CINCINNATI — Bengals star receiver Ja’Marr Chase didn’t want to say too much.
When asked about his involvement in the team’s 16-10 loss to the New England Patriots in Week 1, he either spoke cryptically or deferred the question to coach Zac Taylor. But that was more information than he provided regarding his contract situation. He declined all questions about that from the very beginning.
But if the offense is going to find better footing this week against Kansas City (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS) Cincinnati needs Chase to be involved. Otherwise, the Bengals could be looking at their fifth 0-2 start to a season in the past six years.
“Ja’Marr is a critical, critical part of our ability to move the football, to be consistent, to be explosive,” offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher said earlier this week. “We need everything Ja’Marr has got. And we’ve got to continue to give him opportunity.”
Cincinnati was just happy to see Chase on the field. His participation in the game was uncertain after a contract dispute that led to a hold-in throughout training camp and leading up to the season opener. Even though both sides failed to reach an agreement before his deadline of Sept. 6, he suited up for Sunday’s game.
And he was productive. He caught all six of his targets for 62 yards. His presence was paramount given the absence of fellow wide receiver Tee Higgins, who missed the contest with a hamstring injury he suffered on Sept. 5.
But Chase was less than thrilled with how the game played out.
“Just wish we had more opportunities to make plays,” Chase said at his locker afterward.
Much of that was out of his control. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, five of his 28 routes run were deeper than 20 yards. Of those five deep routes, he was targeted once — on a 28-yard completion in the fourth quarter.
Chase felt he could have been further downfield on that throw, but the reasoning he got from quarterback Joe Burrow was that Burrow didn’t want to lead Chase into a high-risk collision as the receiver tried to squeeze through two defenders.
That leads to another issue with Cincinnati’s offense. Per ESPN Stats & Information, the Bengals averaged 5.9 air yards per attempt, which was 29th in the league in Week 1. Last season, when Burrow played, the Bengals were 30th in that category.
Cincinnati’s passing attack against the Patriots mirrored what was seen in the joint practice against the Indianapolis Colts and toward the end of training camp. Burrow took the completions that were available and didn’t push the ball further downfield.
The star quarterback said the defensive scheme, not his surgically repaired right wrist, was the primary reason for the shallow depth of targets.
“We can obviously do a much better job of taking advantage of those one-on-one opportunities,” Burrow said on Wednesday. “There were a couple on Sunday that we didn’t. We need to do a much better job of recognizing that, myself included.”
Cincinnati will know what to expect when it takes the field on Sunday against Kansas City. This matchup marks the sixth meeting between the teams in the past four seasons. Two of them have been in the AFC Championship Game, with each team splitting one of those contests in 2021 and 2022.
Kansas City also plays man defense at a high rate. Last season, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s group ranked fifth in the league in that category, per ESPN Stats & Info. That unit lost its best cornerback in the offseason when the franchise traded L’Jarius Sneed, Chase’s longtime nemesis, to the Tennessee Titans. But the archetype of defender that Chase and the other receivers should expect has not changed.
“They’ve done a good job kind of drafting the profile of what they want so they can play the style that they want,” Taylor said on Wednesday.
This week’s game at Arrowhead couldn’t be a better time for Chase and the Bengals to get rolling. Chase’s biggest career game was against Kansas City in Week 16 of the 2021 regular season. He racked up a franchise-record 266 receiving yards on a day when the Bengals clinched the AFC North and started their trajectory as championship contenders.
A dynamic showing on Sunday could prove the Bengals still belong in that conversation.
“I feel like every year is a new year to reevaluate yourself, see what you have and put your best foot forward,” cornerback Dax Hill said. “You just never know how each year is going to play out.”
