The hotly-contested rivalry between the Bengals and the Chiefs has blossomed over the past few seasons. While Cincinnati has the upper hand in this series face to face, Mahomes-led Chiefs have been able to convert those victories into Super Bowls.
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It’s not surprising players of both teams have mostly nothing good to say about each other and some like Ja’Marr Chase are still salty about losses from the past.
The NFL’s official YouTube channel unveiled its player-voted top 100 list, sparking surprise when Patrick Mahomes, despite leading the Chiefs to another Super Bowl victory, was ranked fourth. But still the promo video for Mahomes showed that he was accepted as the best player by many; just not enough to bag the number one spot.
It seems many players from the AFC are still bitter in accepting his prowess. When asked to name which player is the best in the league, Bengals receiver Ja’Marr Chase refused to name Mahomes. Implying in many ways that he is the one, but refusing to say it out loud.
While giving the Chiefs QB his flowers and acknowledging his talent, the LSU Alum didn’t allow his name to come out of his mouth. Ja’Marr didn’t hesitate to say that he is still salty about the time Mahomes single-handedly took the game away from the Bengals.
“I’m not saying him. I give credit where it’s due but I’m not saying his name. I’m not saying his name brother, I’m sorry. I’m not saying that guy’s name. He’s good, he’s amazing. I’m not gonna lie, I’m salty though. I’m a little salty.”
It’s not surprising that Chase is salty and bitter because the Chiefs and Mahomes have made the AFC non-competitive since his debut. Decimating all the competition, they have been to six straight AFC championship games, mirroring the great Tom Brady and his Patriots. From 2011 to 2018, the Pats went to 8 straight AFC Championships, lifting three Super Bowls.
There is consensus that Mahomes is the best player in the league, and he proved that yet again last season when it mattered most. However, another ring and a Super Bowl MVP wasn’t enough for his fellow players to deem him the best, placing Tyreek Hill, Lamar Jackson, and Christian McCaffrey ahead of the Chiefs star.
This coming for a man whose wide receivers from year-to-year have only been worse and worse. While the Chiefs have certainly upgraded their receiving core for the upcoming season, it’s still surprising how Mahomes won two consecutive Super Bowls given the receivers he had.
Today, those receivers are not even getting a place in the starting roster. And rank four Mahomes won it all with them. One could argue it is a Brady-esque achievement. But still, let’s look further into how these wide receivers have fared after moving on from Patrick Mahomes (except Tyreek Hill of course).
Patrick Mahomes’ Receivers Don’t Look Great in Hindsight
Despite carrying no pass catchers with 1000 yards in the season, Mahomes led the Chiefs to another successful campaign. Travis Kelce once again dominated the receiving corps, followed by rookie Rashee Rice. Beyond them, the team lacked consistent production. Today, most of those players are scattered around the league.
Of those, Marquez Valdes Scantling was released and signed with the Bills. But even there, there is a strong wave going on that he might not make the roster. Skyy Moore is fighting to make the roster, while Toney is now 5th string WR. Mecole Hardman is bouncing around the league and returned to Kansas on a year-long minimum deal.
A similar trend emerged in 2022, where only Kelce surpassed 1,000 yards. JuJu Smith-Schuster’s impressive performance that year failed to translate to sustained success when he went to the Patriots. Giving signs that it might’ve been the Mahomes effect that made these WRs look so great.
Most of the Chiefs receivers aside from Tyreek Hill have failed to perform following their departure from Kansas City. Some of the names over the years include Sammy Watkins, Darius Robinson, and Byron Pringle.
Patrick Mahomes has shown time and time again that he can work with anyone and elevate their game. It’s great that the team has expanded its receiving core, adding speedsters like Hollywood Brown and Xavier Worthy. The 3-time Super Bowl winner can finally get his hands on another MVP in the regular season possibly, and post some record breaking numbers.
