Bengals' Chase: 'We are the team to beat in the AFC'
Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase believes his team is the class of the AFC heading into Cincinnati's Week 2 clash against the Kansas City Chiefs.
"Everybody knows that, bro," Chase said, per Ben Baby of ESPN. "It's not 'if.' We are the team to beat in the AFC. And we know it. And we gotta play like it, too."
The Bengals are the only team aside from the Chiefs to have represented the AFC in the Super Bowl since 2020. Cincinnati beat Kansas City in the 2021 conference championship, while the Chiefs won the rematch in the 2022 title game.
The Bengals lost 16-10 to the New England Patriots in Week 1. They only totaled 224 yards of offense and 13 first downs while turning the ball over twice. However, Chase doesn't believe the team needs to prove that it's championship caliber.
"All that noise y'all are making and stuff, we see it, we hear it," Chase said. "But we're not worried about it ... At the end of the day, it's about the team and what we're doing on the field.
"The outside people are not on the field telling us what to do ... I'll let them stay outside and make their own comments."
Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow didn't suit up when these two teams met in Week 17 last year. The 27-year-old holds a 3-1 record against the Chiefs, averaging 313 passing yards with a 69.8% completion rate.
Chase, 24, hauled in six receptions for 62 yards in Week 1. He played 84% of the offensive snaps after sitting out most of training camp due to his contract status.
The Chiefs are 1-0 after defeating the Baltimore Ravens in the season's opening game.