The Cincinnati Bengals took a hefty dose of criticism for selection Ja’Marr Chase over Penei Sewell in the 2021 NFL draft.
But Week 6 put to bed any last remnants of the debate — the Bengals got it right.
There, Chase’s Bengals walloped the winless Detroit Lions 34-11. While Sewell struggled mightily to contain Trey Hendrickson and other Bengals defenders, Chase popped off for 97 yards on just four catches, plus a key block that sprung Joe Mixon for a touchdown.
Through his first six games, Chase has now caught 27 passes for 553 yards and five touchdowns. He’s averaging better than 20 yards per catch. He’s constantly brought up alongside Randy Moss. And most important of all, he’s the reason the Joe Burrow-led offense looks so much more explosive down the field this year.
Even so, Bengals fans shouldn’t gloat too much — Sewell will still end up being a very good player for a long time. He had to learn right tackle this summer, then got thrown to the wolves on the left side when the season started. Rough as he looked on Sunday, he only let up two pressures by PFF‘s numbers, though he didn’t grade above a 66.0.
Still, it’s clear that Sewell on the Bengals and a lesser name at wideout would be a disaster. Jonah Williams is the franchise left tackle, Riley Reiff the veteran upgrade on the right side. Improved blocking if Sewell lined up at guard wouldn’t mean much if the wideouts — just like last year — couldn’t get any separation.
Mercifully, the debate can now end. And here’s a sampling of the narrative going up in flames during Sunday’s game.
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