Three weeks into the 2021 NFL season and Cincinnati Bengals receiver Ja’Marr Chase is making himself at home amongst the top wideouts in the league.
The former LSU standout put to bed the training camp and pre-season worries that he was having a hard time catching the football and early drop issues he certainly had in some pre-season games. What has Chase done so far this year?
Chase’s four touchdowns this season are more than any other rookie wide receivers combined. The other rookie receivers have three.
Chase also has 182 receiving yards against single coverage this season, which ranks first in all the NFL. His four touchdowns have also come against single coverage, which is tied for first for all receivers in the NFL.
Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase reached a top speed of 20.35 MPH on his 34-yard TD against the Steelers, per NFL Next Gen. Second-fastest top speed by a Bengals WR on a receiving TD in the last three years. pic.twitter.com/66xEKVSNLK
— Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) September 29, 2021
Three weeks into the season, he and Joe Burrow’s connection has been so great that PFF has graded Chase as the No. 1 offensive rookie in the entire league with a 75.8 grade.
Chase is also the only player in the league with three receiving touchdowns of 30 or more yards and has the highest passer rating when targeted among rookies with 151. Arizona Cardinals receiver Rondale Moore is second with 111.9.
The numbers are impressive, even shocking in some cases, but many who watched the young receiver dominate in Baton Rouge are hardly surprised. Chase simply had picked up where he left off.