Burrowhead, war of words, and Twitter rants: Chiefs vs Bengals' bitter rivalry explained
Ja'Marr Chase's comment about Patrick Mahomes was poorly received as Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce quickly put the Cinncinati Bengals wide receiver in his place.
To make a long story short, on Tuesday, June 13, at the Bengals mini-camp, reporters asked quarterback Joe Burrow who he thought the best QB in the league was. He said:
"I don't think there is any argument right now. It's Pat," Burrow said, referring to Mahomes. "Until somebody has a better year than he's had, he's the one to knock off."
When reporters posed the same question to Chase, the wide receiver said:
"Pat who?" Chase said.
In response, Mahomes tweeted the following to Chase, while he and his fellow Bengals were at their Super Bowl LVII ceremony on Thursday, June 15:
That’s Who 💍💍 https://t.co/pIs95yWMTS
"That’s Who" tweeted by @patrickmahomes.
Travis Kelce entered the fray when he said the following on "New Heights", the podcast he hosts with his brother Jason Kelce, who plays center for the Philadelphia Eagles:
"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."
The fire was already burning brightly between those two teams, and J'Marr Chase just added more gasoline. Four meetings between the teams since January 2022 have allowed the Chiefs and Bengals to become very accustomed to each other.
Both teams struggled plenty before their golden eras. The Chiefs went 14 years without making the playoffs (from 1972-1986). Their winning the big game in 1969 was the Chiefs' only Super Bowl ring for 50 years.
The Bengals have made it to the big game three times, losing each time. This has set an unlucky omen. A 34-31 win in Cincinnati a few weeks prior to the 2021 playoffs showed the Bengals could hang with the previous back-to-back AFC Champions.
The Chiefs were destined to get their revenge on the Bengals in the AFC Championship game, taking a 21-10 lead into half-time. The worst half of Mahomes' career followed as the Bengals made a comeback and forced the game to go into overtime. Mahomes was picked off in overtime, and the Bengals kicked a game-winning field goal. The Bengals reached the Super Bowl for the first time since 1988.
Eli Apple ran his mouth after the AFC Championship game, taking shots at Tyreek Hill and Mecole Hardman. Hill and Hardman tweeted humorous responses after Eli Apple struggled to contain Cupper Kupp in the Super Bowl as the Rams beat the Bengals. Tyreek Hill would move to Miami, but the rivalry was rekindled after the Dolphins and Bengals met early in the 2022 NFL schedule.
There was now genuine discussion among many that Joe Burrow had surpassed Patrick Mahomes. Joe Burrow would lead a game-winning drive last December as the Bengals had now beaten the Chiefs three times in 2022, winning by three each time.
The Chiefs finished as the AFC's No. 1 seed. Mahomes, however, suffered an injury in their win against Jaicksonville. Mahomes and Burrow would, once again, go back-to-back as the scores were tied with 30 seconds to go. Mahomes would be pushed out of bounds, and the Chiefs would kick the game-winner and return to the Super Bowl.
The term "Burrowhead" was quickly debunked by Travis Kelce as he celebrated his team's winning the AFC. The Chiefs would go on to win their third Super Bowl while the Bengals had to swallow a tough pill. The Bengals and the Chiefs will meet on Christmas Day this upcoming season, and you have to imagine they will see each other in the playoffs.
AFC contenders need to stop Mahomes' reign of dominance
The Chiefs hold the AFC's record for hosting five-straight AFC Championship games, and they will look to better the Patriots' record of appearing in eight-straight championship games. If you want to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl, you have to beat the Chiefs. That is the only way to win it all.
The Bills have beaten the Chiefs in the regular season several times, but the Chiefs have had their number in the post-season. Chiefs won a divisional and an AFC Championship game at Buffalo's expense. With a lot of paychecks soon to be handed out, Buffalo's Super Bowl may never again be this open.
The Los Angeles Chargers have shown they can match up and compete with the Chiefs, several Chargers and Chiefs games in several years have been decided by one score. Justin Herbert has an excellent roster all around him as the Chargers have to live up to off-season high expectations.
The Jaguars have emerged as a powerhouse after Trevor Lawrence's second year in the league. They marginally lost out to the Chiefs in the playoffs. But a messy AFC South that is looking to the future with two rookie quarterbacks presents a chance for the Jags to claim the division crown.
The Jets, of course, traded for Aaron Rodgers to get them back in the playoffs for the first time since 2010. The Jets are going all in to win a ring. Miami has followed the same pattern by trading for Tyreek Hill and Jalen Ramsey recently as the team traded several draft picks to gather a stacked roster.
Perhaps the Denver Broncos can bounce back under new head coach Sean Payton and show the fruits of the Russel Wilson trade.
We shall soon see if anybody can stop Mahomes as he chases the title of NFL GOAT.