Ja’Marr Chase isn’t going to pretend he enjoyed catching only two passes in the Cincinnati Bengals’ season-opening win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The difference is how he’s handling it. Chase admitted Wednesday that an earlier version of himself might have allowed a game like that to get into his head. This time, he went back to work.
Ja’Marr Chase admits he wasn’t happy
Chase was asked Wednesday in a news conference how a younger version of himself would’ve reacted to finishing a game with only two catches.
“Not happy. Not happy. I wouldn’t have been happy,” Chase said.
He wasn’t thrilled this time, either. Chase said the Bucs took away some opportunities, while quarterback Joe Burrow simply didn’t like what he saw on some other plays.
But Chase wasn’t interested in turning that into an issue with his quarterback.
“I’m not going to kill him and be p-ssed off at him cuz he not throwing it to me,” Chase said. “I just want to make a play for the team.”
That response says plenty about where Chase is at this point in his career.
He has never been shy about wanting the football. The Bengals don’t want him to be. Chase is one of the best receivers in football, and an offense featuring him shouldn’t be satisfied when he finishes with two catches.
The reaction afterward, however, was different.
