Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase has been on fire during the past two weeks, catching 21 passes for 296 yards and two touchdowns. But he still believes he and quarterback Joe Burrow have another level to reach.
Asked whether this is his best year with Burrow, Chase’s answer went straight back to their national championship season at LSU.
“Nah, 2019, of course,” Chase said recently. “We haven’t been close. The consistency hasn’t been there. If we played the way we did last week, then yes.”
This past Sunday in Madrid, the Bengals delivered their best performance of the season against Atlanta. Burrow completed 24 of 29 passes for 271 yards and three touchdowns without a turnover, while Chase caught 10 passes for 155 yards and a score in the 34-17 win.
The previous week, against Tennessee, Burrow threw for 462 yards and five touchdowns, then added an overtime rushing score in Cincinnati’s 43-36 victory. But he also threw three interceptions. Chase finished that day with 11 receptions for 141 yards and a score.
So far this season, Chase has compiled 53 receptions, 647 receiving yards, and seven touchdowns. He is currently tied for sixth in total catches and second in touchdown receptions.
Those are strong numbers, but still fall far short of the kind of season Chase and Burrow enjoyed during LSU’s championship run in 2019, when Burrow threw 60 touchdown passes, and Chase accounted for 20 of them. He finished that year with 84 catches and 1,780 receiving yards.
With Pittsburgh visiting Sunday and first place in the AFC North at stake, the Bengals have an immediate opportunity to build on their performance in Madrid. Chase’s message is clear enough: the ability is there, but he wants the execution to keep matching it.
