Ja’Marr Chase may’ve saved the Bengals’ season and he didn’t even need to catch a pass to do it
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase has had better games against the Baltimore Ravens. None of what Chase did on the field, however, was as impactful as what he did on the sidelines in the locker room.
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase has had better games against the Baltimore Ravens. Five receptions for 62 yards in a touchdown was a solid performance in Cincy’s 35-13 victory in the Charm City. He even had a signature yards-after-catch moment in forcing two missed tackles for a 30-yard gain.
None of what Chase did on the field was as impactful as what he did on the sidelines in the locker room. A passionate locker room speech at halftime, and a constant barrage of words in the two hours to follow, were his main weapon Sunday.
“Ja’Marr’s speech in here really fired us up man,” right tackle Amarius Mims said of Chase after the game. “I saw it in his eyes man. We were not gonna leave here without a win man, and I’ve always said when [No.] 1 talks, and he gets that fire from him, everybody needs to shut up and listen because he is not only the best receiver in the NFL, but probably one of the best players in the NFL, in my opinion. So when a guy like that talks, you shut up and you listen cause it’s very important, and we all need to hear it. We all shut up, and we heard it.”
It not only worked, it may’ve created a shockwave for weeks to come
Ja’Marr Chase’s explosive locker room message
On a day when the Bengals pulled a miraculous 180, turning a 13-0 deficit into five unanswered touchdowns all in the second half, Chase showed a fire and fervency that got his team out of an inexcusable hole. Amid all of the scrutiny he knew was coming down on them, the All-Pro took it upon himself to get everybody back on track following a porous first half for the offense.
“I was pretty angry coming into halftime,” Chase told reporters. “I didn’t like how we played. We had 15 plays, maybe two or three possessions, and it didn’t go our way at all. We had opportunities to get the ball out our hands. [quarterback Joe Burrow] was getting too much pressure, and you know I came in here screaming, saying we got somebody got to make a play for us. Somebody got to make a play. And I told our offense we can’t look at our defense the whole time. We gotta we gotta step this [expletive] up and make something work.”
Chase’s anger was directed correctly. Cincinnati had more punts (3) than first downs (2) in the first two quarters. Chase himself only had one reception up until that point. The offense looked bland, stale, complacent, and frankly scared against an aggressive Ravens defense.
Somebody indeed, had to make a play.
The beginning, and continuation, of dominance
In Chase’s his eyes, it was his good friend Tee Higgins who came through first.
“I want to say Tee on a third down,” Chase recalled. “You know, we threw the slant to Tee.”
The Bengals were able to move the chains one play prior to Higgins’ 19 yard reception over the middle, but that was the first explosive play of the afternoon for the road team. It led to another Higgins reception on a third down to start a new series. Two plays later, Burrow connects with tight end Mike Gesicki for their first touchdown.
A lot of work still remained. More words required.
“I don’t think I shut up at all since I walked out of locker room,” Chase told reporters after the win. “I’ll be honest. I’m serious, I don’t think I stopped talking to the whole team since I walked out of locker room.
“I was on the offensive line, tight ends, and receivers. I was telling everybody we got to do it again. Like stay on them. Stay on them.”
It worked. Cincinnati kept his foot on the gas, and came away with its biggest win of the season. Chase even noted the play-calling matched the moment.
“I think second half we was a little more explosive and a little more aggressive on our play calls,” Chase said.
The question now is will it catapult the Bengals to where they want to go?
Potential seminal moment for Chase
Had the Bengals lost this game, the outlook for the rest of the season would’ve been a lot more challenging. They were already 0-1 in the division. Every other AFC North club would’ve been 5-2 while they would’ve been holding on to last place at 3-3. Where is the confidence-boosting victory over a quality team going to come from?
Chase’s fiery locker room speech looks like a mighty strong catalyst in avoid avoiding all of that.
“Like I said, it worked,” Mims said. “We came back and scored 35 straight points, and they scored zero. So that was definitely a speech that I don’t mind if him giving every week if that’s the case.”
But Chase doesn’t need to give his speech every single week for the Bengals to play like this. These wins, these moments, can be the launching point for them ascending into the NFL’s elites for the remainder of the season. A reminder that Chase and the 10 other players on offense are capable of high scoring games each and every week.
All it takes is a wake up call from someone who is willing to say what needs to be said. Chase, a captain and on field example setter of the highest-order, delivered what could be a season-saving message for Cincinnati.
