The AFC North is a complete bloodbath in the early stages of the 2026 season, and every divisional matchup is a massive game. The Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens are set to go at it this weekend, and Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey is getting grilled for being afraid of having to guard Bengals star Ja’Marr Chase.

Marlon Humphrey Compliments Ja’Marr Chase Before Their Week 7 Matchup

The Ravens sit at 4-2 while the Bengals are last in the division at 3-2. Both teams need to win, and the Bengals are fresh off their bye, well-rested and ready to take down their rival. Humphrey spoke about the task of facing Chase and Cincinnati and wished he didn’t have to guard the star receiver so much.

“It would be cool if I didn’t match up with him so much,” said Humphrey.

It’s plenty of praise for Chase, but absolutely the last thing that Ravens fans want to hear before the big matchup. Ravens fans want Humphrey off the team after a comment like that. Although it’s simply out of respect for Chase’s greatness, fans don’t want to feed the opponent’s confidence.

“What a lame [expletive] loser answer. Ed, Ray, Sizzle, would never give a soft answer like that. He gotta go,”said one fan.

Ravens fans questioned his mentality, and one even expressed shame about his attending the University of Alabama.

“Loser mentality… ashamed to say he played for Alabama,”said one fan.

“Get this dude off my team. He just doesn’t have that dawg in him to be a Raven anymore,”said another fan.

Chase is the 16th-ranked receiver in PFN’s WR Impact Metric. Guarding him is no easy task, and many cornerbacks fail to do so.

Humphrey will have his hands full with Chase, and his comments made clear just how difficult he expects that matchup to be. Tee Higgins presents another challenge on the other side, giving Baltimore little relief in the secondary. Even so, Humphrey’s remark caught some fans off guard just days before the divisional showdown.

“I beg your pardon?” wrote Pro Football Network.

“We gotta get players like this off the defense,”added a Ravens fan.

Whether Ravens fans like it or not, Humphrey is going to be tasked with keeping Chase and the Bengals receivers in check on Sunday if Baltimore wants any chance to win.

The Ravens are still waiting to see whether their star quarterback, Lamar Jackson, will be ready to play, but if he isn’t, the defense will have to be lights-out and can’t let Chase run wild against them.