A top priority for the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday in Cincinnati will be finding a way to limit wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase's impact on the game.
Chase has eclipsed the 1,200-yard receiving mark every season he's been in the NFL. This includes surpassing 1,700 yards twice. Last season against Jacksonville, Chase went for 165 yards and a touchdown in Week 2.
So how do the Jaguars go about attempting to contain the star wideout?
"It's very difficult to say like he's just not going to catch balls this week," said Liam Coen, via Jaguars on SI. "For our guys, we got to be physical. We obviously have to have a plan in terms of awareness, situational, where is he, where are they going with the football in certain situations, but also tackling him.
We have to be at our best with our pursuit angles, our clamp tackling, strain and effort to the football."
Through three games, the Jaguars rank 24th in passing yards per game allowed and 30th in yards per pass attempt. The defense is, once again, among the best at generating takeaways, however, this unit has been prone to giving up explosive plays through the air, which is perhaps a product of the more man-heavy approach this season.
At cornerback, the Jaguars have relied on a three-man rotation between Travis Hunter, Montaric Brown, and Jarrian Jones, but on Sunday, does DC Anthony Campanile pair one player on Chase? Will we see less man coverage to provide additional help to Chase's side of the field? How the Jaguars attempt to disguise coverages could be crucial as well, in an effort to disrupt the timing and rhythm of the passing plays.
The defensive front will also play a role in helping the Jaguars' cornerbacks out in this matchup. Limiting the Bengals' run game will put the Cincinnati offense behind the sticks in obvious passing situations. Disrupting quarterback Joe Burrow will be key as well.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Coen on challenge Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase presents Jaguars' CBs
