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CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bengals could be a pair years faraway from being one of the best group within the AFC. However forward of Sunday’s matchup in opposition to Kansas City, the back-to-back reigning convention and Tremendous Bowl champs, broad receiver Ja’Marr Chase stated the group nonetheless believes it’s the group that instructions the highest spot.
“All people is aware of that, bro,” Chase stated Thursday. “It is not ‘if.’ We’re the group to beat within the AFC. And we all know it. And we gotta play prefer it, too.”
In two of the previous three years, the Cincinnati-Kansas Metropolis matchup decided who represented the AFC within the Tremendous Bowl. Cincinnati gained at Arrowhead Stadium within the 2021 playoffs to clinch the Bengals’ first convention title in 33 seasons.
The following season, Kansas Metropolis hit the profitable area objective with three seconds left to win the rematch within the AFC title recreation.
Final 12 months, the Bengals missed the playoffs after quarterback Joe Burrow suffered a season-ending wrist harm on Week 11. Cincinnati was eradicated from postseason rivalry following a Week 16 loss at Kansas Metropolis.
This season, the Bengals are off to a 0-1 begin. Regardless of being a 7.5-point favourite in Week 1, Cincinnati misplaced to New England 16-10. With one other loss on Sunday, the Bengals will begin the season with an 0-2 report for the fifth time prior to now six seasons.
Chase dismissed the notion that the Bengals have to show that they’re nonetheless a championship-caliber group.
“All that noise y’all are making and stuff, we see it, we hear it,” Chase stated. “However we’re not nervous about it, what I am saying? On the finish of the day, it is in regards to the group and what we’re doing on the sphere.
“The surface individuals are not on the sphere, telling us what to do on the sphere. I am going to allow them to keep outdoors and make their very own feedback.”
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has gained three of his 4 contests in opposition to Kansas Metropolis. Relationship again to the group’s common season in 2021, Cincinnati gained three straight in opposition to its rival till the loss within the AFC championship through the 2022 playoffs.
Burrow, who struggled within the loss to the Patriots — his first recreation since wrist surgical procedure — stated that he is not viewing Sunday’s matchup as a measuring stick for this 12 months’s group.
“You are at all times attempting to go on the market and show your self to the world, to your self, to your teammates and your coaches,” Burrow stated. “I might say that about each single week.”
This 12 months’s matchup is not going to embrace Kansas Metropolis cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, who has turn into certainly one of Chase’s prime foils lately. However Chase nonetheless had excessive reward for the group’s protection and coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.
Chase emphasised the must be sharp and totally ready for no matter comes Cincinnati’s means.
“They at all times do a great job of coming with good schemes in opposition to us,” Chase stated. “I really feel like they have been probably the greatest groups to scheme in opposition to us and know what we’re doing.”
On Wednesday, Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt made waves when he stated that Kansas Metropolis rookie broad receiver Xavier Worthy‘s greatest — and maybe solely — attributes have been being quick and working straight.
However that was delicate in contrast with the barbs which were traded by each groups over time. Chase indicated that the whole lot that wanted to be stated has already been accomplished forward of one other anticipated matchup.
“The power’s there [on] each side,” Chase stated. “I am positive they know we do not like them. They know they do not like us. So the power’s already there. There’s probably not a lot we received to say now up to now. It has been 4 years now, so everybody will get it.”
