Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase is not shy when it comes to trash talk. Prior to the matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs, the media asked him what stands out about the Chiefs defense. Chase said “nothing” and then added that it’s not like they “have a Jalen Ramsey.” That’s a clear shot at Chiefs cornerback L’Jarius Sneed.
Many consider Sneed to be a top-level cornerback in the NFL. Pro Football Focus agrees more with Chase, rating Sneed just outside the Top 30 among cornerbacks.
Chase noted that the Chiefs use double coverage against Tee Higgins and him because they don’t have one guy capable of covering either player.
Ja’Marr Chase had quite the edge after practice today addressing reporters. Said Chiefs don’t have anyone that stands out on defense. “It’s not really like have a Jalen Ramsey on their squad.” pic.twitter.com/1kurBwcOLF
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) December 28, 2023
In four career games against the Chiefs, prior to Sunday, Chase produced 30 catches for 492 yards and four touchdowns. That includes two playoff games.
However, the majority of those numbers came in Chase’s first game against Kansas City when he went off for 11 catches, 266 yards and three touchdowns back in his rookie season.
Still, most players don’t say the things that Chase does about his opponents. The typical answer in this situation is something like, “Yeah, the Chiefs defense is solid and they present a unique challenge. We’re going to have to play our best to beat them.”
Credit to Chase for actually speaking his mind. But, expect the opponent to respond.
In the first half of Sunday’s game, the two came together after a run play and exchanged shoves. Both teams came together and referees flagged Chase for a personal foul. They also assessed one to another Chiefs defensive back, Mike Edwards, but somehow didn’t assess a foul against Sneed.
L'Jarius Sneed and Ja'Marr Chase having a chat pic.twitter.com/btM6KBN8VC
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) December 31, 2023
Nothing much happened leading up to this scuffle, so it seems fair to assume that Chase’s comments played a role here.
A few plays later, referees flagged Sneed for pass interference against Chase, which led to a Bengals touchdown.
A long way to go in this one and something tells me that we haven’t seen the last of Ja’Marr Chase vs. L’Jarius Sneed.
Stay tuned.
