Ja’Marr Chase’s heroics against the Chiefs put a bow on his rookie of the year campaign

It’s clear that the Cincinnati receiver should take home the hardware.

If there were still questions as to who should be this year’s NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, Ja’Marr Chase emphatically answered them Sunday.

Entering the day, his odds for the award could still be had at +350, longer than the +250 he peaked at in Week 7. After his 266-yard, three-touchdown performance against the Kansas City Chiefs, the competition is no more. That was the bow on a season that should make him the first wide receiver to win OROY since his fellow LSU alum Odell Beckham Jr. in 2014.

Chase entered the year with +1300 odds, behind seven other rookies. Now, his numbers dwarf the other receivers in his class and his biggest competition is probably New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones, who may have briefly been the favorite. 

While Chase slumped (by his standards) from Weeks 8 to 13, the Pats were in the midst of a seven-game winning streak that catapulted Jones into the conversation. But even then, Jones never passed the eye test in the same way as Chase, who came back to life in Week 14 just as Jones was hitting his own bumps in the road.

The eye test is just part of the reason Chase should be a lock for rookie of the year, however. His entire body of work this season is unlike anything the league has seen and there isn’t another rookie who can claim to have impacted his team in the same way. Here are three reasons Chase should be the 2021 Offensive Rookie of the Year:

He’s a game-breaker

Chase passes the eye test because he’s explosive with the ball in his hands. His ability to turn a simple ten-yard catch into a 75-yard touchdown keeps defenses on edge. He can shift the momentum of a game in a matter of seconds, the way he did Sunday on this 72-yarder.

That was his first of three scores, and each one kept Cincy within striking distance of a Chiefs team that always appeared on the verge of breaking the game open. Thanks to Chase, that never happened. 

He’s been doing it all season, too. Chase averages a league-best 18.1 yards per catch, his 13 receiving touchdowns are second in the NFL and he ranks third in yards after the catch.

This was from his 201-yard game against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 7.

While Jones has certainly been a steadying presence for the Patriots at the game’s most important position, nobody would describe his play as dynamic. That’s what it would have taken to top the season Chase is having.

Justin Jefferson was similarly a game-breaker as a rookie last season for the Minnesota Vikings, but he didn’t win rookie of the year because Justin Herbert was so incredible as a quarterback. Jones isn’t having the type of season Herbert had.

He shows up when it matters most

Chase isn’t just scoring touchdowns, he’s having huge games when the Bengals need them. Chase’s most breathtaking performances have come in Cincinnati’s biggest games of the season.

In Week 7, he had his first 200-yard game to help the Bengals upset the Baltimore Ravens and gain ground in the AFC North. Last week, he put up 125 yards on the Ravens as Cincy passed them in the division. And this week, his performance against the Chiefs helped them clinch the division. And that’s just a sample.

Chase had 101 yards and a touchdown against the Vikings and his buddy Jefferson in the season opener to help the Bengals get off on the right foot. He scored two touchdowns in his first game against the rival Pittsburgh Steelers, another win. Two weeks later, Cincy lost in overtime to the NFC-leading Green Bay Packers, but Chase had his best game as a pro up to that date, recording 159 yards and a touchdown. He also had two touchdowns in their overtime loss to the 49ers in Week 14.

Comparatively, Jones hasn’t been able to rise to the occasion in the same way. New England lost three of its first four games of the season due to a combination of turnovers and an offense that too often had to settle for field goals over touchdowns. He cut down on the interceptions enough to allow the team to dig itself out of a 2-4 hole with the winning streak – and he even put up a couple big games in the stretch – but when the team had a chance to put a chokehold on the AFC East in the following weeks, he was bad in losses to the Indianapolis Colts and Buffalo Bills. 

Jones’ three-touchdown performance Sunday to snap the Pats’ two-game skid, as impressive as it was, came against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

When looking at a quarterback and wide receiver, the comparison obviously isn’t apples-to-apples. But playing their best in big games should matter when it comes to deciding the rookie of the year between deserving candidates. 

He’s making history

Finally, nothing says rookie of the year quite like setting rookie records. No wide receiver has ever started their NFL career the way Chase has.

At 1,429 receiving yards, Chase has already broken Jefferson’s record for most receiving yards by a rookie – and he still has another game left on the schedule to add to that number.

His 266 yards against the Chiefs are the most in a single game by a rookie. The performance also set the Bengals franchise record for receiving yards in a game.

Those are the most absurd of a long list of Chase’s accolades this season. 

Jones’ numbers are good – 3,540 passing yards, 21 TD, 12 interceptions – but they aren’t anything we haven’t seen before. The biggest thing he has going for him is a 10-win, playoff-clinching season as a rookie quarterback. But Chase is headed to the postseason, too. 

When you consider Chase’s entire body of work, when he’s having his best games, and how freaking fun it is to watch him do his thing, it’s clear who the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year should be.

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