CINCINNATI — At the time, Ja’Marr Chase wished to depart it a thriller.
When he scored a landing in a Week 11 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, the Cincinnati Bengals vast receiver grabbed the towel hanging from the again of his pants, kneeled down and wiped the soccer as if it have been a child’s backside. It was a tribute to a landing Steve Smith scored in 2005.
Why, precisely, wasn’t one thing Chase wished to reveal. That modified on Wednesday. Chase knew he may accomplish a feat solely Smith and some others had of their careers — profitable the receiving triple crown.
If Chase has an excellent mildly productive sport Saturday in opposition to the Pittsburgh Steelers (8 p.m., ESPN/ABC), he’ll end the season because the NFL chief in catches, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. Since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, solely 4 gamers led the league in all three classes — Jerry Rice (1990), Sterling Sharpe (1992), Smith (2005) and Cooper Kupp (2021).
The means Chase has described the accolade has felt nonchalant. But he is aware of this season is constant his trajectory to at some point be remembered as one of many NFL’s finest receivers.
“If not now, then quickly,” Chase mentioned.
Entering Saturday, Chase has a agency grip on the triple crown. He has 117 catches (leads the Detroit Lions‘ Amon-Ra St. Brown by 8), 1,612 receiving yards (leads the Minnesota Vikings‘ Justin Jefferson by 133) and receiving touchdowns (leads St. Brown and the Washington Commanders‘ Terry McLaurin by 4).
Chase broke his personal report for many receiving yards in franchise historical past, owns the mark for essentially the most catches by a Bengal in a season and wishes two receiving touchdowns to cross Carl Pickens’ mark set in 1995.
Some of this has been a byproduct of how the Bengals (8-8) perform offensively. Coach Zac Taylor has acknowledged his need to be one of the best passing staff within the NFL and has been dedicated to that idea for years. This season, the Bengals are second in cross makes an attempt, and quarterback Joe Burrow, Chase’s longtime teammate, is having a profession yr. Burrow leads all passers with 4,641 yards and 42 touchdowns. His 76.7 QBR is second to the 78.0 of the Baltimore Ravens Lamar Jackson.
But it is also a testomony to the work Chase has put into turning into a extra full participant this season. When Cincinnati did not re-sign veteran Tyler Boyd, that left a void at slot receiver.
Chase was desirous to fill that void. Each morning, het met with assistant Troy Walters, his place coach, to check routes. And it is paid off.
This season, Chase is the one receiver to have greater than 400 receiving yards when lined up within the slot and 1,000 yards when lined up outdoors, in line with ESPN Research.
Chase informed ESPN that issues began to click on for him after his second yr within the league in 2022. But this season has produced a major evolution in his information.
“This is the primary yr that I simply know (it) for a truth,” he mentioned. “The confidence that I had was identical to, I knew it already.”
It’s been such an awesome yr that it feels straightforward to overlook the way it began. Chase didn’t take part in coaching camp due to a dispute a few new contract that by no means materialized. But despite the fact that he wasn’t in cleats, he was nonetheless actively concerned as he attended practically each apply.
During walkthroughs and practices, Chase stood subsequent to Walters as he referred to as out performs. The receiver picked up on them instantly.
Now, all of it comes second nature.
“Really all of (the receivers) know the place they line up, what route they’ve, simply by the identify of the play,” Walters informed ESPN. “I’m attending to the purpose the place now I can say a formation and possibly a sure movement, and so they know what the play is.”
All of that has led to an enormous season. On Thursday, Chase was named to his fourth Pro Bowl in as many seasons. If he’s named to the Associated Press All-Pro staff, he’ll be the primary Bengal to earn the glory since 2015.
During his mid-week information convention, Chase shrugged off quite a lot of the discuss of accolades and as a substitute shifted the main target to Saturday’s sport. The Bengals have to win and in addition want losses from the Denver Broncos (9-7) and Miami Dolphins (8-8) so as to make the playoffs.
But his teammates understand how particular getting a triple crown shall be for Chase. Burrow mentioned he’ll do no matter’s in his energy to assist his longtime buddy hit all three marks.
And whereas it may not sink in for Chase in actual time, it has already settled in for these round him about what the uncommon feat means.
“I can inform my youngsters at some point that I performed with an MVP quarterback and a triple crown winner,” mentioned Bengals vast receiver Tee Higgins. “Not lots of people can try this.”
