After winning the NFL’s receiving triple crown in 2024, it wasn’t looking like Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase had any chance to even win one of those three categories this season. Of course, we’re talking about receptions, yards and touchdowns.
When Joe Burrow went down in Week 2 with a toe injury, it looked like the Bengals were in serious trouble, falling to 2-4 and looking like one of the bottom feeders in the NFL with Jake Browning playing quarterback. Sorry, but it’s true.
Enter Joe Flacco. The Bengals swung a trade for Flacco and so far it’s working. The Bengals won a dogfight against the AFC North-leading Pittsburgh Steelers Thursday and night and perhaps more importantly, they got Chase back on track. He caught 16 passes for 161 yards and an eight-yard touchdown and all was right with the world for one night.
Because of his big night, Chase is now leading the NFL in receptions with 58, which is insanity in just seven games. That’s four more than Puka Nacua, which should tell you everything you need to know.
Ja’Marr Chase has hardly had any practice time with Joe Flacco
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor was asked how many reps Chase has gotten with Flacco since he’s been here. Remember Flacco was acquired roughly four days before last week’s game against the Packers and Chase had been dealing with an illness.
“Live? However many we got last Thursday,” Taylor said. “And some of the walk-through reps on Friday, so I don’t know. Live balls he’s thrown to him? Five. Maybe.”
Hooray for veteran quarterbacks! There’s no way a younger, inexperienced guy could get on the same page so quickly with a superstar and yield these results. Heck, Browning had extended practice time with Chase and still couldn’t get him the ball in a game.
“It’s like, you and I aren’t Joe Flacco and Ja’Marr Chase,” Taylor continued. “It’s just they do amazing things, and credit to them. It’s they put in the work, and in the moment their heart rate, they’re just like this,” said Taylor in a stress-free presser. “And it’s because they work. When you work, and you’ve got confidence in your work, and then you go out there to get an opportunity. Then you get a great opportunity, make the most of it. And that’s what those two guys have done.”
Chase is in striking distance of the other two triple crown categories
While Chase’s 58 catches are good for the most in the NFL, he’s still got some catching up to do in yards and touchdown receptions.
Currently, he’s got 629 receiving yards, which trails Seattle Seahawks‘ wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba by 67. He’s got Puka by 13 yards in that category and he’s not looking good to play this week.
As for touchdowns, Chase is only one behind George Pickens and Amon-Ra St. Brown. That’s pretty amazing since anyone who has Chase on their fantasy team firmly believes he didn’t do much of anything until the last three weeks. I guess not “much of anything” means something different for Chase than it does for everyone else on the planet.
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