We remember. Receipts were kept. Joe Burrow might not want us to remember after how the Cincinnati Bengals looked during the first game of the 2024 season against the New England Patriots, but we remember.
Burrow said the Bengals were "built to beat" Kansas City
Way back in April, Burrow appeared on the New Heights podcast with the Kelce brothers, and he had some interesting comments about how the Bengals were basically "built to beat" the two-time defending-champion Chiefs.
"We both work really hard at what we do. They got great players, we've got great players," Burrow said at the time. "I think we match up pretty well with them. We're kind of built to beat them... Both teams have big time players on defense, big time defensive lines, so it makes for great matchups."
Fast forward to preseent day. Now it's September, and Burrow's Bengals are set to face off against the Chiefs in Kansas City in Week 2, so the star quarterback will have an excellent opportunity to back up his bold claim from back in April.
In fairness to Burrow, he and the Bengals have had some serious success against the Chiefs recently -- arguably more than any other team in the league. Burrow boasts a 3-1 career record against Kansas City, including a win over the Chiefs in the AFC Championship in 2022. So, it makes sense Burrow he would feel confident matching up against them.
But at the same time, the Chiefs have won three Super Bowls in the last five years while the Bengals are still seeking the first in franchise history, so there's levels to it.
The matchup between the Bengals and Chiefs was going to be exciting regardless, but now there's some added pressure on the Bengals to pull out a win following their Week 1 loss to the Patriots. The Bengals obviously don't want to start 0-2 for a third straight season, but if they lose to the Chiefs that's exactly where they'll be.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs picked up where they left off last season and are coming off of a win over the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday Night Football. Playing against them will be a very tough test for the Bengals early in the season.
The game between the two rivals is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 15 at 4:25 p.m. ET. It will air on CBS. be sure to tune in.