It seems like the Bengals, in general, don’t like talking about Patrick Mahomes at all. A few days ago, Ja’Marr Chase did a presser where he was asked to vote for the No. 1 player in the league. Chase knew who the player was (Patrick Mahomes) but refused to take his name at all. Now, his teammate, Joe Burrow is taking a similar road.

Burrow joined Kay Adams and the same question popped up, but with a different flavor. However, this time, the Bengals superstar was asked whether his relationship with Chase took precedence over Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. The Super Bowl runner up QB chose to remain diplomatic about the situation.

“Who do you think knows each other in and out better, you and Ja’Marr Chase or Travis and Patrick? Like, who has better lock step in game?” That was the question that Kay Adams posed to Joe Burrow on Up & Adams with Kay Adams. “How do you want me to answer that?” Said Burrow. “You think I’m going to say ‘them’?” and  “I mean of course I’m going to say, ‘us’ but I mean, they are going to say them, like, that’s how football players are.”

To understand these complex yet normal football dynamics, let’s briefly see the comparison between Joe Burrow-Ja’Marr Chase’s in-game advancement to that of Mahomes and Kelce. It’s really hard to compare 3 years of tape to Mahomes and Kelce’s 7 seasons together because of a small sample size. However, to get an idea of these Chiefs stars relationship on the field, Mahomes and Kelce recorded 16 postseason touchdowns last season.

Those numbers are higher than what Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski ever had in their postseason career (15). However, we can’t forget that Chase and Burrow played together at LSU and even won the CFP National Championship in 2019. So, the Bengals QB-WR duo also goes way back. All the way back to 2018. Moreover, Burrow has 76 TDs and 29 interceptions in 38 games with Ja’Marr Chase, per StatMuse.

In the last 3 years, Chase had 28 touchdowns with Joe Burrow, while Kelce had 26 touchdowns with Mahomes. Thus, this is a pretty head-to-head rivalry, considering Joe Burrow didn’t even complete the season. Now that Burrow is back and doing relatively better, Chase and the QB can look forward to building more on their chemistry. However, it won’t take away the fact that the WR has initiated a competitive battle by choosing Burrow’s name over Mahomes.

Ja’Marr Chase treats Patrick Mahomes like Voldemort

Just like Voldemort’s name is forbidden in the Harry Potter universe, Ja’Marr Chase won’t say Patrick Mahomes’ name out loud. The reporters tried their best to get Chase to open up, but failed. The reporter hit the Bengals WR with the classic, “I don’t know who you’re talking about,” trying to get him to say Mahomes’ name. But the journalist had no luck.

“I’m not saying him. I give credit when it’s due, but I’m not saying his name,” Chase said. “I’m not saying his name, brother. I’m sorry.” Ja’Marr Chase showcased that he is a Bengals loyalist and pegged Joe Burrow to be his No. 1 player in the league. However, Chase is honest and he admitted to having a vendetta against Patrick Mahomes.

“I’m not saying that guy’s name. He’s good, he’s amazing, he’s good — I’m not going to lie. I’m salty, though. I’m a little salty. Two years in a row. I’m putting Burrow first,” Chase said. Indirectly pointing toward the noteworthy season the Chiefs have been enjoying for the past two years. How do you see this rivalry playing out? Let us know in the comments.