Bengals are on the clock to prove they're worthy of the reputation Chris Jones gave them ahead of the Super Bowl
It's been a few years since the Cincinnati Bengals have actually beaten the Kansas City Chiefs, but much respect remains for Cincinnati coming from the NFL's current dynasty. While answering questions during Super Bowl LIX Opening Night earlier this week, Kansas City's All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones gave the Bengals a shoutout when asked about […]
It's been a few years since the Cincinnati Bengals have actually beaten the Kansas City Chiefs, but much respect remains for Cincinnati coming from the NFL's current dynasty.
While answering questions during Super Bowl LIX Opening Night earlier this week, Kansas City's All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones gave the Bengals a shoutout when asked about the toughest teams to face in the AFC.
"I'm gonna say Cincinnati Bengals," Jones said. "They're always at the close. Unfortunately, injuries have played a huge part in their lack of success. I have so much respect for the Cincinnati Bengals."
Jones also made sure to cover his bases by including Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills along with Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens in the second half of his answer.
"You gotta look at Josh Allen," Jones continued. "Josh Allen has played some ball he's ever played. Lamar Jackson, I mean, up for MVP again, I mean we got so many good teams man it's hard to say."
Starting his answer with the Bengals signals how much respect he has for them through his battles in recent years. Cincy and K.C. are 3-3 against each other since the 2021 regular season, including an even 1-1 head-to-head in the postseason.
The Bills and Ravens each gave Jones' Chiefs a run for their money in the playoffs more recently than the Bengals, but as Jones knows, the Bengals are only team to beat them in January in the last three years. Kansas City is 9-0 in postseason action since Cincinnati took the 2022 AFC Championship Game in Arrowhead Stadium.
2025 will be the first regular season in five years the Chiefs won't have the Bengals on their schedule. Another meeting will have to be in the playoff bracket, which the Bengals haven't qualified for since 2022. For Jones' praise of the franchise to mean much of anything, Cincinnati will have to change that this year.
While the Bengals dealt with another season-ending injury for Joe Burrow in 2023 and a cataclysmic defense in 2024, the Bills and Ravens have each made strong cases to be the Chiefs' top AFC rival. The Bengals can only live off that fateful playoff game for so long before it fades off into irrelevance in the grand scheme of things.
Jones is one of the toughest players the Bengals have had the misfortune of facing in recent years, and his respect for them is surely reciprocated back the other way. It's now up to Cincinnati prove him right.