Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow understands that to be the top team, you have to defeat the top team. That’s why he hopes the Bengals can beat the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in the coming season.
“The Chiefs are the standard right now. Everyone is trying to catch up to them — obviously, they’ve won back-to-back championships,” Burrow commented on the Chiefs during his press conference on May 7. “Someone has to beat them, and I hope it's us.”
Joe Burrow is One of Few NFL Quarterbacks With Successful Record Against Patrick Mahomes
The Bengals led by Burrow are among the few NFL teams that has a winning record against the Chiefs since quarterback Patrick Mahomes became the starting quarterback for Kansas City.
When facing the Chiefs in the regular season, Burrow has a 2-0 record and completed 78.6% of his passes for 732 yards, with 6 touchdowns and 0 turnovers, according to Stathead.
During the postseason, Burrow has a 1-1 record against Kansas City. In those games, the Bengals' main QB completed 62% of his passes for 520 yards, 3 touchdowns, and also had 3 interceptions.
While the Bengals have defeated the Chiefs in the regular season when Burrow is leading the team, they have yet to consistently beat Kansas City during the playoffs. Thus, to be recognized as the best in the league, the Bengals will have to surpass the Chiefs in the playoffs, which would give them a positive record against the Mahomes-led Kansas City team during the postseason.
However, the Bengals will also need to win a Super Bowl to be considered the best in the NFL. Until that happens, the Bengals — like every other NFL team — will be overshadowed by the Chiefs Kingdom.
Louis Rees-Zammit Discusses Transition from Rugby to NFL
One of the more intriguing signings by the Chiefs this offseason was Welsh rugby star Louis Rees-Zammit, who entered the NFL through the International Pathway program.
During the final day of rookie minicamp, Rees-Zammit — who had no prior experience in football before joining the NFL — shared his reasons for trying football.
“My dad was a big NFL fan when I was growing up and he wanted to play the sport. He played American football in the UK, but it wasn’t possible to come out here and play. He was a huge inspiration for me and a role model. I always watched football as a kid, staying up late every Sunday, even though there was a time difference of five to six hours, and it was in the early hours of the morning for me. I achieved what I wanted in rugby and felt that now was the perfect time to switch,” Reese-Zammit explained during his press conference on May 6. “My dad has been a great mentor and role model for me. It was just a matter of when I was going to make the switch, and I felt I had achieved everything I wanted in rugby, so now is the right time.”
Kansas City head coach Andy Reid provided his assessment of Rees-Zammit after the three-day minicamp.
“This was beneficial for him — during this camp, he got a lot of opportunities to practice,” Reid commented on May 6. “When the other guys are here, he rotates in with them and doesn’t get a lot of chances there. This gave him a chance to really join in and learn. He is very dedicated and eager to excel in everything. I have appreciated that. You can see the progress he has made. You saw that yesterday with the long run he had on the screen. I thought he was going to dive into the endzone, but other than that, it was good (laughter). He did well.”
