Chase: Cincy 'team to beat' in AFC as Casey Lum

CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bengals could be years away from being the best team in the AFC. But ahead of Sunday's matchup against Kansas City, the back-to-back reigning conference and Super Bowl champs, wide receiver Ja'Mar Chase said the team still believes it's the team that takes the top spot.

“Everybody knows that, bro,” Chase said Thursday. “It's not an 'if.' We're the team to beat in the AFC and we know it and we have to play like it.

In two of the past three years, the Cincinnati-Kansas City matchup has determined who will represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. Cincinnati won the Bengals' first conference title in 33 seasons at Arrowhead Stadium in the 2021 playoffs.

The following season, Kansas City made the game-winning field goal with three seconds left to win a rematch in the AFC title game.

Last year, the Bengals missed the playoffs after quarterback Joe Burrow suffered a season-ending wrist injury in Week 11. Cincinnati fell out of postseason contention after a Week 16 loss at Kansas City.

This season, the Bengals are off to an 0-1 start. Despite being a 7.5-point favorite in Week 1, Cincinnati lost to New England 16-10. With another loss on Sunday, the Bengals will start the season with an 0-2 record for the fifth time in the last six seasons.

Chase dismissed the notion that the Bengals needed to prove they were still a championship-caliber team.

“All the noise you're making and stuff, we see it, we hear it,” Chase said. “But we're not worried about that, you know what I'm saying? At the end of the day, it's about the team and what we're doing on the field.

“People on the outside aren't on the field, telling us what to do. I'll let them be out there and have their say.”

Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has won three of his four contests against Kansas City. In the team's return to the regular season in 2021, Cincinnati won three against its opponents until losing in the AFC Championship during the 2022 playoffs.

Burrow, who struggled in the loss to the Patriots — his first game since wrist surgery — said he doesn't see Sunday's matchup as a measuring stick for this year's team.

“You're always trying to go out there and prove yourself to the world, to yourself, to your teammates and to your coaches,” Burrow said. “I'll say that every week.”

This year's matchup will not include Kansas City cornerback L'Jarius Snead, who has become one of Chase's best foils in recent years. But Chase still had high praise for the team's defense and coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.

Chase emphasized the need for Cincinnati to be sharp and fully prepared for whatever comes its way.

“They always do a good job of planning well against us,” Chase said. “I think they were one of the better teams to plan against us and know what we're doing.”

On Wednesday, Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt made waves when he said Kansas City rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy's best — and perhaps only — attributes are running fast and straight.

But that paled in comparison to the barbs both teams have traded over the years. Chase indicated that whatever needed to be said has been done before another anticipated matchup.

“There is power [on] Both sides,” Chase said. “I'm sure they know we don't like them. They know they don't like us. So the energy is already there. We don't have much to say at this point. It's been four years now, so everybody gets it.”