10
Loading video...
By Ellis Williams
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase respects the Pittsburgh Steelers rivalry. Asked to compare it with the battles Cincinnati and the Kansas City Chiefs fought at their peak, though, he did not put them in the same category.
The question came Thursday as Cincinnati prepared to host Pittsburgh with both teams at 6-2. Each has won four straight games, and Sunday night’s winner will take sole possession of first place in the AFC North.
Chase initially described the Steelers rivalry as “pretty up there” without naming his biggest rival. A reporter then asked whether Pittsburgh measured up to Kansas City when both teams were rolling. Chase rejected that comparison and placed those Chiefs meetings “way higher."
Read More on NFL
...
He was answering a question about the rivalries, not volunteering a prediction about either opponent. The Bengals’ Thursday media session came three days before their second meeting with Pittsburgh this season.
Kansas City was the opponent for some of the biggest moments of Chase’s first two NFL seasons. On Jan. 2, 2022, the rookie caught 11 passes for 266 yards and three touchdowns in a 34-31 victory that clinched the AFC North. His receiving total set a Bengals single-game record.
Four weeks later, Cincinnati traveled to Kansas City and erased a 21-3 deficit in the AFC Championship Game. Quarterback Joe Burrow and the Bengals won 27-24 in overtime, reaching the Super Bowl for the first time in 33 years.
The rematch the next January ended Cincinnati’s season. Kansas City won the AFC championship 23-20, with kicker Harrison Butker’s late field goal sending the Chiefs to another Super Bowl. The teams had decided the conference’s representative in consecutive seasons, splitting games settled by three points.
Pittsburgh has already beaten Cincinnati once this year. The Steelers won 30-27 on Sept. 27, despite Chase’s nine catches for 98 yards and a touchdown. Burrow threw for 282 yards and three scores, but Pittsburgh recovered his fumble in the final minute to end Cincinnati’s comeback chance.
The Bengals had led 27-24 in the fourth quarter before two field goals by kicker Chris Boswell put the Steelers ahead. Cincinnati’s special teams mistakes also proved costly, with a roughing-the-punter penalty extending one possession and a muffed punt giving Pittsburgh another scoring opportunity.
Sunday’s rematch at Paycor Stadium kicks off at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC. Pittsburgh comes off its bye with six wins in its past nine meetings against Cincinnati. The teams split their season series last year, the third time they had done so in four seasons.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines