Some people have to do a little talking to pump themselves up for maximum performance.
In sports, that can sometimes leads to unintended consequences…like pumping up the opponent.
Kansas City Chiefs safety Justin Reid might have done both Wednesday when he said he would lock down any Cincinnati Bengals player he’s matched up against on Sunday.
It all started with him mistakingly saying he would lock down Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins. The player he meant to say was tight end Hayden Hurst. But instead of simply correcting himself on Twitter, Reid doubled down by saying “any and everybody still getting locked up.”
Tbh, I meant Hayden Hurst* for the man matchups. Nonetheless, any and everybody still getting locked up
— Justin Reid (@JustinqReid) November 30, 2022
Well, it’s funny he should say that, because Sunday’s game between the Chiefs and Bengals is also the game Ja’Marr Chase returns from his four-game absence.
He saw Reid’s bold claim and asked the safety to put his money where his mouth is. Reid didn’t accept the bet — at least not publicly — but he didn’t back down either.
Y’all welcome for the extra motivation. Ima see you Sunday champ.
— Justin Reid (@JustinqReid) November 30, 2022
Noted ✍🏾 pic.twitter.com/7ytOA44uWu
— Justin Reid (@JustinqReid) November 30, 2022
This is the part where I should mention that Reid and Chase won’t be matched up often if at all in this game. But if and when it does happen, I don’t love Reid’s chances.
In fact, I don’t love his chances against most of Cincinnati’s weapons.
Reid has the NFL’s ninth worst passer rating allowed (125.6) among players with at least 11 games played, according to Pro-Football Reference. Even without the games played qualifier, his rating is bottom 10 among safeties.
To his credit, he does seem to keep big-yardage plays to a minimum, but he’s just the 56th rated safety out of 88 on Pro Football Focus.
So yeah, it’s probably a smart move not to take that bet. Because it’s not likely that he’ll lock up all of Chase, Higgins, Hurst, Tyler Boyd and Joe Mixon (if he returns from injury).
Either way, this adds a little spice to what was already a fun mid-season matchup with the Chiefs favored by 2.5 points on the road.
