The Cincinnati Bengals are facing off against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday in a matchup that the Bengals desperately need to win in order to keep their postseason hopes alive. And Bengals star wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase may have given the Chiefs defense some bulletin board material before the game with his comments to the media on Thursday.
Chase was asked by reporters what stood out to him from the Chiefs secondary ahead of the game. This led Chase to tell reporters that nothing stood out to him at all from them.
“If I am being honest nothing,” said Chase in a video shared on social media by Bengals beat writer Mike Petraglia. “They just know how to play us. They know the leverages and what splits we’re in. They just know what we’re going to do in certain moments. They throw their little double doubles at us on our best players on us on the outside. That’s all they really do. I mean, it’s not like they have a Jalen Ramsey on their squad. So not much.”
Ja’Marr Chase had quite the edge after practice today addressing reporters. Said Chiefs don’t have anyone that stands out on defense. “It’s not really like have a Jalen Ramsey on their squad.” pic.twitter.com/1kurBwcOLF
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) December 28, 2023
It’s true that the Chiefs don’t have a player that most typically refer to as a “shutdown cornerback” like Jalen Ramsey. However, the Chiefs do have the third-best passing defense in the NFL this season, so their cornerbacks certainly deserve their fair share of respect from Chase.
Instead, Chase proceeded to double down on his comments, saying that the Chiefs defense can “take the comments how they want to”.
“They can take it how they want to, I don’t care,” Chase added. “At the end of the day there is only so much I can do myself. It’s not like I’m Iron-Man. I can’t throw the football to myself. It’s a team sport. But I know what I see on paper. I know what I see in the game. That’s why they double everybody. Because they can’t do it one-on-one. The best player on their team is (L’Jarius) Sneed. That’s a fact. Everybody knows that. They know I’m good. They know how to play us. That’s what it is. But it’s not like they have a superstar on their defense.”
Ja’Marr Chase didn’t back track at all when asked about his assessment of Chiefs defense. “They can take it how they want. I don’t care. … I’m not Ironman. I can’t throw the ball to myself. It’s a team sport.” pic.twitter.com/KmnaKIcLYe
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) December 28, 2023
Again, it is one thing to say these things before the game. It’s a whole other thing to actually show the world that the Chiefs secondary isn’t all that it may seem to be in a game.
It will be harder for Chase to prove this on Sunday than a normal matchup against the Chiefs. Not only is Chase coming into the game with a shoulder injury, but he will also be without star quarterback Joe Burrow, who has played in all of Chase’s previous matchups against the Chiefs in past years.
