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Ben Baby, Editor at ESPN
KANSAS CITY, Missouri – Bengals star receiver Ja’Marr Chase was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct in the fourth quarter of Cincinnati’s 26-25 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday after what referees said was a line of command violation.
Referee Alex Kemp, who threw the flag, said in a postgame pool report that Chase believed he was brought down by Kansas City cornerback Trent McDuffie with a hip-drop tackle, a controversial maneuver that was banned in the offseason because of the risk of injury it posed.
According to Kemp, Chase’s doubts about the game led to an exchange of words that included “insults” that went far beyond any disagreement over a perceived missed decision.
“The simple answer is profanity from grown men as opposed to direct, personal abuse towards a referee,” Kemp said when asked about the difference between dissent and abuse. “That’s the line. When that line is crossed, we simply cannot allow it in professional football.”
Chase, who ended up catching 4 of 5 attempts over 35 yards, declined to comment on the penalty after the game.
The exchange came after Chase was tackled on a 4-yard gain that would have given Cincinnati a third-and-7 at the Kansas City 30-yard line. Instead, the Bengals were penalized 15 yards and the drive ultimately ended in a field goal.
Quarterback Joe Burrow attempted to restrain Chase and push him away from Kemp before the flag was thrown. Burrow did so a second time after Chase continued to express his disapproval following the penalty.
“I’m just trying to de-escalate the situation,” Burrow said. “I’m not entirely sure what was said or who threw the flag.”
This was one of the few mistakes in the second half that ultimately cost Cincinnati the win and marked the team’s fifth 0-2 start in the last six years.
Burrow, who completed 23 of 36 passes for 258 yards and two touchdowns, lost a fumble that Kansas City’s Chamarri Conner returned for a 38-yard touchdown on the third play of the fourth quarter. Chase’s penalty came on the next drive, which ended with Evan McPherson’s 53-yard field goal that gave the Bengals a 25-23 lead with 9:28 left.
That lead held until the end of the game. Cincinnati’s rookie defensive back Daijah Anthony was penalized for defensive pass interference on a fourth-and-16 pass that was incomplete and would have ended the game. Anthony was unavailable after the game, but his teammates didn’t find much fault with his performance on the play.
But all of those factors played a role in Cincinnati’s third straight loss to Kansas City since the 2022 AFC Championship Game. Before that, the Bengals had won three straight games against the Chiefs, including the 2021 conference championship.
“We just have to learn from our mistakes and move on,” Chase said.
The fourth-year player from LSU has had a turbulent year, missing training camp because of a contract dispute. On Saturday night, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Chase believed the Bengals misled him about a potential contract extension that never materialized. Chase also took out $50 million in self-insurance in case he sustains an injury this season, according to Schefter.
The alleged hip-drop tackle that was at the center of Chase’s interaction with Kemp resulted in an injury rate 20 times higher than other tackles, according to NFL data.
“We told him that we did not believe it was a hip-drop tackle,” Kemp said in the pool report.
