Alex Kemp and Ja’Marr Chase (Photo via @Rate_the_Refs Twitter)
Lip readers on social media think they’ve uncovered what NFL referee Alex Kemp told Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase before penalizing him for unsportsmanlike conduct in Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
In the fourth quarter of the Bengals-Chiefs game at Arrowhead Stadium, Ja’Marr Chase confronted Kemp after the refs failed to penalize Kansas City for what the star wideout thought was an illegal hip-drop tackle.
Chase was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct, costing Cincinnati field position and forcing them to settle for an Evan McPherson field goal instead of a potential touchdown that would have greatly improved the Bengals’ chances of winning:
Ja’Marr Chase gets called for an unsportsmanlike conduct here. It looks like he is complaining about a missed facemask call. The broadcast conveniently only shows the replay of Chase complaining and not the tackle… #CINvsKC pic.twitter.com/joM2DX1PIp
— Rate the Refs App (@Rate_the_Refs) September 15, 2024
Social media lip readers think they’ve uncovered what exactly Kemp said to Ja’Marr Chase before the unsportsmanlike penalty. They believe Kemp was telling the star wide receiver to, “get the f**k out of my face.”
🚨TRENDING: #NFL fans are saying the head ref Alex Kemp told Jamar Chase to… “GET THE F*CK OUT OF MY FACE.”
Joe Burrrow seemed to say the ref saying this to Chase really got him going, big part of his anger.
THIS IS REALLY CRAZY…😳
(h/t @crossed75074) pic.twitter.com/NdLCIcoquF
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) September 16, 2024
The ref says to JaMarr “get the f**k out of my face”
How is it acceptable, in any way shape or form for an official to say that to a player? Then on top of that, when JaMarr responds to the ref saying this, he gets a 15 yard penalty.
Unreal lol. pic.twitter.com/O8siK1g4l9
— The Nati King (@thenatiking) September 16, 2024
The Chiefs went on to win the game 26-25 after Harrison Butker kicked a 51-yarder as time expired. Kansas City was saved by a controversial pass interference penalty call on Bengals safety Daijahn Anthony that wiped out a game-sealing stop on 4th-and16, allowing Patrick Mahomes and Butker to play hero once again.
Per Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic, Kemp told reporters after the game that Chase used “abusive language.” Kemp wouldn’t reveal what exactly Ja’Marr Chase told him, and the Bengals superstar did want to discuss the matter in his post-game interview.
Slow Starts Are Nothing New For Ja’Marr Chase & Bengals
With the loss, Ja’Mar Chase and the Bengals have started 0-2 for the third consecutive year. With the Pittsburgh Steelers defeating the Denver Broncos on Sunday afternoon, Cincinnati is already two games out of first in the AFC North.
But keep in mind that the 2022 Bengals started out 0-2 before finishing the year on a 12-2 en route to an AFC title game appearance, where they narrowly fell to Kansas City.
The Bengals will try to avoid a disastrous 0-3 start when they host Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders next Monday night.
