Bengals Coach Zac Taylor Extolls Ja'Marr Chase's Greatness Beyond the Gaudy Stats

Jay Morrison | Nov 8, 2024

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase (1) runs after a catch as Baltimore Ravens inside linebacker Roquan Smith (0) defends in the first quarter of the NFL game at M&T Banks Stadium in Baltimore on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. / Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

CINCINNATI – Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase has accomplished enough during his first four seasons in the league that Thursday night’s performance in Baltimore should not have been a surprise to anyone.

Chase caught 11 passes for 264 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-34 loss to the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium.

The yardage was just shy of the franchise record he set as a rookie in 2021 with a 266-yard performance against the Kansas City Chiefs, when he also caught 11 passes and scored three touchdowns on passes from Joe Burrow.

And as was the case in that Chiefs game at Paycor Stadium, Chase had a couple of long touchdowns against the Ravens. One was a standard deep ball for a 70-yard touchdown, and one was a “How did he do that?” 67-yarder in which caught a short pass and ran away from every player on the Baltimore defense in pursuit.

Two TDs over 60 yards tonight, nbd.@JoeyB x @Real10jayy__ #CINvsBAL on @NFLonPrime
pic.twitter.com/NUtbXOBLWx

— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) November 8, 2024

“He's one of the top athletes on planet Earth,” Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said. “I mean, that's as simple as you can put it. It's not just about the NFL, it's about planet Earth. He's one of the best to do it.”

Taylor already was 15 minutes into his standard day-after news conference – which is usually about how long they last – when the discussion turned to Chase and the question of whether he’s even better this year.

The next seven or eight minutes turned into a Chase appreciation pronunciation by Taylor.

While everyone saw what Chase did for 60 minutes against the Ravens, Taylor said his true greatness goes far beyond that into realms few fans ever get to see.

In an effort to free him from the double teams and cloud concepts designed to take away his effectiveness, the Bengals have put Chase in every position imaginable, forcing him to learn countless responsibilities and nuances within the regular scope of a complex playbook.

“It's amazing how much he can handle,” Taylor said. “Truthfully. Some of the stuff would confuse me the first time I see it on the plan. And I'm trying to think through as we're in the walkthrough where exactly we want him, and he just needs a quick reminder and he's there he got it. He gets it all.

“It’s amazing what he can take in digest,” Taylor added. “It's hard to really articulate without people sitting in a meeting and just watching the plan through the week and understanding what we put Ja’Marr through. And he answers the bell every single time and he's got tremendous football IQ and understanding of what our offense is and what we're trying to do with him. And again, he answers the challenge every time.”

Taylor said there has only been one instance in four years where Chase has balked at something he asked him to do.

But he didn’t want to go into specifics.

“He's given me feedback one time that he didn't like,” Taylor said. “He’s like, ‘I don't need that.’ We were just trying to get him one more touch.

“Two actually now come to my mind – one he said ‘no’ and one Joe said, ‘let's not do that,’” Taylor said. “I won't get into what the plays are. They're silly plays. But he can handle it all. And just his attitude as a premier receiver in this league, just the way he communicates and handles himself, I don't take that for granted because I know what it can look like.”

When the Bengals announced their team captains in September, Chase was not one of them.

But Taylor said he does everything a leader should do.

“Just his professionalism and the way he goes about his business, he doesn't have a captain (patch) on his chest, but to me he's a captain,” Taylor said. “His attitude and the way that he helps these younger guys along and just his positiveness in the locker room the way that he practices, he's one of the hardest practicing players in the league. To me, that's a captain. Whether he's got a ‘C’ on his chest or not, he shows all those traits.”

Chase sets lofty goals each season and writes them on notes he sticks to his mirror to look at every day.

He’s obviously aware of his stats, but he’s not consumed by them.

He’s also well aware of his contract and the lack of an extension he was hoping to sign this offseason.

But the impasse that led him to sit out most of the offseason and training camp has in no way impacted his approach since the games began.

His 10 touchdowns lead the league, as do his 981 receiving yards and 66 receptions, although he has the benefit one playing one extra game than some players and two more than those who already have had their bye.

But he’s on pace for 112 catches, 1,668 yards and 17 touchdowns.        

“He wants the football, but he wants to help us win,” Taylor said. “He genuinely just wants us to win games. And he knows, obviously, that him touching the ball is going to go a long way toward helping us do that. But there's been times where he hasn't gotten as many touches and we've won the game and he's been as happy as ever.

“And so I’m just proud of the way he's approached the season.”

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