The Bengals got the win they wanted in their opener, but Ja’Marr Chase didn’t get nearly enough work, and Cincinnati’s offensive coordinator made that much clear three days later.
Dan Pitcher said Wednesday that the Bengals have to do a better job getting their star receiver involved after Chase finished Sunday’s 33-27 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with just two catches for 12 yards on four targets.
“We didn’t throw him the ball enough. Pretty simple.
We got to throw him the ball more,” Pitcher said Wednesday. “He’s the best receiver in the world.”
Pitcher added that Chase was one of the first players he spoke with after the game, a sign the Bengals were already aware that their top target had been too quiet.
Tampa Bay clearly made Chase a priority in coverage, and the extra attention opened things up elsewhere in the Cincinnati passing game. Mike Gesicki led the Bengals with five catches for 78 yards and a touchdown, while Tee Higgins finished with three receptions for 59 yards. Joe Burrow threw for 254 yards and a touchdown.
Even with Chase and Burrow both having relatively modest stat lines, Cincinnati still found a way to come away with a victory. The defense did plenty of heavy lifting, forcing four fumbles and turning Tampa Bay mistakes into 24 points.
Still, that’s not the kind of formula the Bengals want to lean on every week.
The next chance to get it right comes in Week 2, when Cincinnati heads to Houston to face a Texans defense that will have to deal with both Chase and Higgins. Pitcher said the challenge for opposing defenses is obvious when the Bengals’ top receivers are on the field.
“Pick your poison a little bit,” Pitcher said, explaining that giving extra attention to one player leaves something else open.
That will be a major issue for Houston, which has already been talking about how to handle Chase and Higgins after its Week 1 loss to Buffalo. For Chase, the task is straightforward: turn more of those chances into production.
The Bengals proved they can survive a quiet day from their biggest offensive weapon. Now they’ll see whether they can make sure it doesn’t happen again.
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