Humility can be overrated.
On Sunday, the football world got the news Cincinnati Bengals fans had been waiting for and the rest of the AFC hoped would never come. They extended receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to massive four-year deals, locking in the league's best receiving duo with superstar quarterback Joe Burrow for the foreseeable future.
Of course, this is the same Bengals team that finished in third place, behind both the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers, in 2024. The Baltimore faithful weren't going to let a piece of news distract from that fact.
Quarterback Lamar Jackson went viral as Ravens fans reacted to the Bengals signings.
On Wednesday, Jackson took to social media, posing a gif of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James pantomiming a scream, as if to feign fear while actually laughing.
— Lamar Jackson (@Lj_era8) March 19, 2025
It's worth noting that Jackson may not have been referring to the signings. It might be more likely than not that he was just joking, anyway. On Instagram, he posted a story explaining his intentions.
"Imma just post this random Gif on twitter I guarantee mfs create (a) narrative," he wrote with laughing emojis.
Jackson may not have been serious, but his fans are. The Ravens have won consecutive AFC North titles and looked like one of the best teams in football in that span. Jackson is 10-2 against the Bengals, and it seems like he's on the right end of every highlight clip and shootout from those contests.
Cincinnati signed Chase to a four-year, $161 million deal with $112 million guaranteed, making him the most expensive non-quarterback in the sport (surpassing fellow AFC North superstar and Cleveland Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett). Higgins followed suit with four years and $115 million.
Yet, Baltimore has earned the right to consider itself the best team in the division. Burrow, Chase, and Tee Higgins were on this team last year. The Bengals didn't make the playoffs.
A horrid defense is to blame, but with edge rusher Trey Hendrickson hanging in the balance of these recent moves, a similar task awaits Cincinnati in 2025.
There are two paths to changing that narrative: beating the Ravens or winning a Super Bowl. Until then, Jackson and Baltimore hold the bragging rights in this rivalry.
