SI

Ja’Marr Chase Had Blunt Answer About Limited Targets in Bengals’ Loss to Patriots

Kristen Wong

Cara Owsley / USA TODAY NETWORK
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In arguably the most stunning result of Week 1 of the NFL season, the Cincinnati Bengals were upset, 16-10, by the New England Patriots at Paycor Stadium during the early slate on Sunday. 

The Bengals’ offense looked disjointed in quarterback Joe Burrow’s first game back since last November, and the fact that Burrow’s trusty target Ja’Marr Chase held in for the entire offseason probably didn’t help matters.

Chase logged 62 total yards on six targets as the Bengals’ generated just 224 yards of total offense in the loss. Despite Burrow’s highly anticipated return, Cincinnati didn’t get a first down until halfway through the second quarter and completed one touchdown drive all game, stymied by the Pats’ hard-nosed defense.

Chase’s availability for the season-opener had been in question given his ongoing contract saga, and the fourth-year wideout also picked up an illness designation ahead of the game.

After the loss to New England, Chase was asked why he only commanded six targets, and he gave a brief and blunt response.

“You gotta ask Zac [Taylor],” Chase said. 

Chase added that he had food poisoning on Saturday, which led to his illness designation.

Under coach Zac Taylor, Cincinnati are 1–5 in season-openers and have historically suffered sluggish starts to the new year. The Bengals will look to turn things around in Week 2’s road game against the Kansas City Chiefs, a rematch of the AFC title game from the 2021 and ‘22 seasons.

Meanwhile, Chase will continue to lobby for a contract extension to hopefully cash in alongside other top receivers in the NFL including Justin Jefferson and CeeDee Lamb. Under his current deal, Chase will earn $9.8 million this season and $21.8 million in 2025.

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Kristen Wong

KRISTEN WONG

Kristen Wong is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. She has been a sports journalist since 2020. Before joining SI in November 2023, Wong covered four NFL teams as an associate editor with the FanSided NFL Network and worked as a staff writer for the brand’s flagship site. Outside of work, she has dreams of running her own sporty dive bar.

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