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Ben Baby, ESPN Staff Writer
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — 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 following an interaction that officials said crossed the line.
Referee Alex Kemp, who threw the flag, said in a pool report after the game that Chase believed he was taken down by Kansas City cornerback Trent McDuffie with a hip-drop tackle, a controversial maneuver that was banned this offseason because of the injury risk the play presents.
According to Kemp, Chase’s questioning of the play led to an exchange that produced “abusive language” that went far beyond any dissent over a perceived missed call.
“The simple answer is, profanity used by grown men versus direct, personal abusive language towards a game official,” Kemp said when asked about the difference between disagreement and abuse. “That’s the line. When that line gets crossed, we simply can’t let that happen in pro football.”
Chase, who finished with 4 catches on 5 targets for 35 yards, declined to comment on the penalty after the game.
The exchange occurred after Chase was tackled following a 4-yard gain that would have given Cincinnati a third-and-7 at Kansas City’s 30-yard line. Instead, the Bengals were penalized 15 yards and the drive eventually resulted in a field goal.
Quarterback Joe Burrow attempted to restrain Chase and push him away from Kemp before the flag was thrown. Burrow did that a second time after Chase continued to express his disagreement after he was penalized.
“Just trying to deescalate the situation,” Burrow said. “I’m not entirely sure what was said or who threw the flag.”
It was one of a few second-half miscues that ended up costing Cincinnati and resulted in the team’s fifth 0-2 start in the past six years.
Burrow, who was 23-of-36 passing for 258 yards and 2 touchdowns, lost a fumble that Kansas City’s Chamarri Conner returned for a 38-yard score on the third play of the fourth quarter. The Chase penalty occurred on the next drive that ended with Evan McPherson‘s 53-yard field goal that gave the Bengals a 25-23 lead with 9:28 remaining.
That margin held until the very end of the game. Cincinnati rookie defensive back Daijahn Anthony was penalized for defensive pass interference on a fourth-and-16 pass that fell incomplete and would have ended the game. Anthony wasn’t made available after the game, but his teammates did not find much fault with his effort on the play.
But the accumulation of all those things played a role in Cincinnati’s third straight loss to Kansas City dating back to the 2022 AFC Championship Game. Before that, the Bengals had won three straight games against the Chiefs, including the 2021 conference championship.
“Just got to learn from the mistakes and move on,” Chase said.
The fourth-year player out of LSU has had a tumultuous year. He did not participate in training camp practices 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 has not materialized. Chase also took out a $50 million insurance policy on himself in case he suffers an injury this season, according to Schefter.
The perceived hip-drop tackle at the center of Chase’s interaction with Kemp has resulted in an injury rate 20 times higher than that of other tackles, according to NFL data.
“We informed him that we did not feel it was a hip-drop tackle,” Kemp said in the pool report.