Bengals coach confirms suspicion regarding Ja'Marr Chase's game vs. Bills
Sunday night was a success for Ja'Marr Chase and the Cincinnati Bengals, but it came with a cost in more ways than one. It's true that Chase is a bit banged up right now after landing harshly on his back during the team's 24-18 win over the Buffalo Bills. The injury apparently felt worse as […]
Sunday night was a success for Ja'Marr Chase and the Cincinnati Bengals, but it came with a cost in more ways than one.
It's true that Chase is a bit banged up right now after landing harshly on his back during the team's 24-18 win over the Buffalo Bills. The injury apparently felt worse as the game progressed, and it will be monitored as this week goes on as well.
Chase not only battled through the pain for a good portion of the game, he battled what the Bills' secondary was doing to him for all four quarters.
Buffalo limited Chase to just four receptions for 41 yards, with 32 of them coming on one play featuring busted coverage. While Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd, and Cincinnati's tight ends were enjoying quality production, the Bills seemed to be going all out to avoid Chase beating them.
Offensive coordinator Brian Callahan confirmed this was the case to reporters Monday afternoon after watching the tape, stating an "aggressive" approach was taken to stop his third-year wideout.
Chase has been a consistent force for Cincinnati this year through the tumultuous 1-3 start and the four game win streak that's happening right now. Defenses have been trying to stop him for the better part of three years, and most of them fail trying.
Buffalo proved to be an exception despite its secondary being partially depleted due to injuries. Cornerback Dane Jackson saw the most action while covering Chase, limiting him to two catches on four targets.
Cornerback play is half the battle, of course. Safeties Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer did their best to bracket Chase's routes when they were positioned to do so. They make up arguably the best safety tandem in the NFL, so it's no surprise they were able to put a cap on what Chase could do.
The crazy thing? Chase dropped a touchdown and very nearly hauled in the deep pass that led to his injured back, so his night could've been much better despite the Bills' best efforts.
If nothing else, the Bills proved that game planning for the Bengals is a true Sophie's choice. Do you go all out to stop Chase and risk the other dangerous pass catchers from popping off, or do you give Chase more space to dominate like he usually does?
The Bills made what they believed to be the correct choice, and it still didn't matter.
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