The Kansas City Chiefs are a full-blown dynasty at this point, much to the chagrin of every other NFL fan base. Feelings of depression and hopelessness sweep across the rest of the pro football landscape, because even when it feels like the Chiefs have a “down” year, they end up as Super Bowl champions. Such was the case this past season, as their offense struggled for much of the year, flipped a switch in the playoffs, and their defense remained elite thanks to some excellent drafting and, well, Chris Jones.
Only two quarterbacks have proven capable of going toe to toe with Chiefs superstar Patrick Mahomes, getting the better of him on the grandest stages in the sport. One of them is the literal GOAT, Tom Brady, who can’t do much to thwart the Chiefs’ dynasty unless he follows through on his latest teased comeback. The only other man who can say he’s knocked off Mahomes and sparked a legitimate rivalry with him is Cincinnati Bengals field general Joe Burrow.
During a live taping of the New Heights podcast hosted by Jason and Travis Kelce at the University of Cincinnati, Burrow did not back down whatsoever about his desire to dethrone Kansas City.
Make no mistake: The Bengals are the only team who’s consistently exposed the Chiefs during their reign of supremacy. Kansas City hosted the AFC Championship Game for five straight years. The last of those was the one Kelce referenced in the exchange with Burrow, wherein Joseph Ossai committed a 15-yard penalty by hitting Mahomes late out of bounds to set the Chiefs up for a last-second field goal and a 23-20 win.
Cincinnati had a Week 15 road trip to Arrowhead Stadium last season, but by then, Burrow was on injured reserve with a torn wrist ligament that required surgery. Even with the Bengals missing Joey B and defensive anchor DJ Reader, Kansas City needed to rally from an early 17-7 deficit to pull off a gritty 25-17 victory. Reader’s absence allowed Isiah Pacheco to rack up 130 yards rushing, and what’s more, Rashee Rice had five catches for 127 yards.
Those personnel points are salient, because Reader left for the Lions in free agency, and Rice is facing eight felony charges. There’s still a major need at nose tackle for Cincinnati that will be addressed in the draft at some point, but the Chiefs really need to make a plan in the event Rice isn’t around for the 2024 campaign. Jake Browning played admirably in Burrow’s stead with a 4-3 starting record, yet there’s a certain X-factor Joe Brrr brings to the huddle that can’t be replicated by even the most capable backup.
Burrow has made the Bengals an attractive free-agent destination. So much so that ex-Chief Orlando Brown Jr. voluntarily left KC to protect his blindside, which broke Kelce’s heart.
So yeah, this Chiefs-Bengals rivalry is very much a thing.
Two of Burrow’s four seasons in the NFL have ended in injury. In the other two, he beat the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game, beat them in the regular season twice, lost by three with three backups and a rookie starting on his offensive line, and was essentially one play from delivering a Lombardi Trophy to Cincinnati. Mind you, that was against an Aaron Donald-led Rams d-line that might’ve been the biggest mismatch at the line of scrimmage in Super Bowl history. Richard Sherman was savage but not at all wrong with this take:
Although Burrow has been a little cagier toward the media at least in press conferences of late, and doesn’t often do podcasts, when he does engage in the latter activity, you can pretty much ask him anything. For instance, he confirmed that he wasn’t hacked or anything on Twitter when he advocated for UFO/extra-terrestrial disclosure.
“I mean, where are they? I feel like, if they are advanced enough to come and visit us, then they’re advanced enough to cloak their technology from us and we won’t be able to see it. So, maybe we don’t, but I feel like somebody’s gotta know.”
Joe knows what’s up. He’s the absolute man. I love his football-related swagger, his Midwest humbleness outside of highly competitive football-adjacent situations, and his active imagination. Don’t know how you can’t like him unless you’re a Chiefs fan.
One more bonus take for the road: Burrow is pro-taunting, and so am I.
These NFL players are modern-day gladiators who put their bodies and their literal lives on the line for our entertainment. If they want to ham it up after making a big play — you get 17 games, or a maximum of 21, in a 365-day period, in a limited window of your life to play the game — more power to them.
Buckle up, Chiefs. Joe Burrow and the Bengals are coming.
