Justin Jefferson Hopes LSU Teammate Ja'Marr Chase Breaks Rookie Receiving Record
It was just a year ago that former LSU receiver Justin Jefferson broke onto the NFL scene by breaking a long standing rookie record for receiving yards. The first round pick of the Minnesota Vikings broke Anquan Bolden's 2005 record and was probably thinking he'd hold onto to that record for a while.
But Jefferson knows Ja'Marr Chase all too well and the Cincinnati Bengals rookie is quickly closing in on the 1,400 yards Jefferson posted last year with Joe Burrow tossing him the football. Chase currently sits at 754 receiving yards through seven games to go along with six touchdowns.
By simply doubling that average over the next seven games, which is certainly a possibility barring any injury of course, would sit at 1,508 yards on the season with still a few games to go. Even Randy Moss' 17 touchdowns as a rookie doesn't seem all too impossible for Chase. Jefferson said this week that he and Burrow have carried on that connection from college and doing a great job.
“He’s been doing a great job,” Jefferson told ESPN. “He’s killing it, especially having Joe, his college quarterback. I’m proud of him and of Joe and I hope he does break it.”
The Bengals currently sit atop the AFC with a 5-2 record and really seem to be hitting their stride with a tough schedule on the horizon after this week's game against the New York Jets. The emergence of Chase as one of the league's most dominant receivers is a major reason why this offense has become more dynamic down the field.
Burrow talked about all of the accumulated reps the two have over the last three years being a significant reason for the early success in the NFL together.
"We have a lot of reps accumulated over the last three or four years," Burrow said after the game. "We've been together a long time, I've been throwing to Ja'Marr on Saturdays since I was 21 years old. That's what happens when you get all those reps, you understand the kind of throws against leverage. We've thrown back shoulders for three years, over and over and over again. That's what it takes."
