Bengals’ Ja’Marr Chase gives the Browns bulletin board material before Week 1
AFC North teams go at it perhaps more than any other division with the off-the-field chatter. Some more of it has come about before the Cincinnati Bengals travel to Cleveland to take on the Browns in Week 1. Ja’Marr Chase and the Browns had some back-and-forth last season, specifically with Greg Newsome II, and it […]
AFC North teams go at it perhaps more than any other division with the off-the-field chatter. Some more of it has come about before the Cincinnati Bengals travel to Cleveland to take on the Browns in Week 1.
When Chase was asked if he paid much attention to the Bengals' recent record against the Browns over the last few years, the star wideout negated it.
“Uh, I don’t really hear it,” Chase said. “If you ask me, I don’t really pay attention to it because Cleveland is Cleveland. I look forward to the matchups that we have when we’re facing them, but other than that, I don’t really be caring.”
But there was more to it. Cleveland is placing the elf logo at midfield again this year, as they did last year. Fans have both a love/hate relationship with it, Cleveland probably could have put the helmet at midfield and made everyone happy.
“It feels like a regular game to me,“ Chase told the Cincinnati media on Thursday. “It don’t feel no different. It’s just the hooping and hollering about the Cleveland Browns. I was about to call them the elves. But, yeah.”
There’s the shot at the Browns with the ‘elves’ comment. Perhaps it’s a small one but it’s a shot, none. Chase was then asked if he didn’t like the elf logo.
“Uh, it’s funny,” he paused. “It’s just different I guess.”
In the past, it has been Denzel Ward going up against Chase. That will be the case again on Sunday if Ward can exit protocol. It’s been trending in that direction but it is still up in the air. Ward has three interceptions in his career against the Bengals, one of them was a 99-yard pick-six on a ball that was intended for Chase.
“Whoever’s in front of me gonna get it,” Chase said on any potential matchups.
Cleveland is 8-2 against the Bengals over their last 10 matchups. Chase will have a chance to back up the talk and get a win in Cleveland for the first time in a couple of days.
Bengals at Browns Thursday injury report
Just one injury report to go until the real thing on Sunday.
Sam Greene/The Enquirer-USA TODAY NETWORK.
