I’m generally not in the mood on Red Friday to pass out a lecture, but the comments from the Cincinnati Bengals locker room ahead of their showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs represent a culture that does not know how to become a Super Bowl Champion.
Cincinnati Bengals Head Coach Zac Taylor has enough on his plate after an opening home loss to the New England Patriots. Just this week alone, two of his players made comments that not only poked the bear in the Chief’s locker room but also represented their disconnect with how they play the game away from the game in the locker room.
The Chiefs are a disciplined team, and their voices are in unison. Sure, sometimes they say things that might be preserved as a dig against opposing players, but generally, they are softballs. Even in those rare cases, they back it up on the field.
For example, the game’s best player, Patrick Mahomes, goes out of his way, and I think he means it when he praises opposing players, he faces each week.
Ja’Marr Chase has a long history of mouthing off about the Chiefs. At times, he’s backed it up on the field, but his comments on Thursday, stating everyone knows the Bengals are the team to beat in the AFC, made me laugh.
To his credit, he’s never wavered in his dislike, and I respect that. Yet, reality suggests the Bengals are not the best team in the AFC. They’ve been to one Super Bowl, and a loss to the Los Angeles Rams is what defines you in the NFL.
Their star quarterback, Joe Burrow, who always publicly praises his opponents, has been injured in two of the last four seasons. To his credit, when he was healthy, he led his team to a Super Bowl appearance and two AFC Championship games in Kansas City.
If Chase followed his lead, they could change the culture of their locker room. The fact they are so opposite tells you all you need to know about the team and their prospects.
What can’t be denied is that the 2024 Bengals team isn’t as good as the one that lost to the Chiefs in the AFC Title game last January. Further, Chase can’t have it both ways. He’s in a bitter contract battle with ownership, and right now, he just needs to play football to make his case.
Soundbites don’t work, especially against the Chiefs. Just ask the Baltimore Ravens, who have lost two consecutive games to Kansas City. Their bully ball doesn’t fly.
Further, the Chiefs receivers beat Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt like a drum in the regular season. He clarified that rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy is a one-dimensional player with speed and can just run straight.
I understand players have their ways of motivation, but what’s the point in poking the Chiefs – especially Head Coach Andy Reid and his star quarterback?
I’ve said this often: The Bengals have changed their culture from perennial losers to AFC contenders, and Taylor deserves a lot of that credit. Now, with his star players demanding bags of coin, they are getting feisty, and that might not bode well for their prospects in 2024.
So, however, this game turns out, it won’t be the players’ mouths but their actions on the field that will determine who wins and who loses.
