It doesn't matter who Ja'Marr Chase is facing.
For the Jacksonville Jaguars this week, shutting down Chase is the mission, but head coach Liam Coen implied it's a fool's errand ahead of the team's Week 4 road matchup.
"You can talk about any lockdown corner in this league, and it's still [difficult]. He's still going to get his," Coen said when asked about Chase.
In Week 2 against the Houston Texans and All-Pro cornerback Derek Stingley, Chase made what will be one of the league's best catches this year.
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow connected with Chase on a 32-yard back-shoulder throw and catch for a touchdown. On the day, Chase caught seven passes for 75 yards
and two scores.
"It's very difficult to say, like he's just not gonna catch balls this week, right? So, for our guys, it's gotta be physical; we obviously have to have a plan in terms of awareness, situational. Where they're going with the football in certain situations, but also tackling," Coen explained.
In three career games against the Jaguars, Chase has 31 receptions for 391 yards and two touchdowns.
Last season, Chase ranked fourth in yards after catch with 640 yards behind Bijan Robinson, Christian McCaffrey and Puka Nacua. Chase's ability goes beyond catching the football.
"It's hard to find better," said Coen.
You must have a short memory when it comes to facing Chase. A cornerback can have done everything perfectly and still show up on a highlight reel à la Stingley.
"Goldfish mentality, right? That's what it has to be. He's a potential Hall of Famer, right? And, so, is he gonna make some plays? Absolutely," Coen said.
But this week is about what Jacksonville does, not about Chase or anyone else in particular. That's the mentality Coen says his team must have moving forward.
"It's like, 'man, alright, makes a play,' who cares? Alright, let's go. It's about the next one. Strap up and line up and play the next one because you don't know what that next one could be, and you don't know how that next one could impact and affect the game," Coen said.
This week is the biggest test for Jacksonville's quartet of starting corners, including Travis Hunter, Buster Brown, Jarrian Jones and Jourdan Lewis.
This season, the Jaguars rank fourth in EPA (Expected Points Added) per pass at -0.21 on defense, giving Jacksonville an edge in the secondary.
Against Denver's Courtland Sutton and Jaylen Waddle, the Jaguars allowed three catches for 25 yards against the former and eight catches for 138 yards against the speedster Waddle.
Chase represents a mix of both, and then some.
Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @Demetrius82 or on BlueskyatDemetrius.
If you're a subscriber, thank you. If not, please consider subscribing to support local journalism in Northeast Florida.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Liam Coen: Jaguars must have 'goldfish mentality' vs. Bengals' Chase
