After the upset loss at the hands of the New England Patriots in the season opener, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase consistently redirected questions to head coach Zac Taylor.
One of those questions asked Chase if perhaps his usage was limited due to his slim participation in practices since his “hold-in” during training camp.
His answer, via CLNS Media’s Mike Petraglia, sort of said it all: “You’ve gotta ask [head coach] Zac [Taylor].”
And asked about the slow starts? That’s when the frustration really came through, via Fox 19’s Jeremy Rauch: “I feel like we always start like that – especially the first game of the year. We should do better about that by now.”
Chase did cite the turnover difference in the game as a major reason for the loss, which makes sense after his team lost two fumbles and the Patriots didn’t turn the ball over at all.
But, asked why these slow-starting issues the team has talked about for months continue to come up, Chase said this, per Rauch: “I don’t know man. Ask Zac.”
Chase played 40 of the team’s 48 snaps and caught all six targets, leading the team in receiving with 62 yards. But it was an oddly stunted day for the offense as a whole, with Joe Burrow rarely pushing the ball down the field, so a lot of things probably went into Chase’s limited usage.
Meaning, there’s much for the team to figure out on offense. Chase’s contract situation, unfortunately, might remain a part of that conversation for the time being, too.
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