Ravens player's comments on Ja'Marr Chase prove how scary WR really is
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase is known for a few things. His vertical game is one of the best in the NFL and his ability to go up in the air and bring down the football has reached mythical status already. But on Sunday's 24-17 win over the Baltimore Ravens, Chase shined for different […]
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase is known for a few things. His vertical game is one of the best in the NFL and his ability to go up in the air and bring down the football has reached mythical status already.
But on Sunday's 24-17 win over the Baltimore Ravens, Chase shined for different reasons. Every time it looked like the Bengals' star wide receiver was running a vertical route, he stopped and turned around on a hitch route.
"I think a lot of [Ja’Marr] Chase’s game is to get vertical," Ravens CB Marlon Humphrey told reporters postgame. "They did a lot of what he kind of doesn’t do often. We wanted to play a little off here and a little press there, and they did a really good job based on what we were doing, they did something different. Everything they were doing, on third down especially, seemed to work."
That's not only a big merit to Chase but to the Bengals coaching staff, which once more proved capable of adjusting to whatever the opposing defense shows them.
After Joe Burrow struggled the last couple of games against the Ravens, this time the Bengals were ready to combat their defense. Chase's underneath routes had a lot to do with it.
Chase finished with nine total catches for 84 yards, many of which came after the catch.
Even his touchdown was unlike your regular Ja'Marr Chase TD. The Bengals wide receiver discussed it with reporters after the game.
“I think I was like the third read," Chase said following the win. "I saw zone, I had a shallow cross and I had to read that. I saw zone, sat it down in the zone, and Joe (Burrow) plucked it on me quick.”
While he's not known as a YAC monster, #1 proved he can be one when required. That makes him one of the most complete players in the NFL and one of the scariest.
"Ja'Marr is a great player, one of the best," Joe Burrow told reporters. "I’m always going to look for him."
That's not an empty statement. On Sunday, the Bengals proved once more they can find ways to get their best playmaker the football consistently regardless of the situation.
Featured image via Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK
