Ja’Marr Chase didn’t sugarcoat how he felt about the Cincinnati Bengals’ season-opening win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Two catches is not the kind of line he wants attached to his name, and he made that clear Wednesday.
What stood out, though, was the way he responded. Chase said a younger version of himself might have let a game like that linger in his head. Instead, he’s treating it like a workday and moving on.
When asked in a news conference how he would have handled finishing with only two receptions earlier in his career, Chase acknowledged he wasn’t pleased this time either. He said the Buccaneers took away some chances, while quarterback Joe Burrow didn’t like what he saw on other plays.
Still, Chase wasn’t interested in making that a quarterback issue.
“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 kind of answer fits where Chase is now. He’s never hidden how much he wants the ball, and the Bengals don’t want him to.
A receiver of his caliber finishing with only two catches is never going to feel right. But the way he handled the aftermath was different.
Later in the day, Chase was asked about bouncing back from quiet games, and that’s when he got the most revealing.
“Honestly, man, I can't sit here and say I'm just - at the end of the day, like the old me would have been in my head and not been more mentally into the game no more,” Chase said. “But now, I'm trying to stay more into the game where it's two catches, one quarter, and I don't see it till the fourth quarter. I still got to be ready.”
That mindset will matter again in Week 2 against the Houston Texans. Chase said Houston plays sound defense and keeps things in front of them, and he pointed to the Texans’ corners and front while describing them as a well-rounded unit.
There’s also a familiar face on the other side. Chase and Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. go back to their LSU days, and Chase joked Wednesday about old practice clips making it look like Stingley always got the better of him.
Even after a quiet opener, Chase said he never spent the week demanding the ball from Burrow or making a scene about his usage.
“This week? No, not one bit.
I didn't say nothing. Nobody,” Chase said.
“I'm coming in to work. That's all I got to do.”
Two catches didn’t sit well with him. But Chase made it clear he’s not letting that define what comes next.
In Other News...
Tristan Wirfs Rare Bucs Feat Looks Even More Remarkable Now
When the Detroit Lions shifted All-Pro right tackle Penei Sewell to the left side this season, it brought fresh attention to a move the Buccaneers already know can be tricky. Tristan Wirfs made the same switch in 2023, and he did it while still looking like one of the leagues best linemen, which only adds to how unusual that transition really is.
Sewell has had a tougher opening to the change, and the early contrast underscores how rare it is for a tackle to flip sides without a noticeable dip. For Tampa Bay, Wirfs first year on the left now looks even more impressive, a reminder that what seemed like a smooth adjustment was actually a remarkable feat. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers Need A Fast Bounce Back From These Key Players
The Buccaneers Week 1 loss to the Bengals left enough to unpack, but the bigger concern was how a few of the teams most important pieces looked in the opener. Baker Mayfield, Alex Anzalone and Yaya Diaby were all flagged in the analysis as players who did not deliver at the level Tampa Bay needs, and that matters even more with Cleveland up next.
A fast rebound from that group could go a long way toward settling things down for a team that came up short in a 33-27 defeat. The schedule does not leave much room for lingering disappointment, and the Browns present another chance for Tampa Bay to show that the opener was a blip rather than a sign of deeper problems. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Could Be Walking Into Clevelands Biggest Early Quarterback Tension
The Browns added a familiar name to their practice squad this week in Jimmy Horn Jr., the former Carolina Panthers receiver who was released and quickly landed in Cleveland. Horn already knows one important piece of the Browns quarterback picture from their Colorado days together with Shedeur Sanders, which gives this move a little extra interest for anyone watching how Clevelands depth chart might evolve.
For the Buccaneers, the timing matters because there is already speculation around head coach Todd Monken and whether he could make a quarterback switch during or after the Week 2 game against Tampa Bay. Deshaun Watson is still listed as the starter, but Sanders has become part of the conversation, and Cleveland has not announced any decision yet. If the Browns are trying to sort out their quarterback future while Tampa Bay is in the building, it adds another layer to a game that could already carry more early-season tension than usual. [Read more 🡒]