin board material to motivate them, but if someone is going to provide them with some, they will certainly take it.
That is exactly what Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase recently did. The young star was doing an interview when he was asked about who the best quarterback in the NFL was.
His quarterback, Joe Burrow, said that it was Patrick Mahomes. Not surprisingly, Chase stood up for his teammate, who he played collegiately with at LSU, and said it was Burrow. But, he took a shot at Mahomes in the process, responding with, “Pat who?”
That was a comment that Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce didn’t take kindly to. On this week’s episode of his “New Heights” podcast that he hosts with his brother, Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, Travis had a stern message for Chase.
“It is what it is, dog. Who doesn’t love some good locker room banter, man?” Kelce said. “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.” (H/T ESPN)
Chase has certainly backed up his bold talk with his performance on the field, catching 168 passes for 2,501 yards and 22 touchdowns in 29 games. But, the one thing that Chase doesn’t have is a Super Bowl ring, which Kelce and Mahomes own two of.
To earn the most recent one, the Chiefs defeated the Bengals in the AFC Championship Game. Mahomes had a response of his own, which Jason referenced during the episode.
“Pat didn’t like it. Mahomes tweeted a picture of himself at the Chiefs’ ring ceremony [June 15] — glad you guys had fun doing that — wearing his two Super Bowl rings with the declaration ‘That’s Who,'” he said.
While Chase was likely trying to be funny, with the intent of saying something tongue-in-cheek, the Chiefs didn’t take too kindly to what was said. They are going to stick up for their teammate and leader.
“I thought it was a little bold,” Kelce said. “[Mahomes] is a two-time league MVP, two-time Super Bowl MVP. To say ‘Pat who?’ is like I don’t know.”
This budding rivalry between the Chiefs and Bengals is something that fans will love to see and is great for the league. Stories like this sell well and given how successful each franchise has been, this is a marquee matchup for years to come.
