Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase launched his NFL career with a number of big plays early in the 2021 season and he kept making them all the way to the Super Bowl, but the first two weeks of this season have been quieter.
Chase’s longest gain through two weeks is a 24-yard reception in the season opener and he was held to 54 yards on five catches in Sunday’s 20-17 loss to the Cowboys. The Bengals have seen defenses working to take away the splash plays that the Bengals made so often last year and Chase said on Sunday night that they need to alter their approach in order to get back on track offensively.
“I just think people know how to adjust to us now,” Chase said, via the team’s website. “I feel like we need to learn to make more adjustments in game. Everybody knows what we’re going doing to do now. So everyone knows what to expect when we play.”
Quarterback Joe Burrow concurred with Chase and said the Bengals are “going to have win a different way this year and we need to figure that out quickly so that we can get in the win column.” Those adjustments are made all the more difficult by the protection issues that have also plagued the Bengals through the first two weeks.
With two losses already in the books, there’s no time to waste before making the necessary tweaks in Cincinnati.