Jessie Bates: We don’t focus on outside opinions…

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The Bengals didn’t come into the playoffs with a lot of people praising their defense, but the unit has come up big in their three wins so far this postseason.

Seven turnovers helped the team beat the Raiders, Titans, and Chiefs by a combined 13 points last month and they’ve also helped to shine a light on a group that got less attention than Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and others on offense during the regular season. On Monday, safety Jessie Bates was asked if that helped provide extra motivation to the defense.

“I don’t think we really focus on it much,” Bates said. “We know the value, we know the worth of the players we have on this team.”

Bates said he thinks the team has “multiple players” who could be household names, but that there are “no egos” in the locker room and the lack of them helps explain why the team hasn’t been in the spotlight.

“I can see why we don’t get as much attention or hype around our names,” Bates said. “We’re just here to play football and win football games. I think that’s what separates us from some of the other household names who maybe focus a little bit more on the clout side of things.“

The Super Bowl magnifies all aspects of the teams playing in it and more of the same from the Bengals defense will ensure that the Bengals defenders aren’t under the radar any longer.