Joe Burrow and Patrick Mahomes are two of the best quarterbacks in the entire NFL and intense rivals on the football field. But, that doesn't necessarily mean that the rivalry carries over off of the field.
Does Joe Burrow hate Patrick Mahomes?
While speaking with media members ahead of the Week 2 showdown between Burrow's Bengals and Mahomes' Chiefs, Burrow made his true feelings about his rival crystal clear, and while fans in Cincinnati would probably like to believe that Burrow hates Mahomes with every fiber of his being, that isn't the case. In fact, the opposite is true. There's whole lot of respect there.
"We've obviously talked to each other after the games, see each other at certain places over the years. I like Patrick as a person," Burrow said. "I like talking to him and talking ball and talking about the game. I enjoy being around people who are really good at what they do, work really hard at what they do, and go about it the right way. And he's one of those guys."
So, there you have it. Burrow doesn't hate Mahomes. In fact, he "likes" him. Boring. But, the good news for Bengals fans is that Burrow obviously doesn't have to dislike Mahomes to play well against him and the Chiefs. Cincinnati's star QB has a 3-1 career record against Kansas City.
Burrow will look to improve that record to 4-1, but doing so will be easier said than done, especially since Kansas City's defense has proven to be very adaptable over the years.
"They've evolved game-to-game playing us since we played them the first time," Burrow said. "They've evolved game to game trying to show different looks, changing their leverages, funneling our guys to help in different ways. They've really evolved their pressure packages, their bluff packages. Coach Spags is a really good coach. He always makes it really tough."
The Bengals and Chiefs played against each other in December of last year, but Burrow didn't play in that game as he was sidelined with a season-ending wrist injury. So, the last time Burrow actually played against Kansas City was in the 2022 AFC Championship game. The Chiefs won that game 23-20, marking the first time Burrow was bested by Mahomes and company after he had won his first three meetings against them.
So, the Week 2 matchup between the teams will be the fifth chapter in the rivalry between Burrow and Mahomes, and it will be extremely interesting to see how it plays out, even if the two star quarterbacks aren't really rivals off of the field.