Tag: Ja’Marr Chase

Cory Trice Jr’s Week 18 struggles fall on team’s inability to adapt

Cory Trice Jr.’s struggles against Ja’Marr Chase in Week 18 highlight the Steelers’ recent failures to adjust defensively.

Several positional mismatches are to blame for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Week 18 loss, and one of the biggest was CB Cory Trice Jr. versus WR Ja’Marr Chase.

Trice, positioning himself as the future of the Steelers’ secondary—and still very well could be—struggled mightily against Chase. However, the Steelers’ defensive coaching adjustments offered little support.

The young corner was tasked with covering the projected 2024 Triple Crown winner in Chase and immediately gave up a touchdown on the first drive.

The commentary crew echoed what every Steelers fan was thinking: why was there no safety help? Help would remain scarce as Chase continued to tear apart the Steelers’ defense.

Eventually, the Steelers’ coaches switched starting lock-down CB Joey Porter Jr. to Chase’s side, and Black and Gold defensive success followed. however, the damage was already done, as Chase finished the night with 96 receiving yards and a TD on 10 receptions.

Although Trice’s elite play in Week 17 led to disappointment in Week 18, DC Teryl Austin and HC Mike Tomlin must be held accountable for not making a change earlier in the game—or providing Trice additional help over the top.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase get Bengals off to hot start against Steelers

Joe Burrow was 6-for-6 in the Bengals’ first drive

The Cincinnati Bengals were playing to keep their playoff dreams alive. The Pittsburgh Steelers were playing for playoff position in the AFC.

The first move on Saturday went to the Bengals and they drove for a touchdown. Joe Burrow found Ja’Marr Chase for a touchdown and the Bengals were up 7-0.

Yes, Cade York made the PAT.

Burrow was 6-for-6 for 64 yards with three of the completions going to Chase.

New report sheds light on Burrow, Chase and Higgins’ future with Bengals

An NFL insider just dropped a new report about the future of the Bengals.

If it wasn’t obvious already, Cincinnati Bengals stars Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins plan on staying together for the long haul. 

This much has been obvious for a while now, what with Burrow putting public pressure on the front office about it, Higgins leaving his agent, then joining up with the same folks who rep Chase.

A report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport before the season finale in Pittsburgh just drives the point home: “Sources say the three have discussed playing together again for years to come. It’s their goal, and privately they have made no secret about it.”

All that remains?

The Bengals actually making it happen.

While it won’t be simple, the front office easily has the cap space to make it work (not even including a Burrow contract restructure, which could happen), provided those in charge can leave their comfort zones when it comes to guarantees and structure.

Given the state of the roster outside the Big 3, the Bengals don’t exactly have a ton of guys earning big extensions elsewhere right now, as is.

That Big 3 wants to stay together and frankly, there’s little reason to justify the Bengals not making it happen.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1]

NFL insider changes mind on Bengals keeping Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins

The idea of Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins Both getting Bengals extensions keeps getting more popular.

The perception of what will happen with the Cincinnati Bengals and star wideouts Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins has taken a dramatic shift in recent weeks.

It’s not just fans or even players who are interviewed, either.

Take, for example, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. Asked about whether the Bengals can sign both Chase and Higgins, the expert admitted that he’s sensing a shift:

Kent, a month ago, I’d have said this was hard but easy. You don’t want to let either guy go, but there are financial realities that come with running a football team, and the choice between Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins is academic (good as Higgins is, Chase is different).

Now? After how Joe Burrow and his top two receivers have played over the past month, I’m moving to the do-whatever-it-takes-to-keep-both camp. The three are playing too well together not to at least take a swing at what could cost, between the three of them, around $120 million per year. Next year would be a number a little less than 45% of projections for next year’s cap (obviously, those numbers can be massaged).

Breer goes on to compare the situation to when the Indianapolis Colts paid up huge for Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne all at once, although this would be even more expensive for the Bengals.

But it’s not hard to see why the conversation has shifted on this topic. Joe Burrow just sent another message to the front office about it while also potentially slipping up and revealing that it’s in the works.

That, after Higgins left his agent and joined the same reps as Chase.

It all still has to come together in the offseason, in one way or another, but the idea of keeping all three together just keeps gaining steam.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1]

Joe Burrow wants to make sure Ja’Marr Chase gets Triple Crown vs. Steelers

Joe Burrow wants Ja’Marr Chase to have his name in the history books after Week 18.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow isn’t holding back about anything right now, whether it’s what he wants the team to do with Tee Higgins or something else.

One of those topics that recently came up that doesn’t have to do with the Bengals’ plan for Tee Higgins?

His desire for a Ja’Marr Chase Triple Crown.

Burrow told reporters this week that going into the Week 18 season finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers, one of his goals is to make sure Chase accomplishes the historic feat.

“Make sure he gets it,” Burrow said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “I think a couple of [categories] are pretty out of reach for everybody else. I think he’s got a seven- or eight-catch lead. . . . “He works for it. He grinds for it. He’s a once-in-a-lifetime-type player and our careers will forever be tied together from college into the pro landscape. That’s just fun to be a part of.”

It should be doable. Chase has 117 catches for 1,612 yards and 16 touchdowns this season, which puts him eight, 133, and four ahead of the next-closest league leaders in each stat, respectively.

Barring stunning output from somebody else, even a so-so Chase day could keep him in the lead and help him secure the accomplishment.

While the Bengals won’t control their own playoff fate on Saturday night, this is one thing Burrow and Co. can — and likely will.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1]

Alex Highsmith confident Steelers can bounce back heading into Week 18

Steelers ROLB Alex Highsmith sees Week 18 as the perfect chance to bounce back against the Bengals after a rough losing streak.

Morale is at an all-time low for the Pittsburgh Steelers following three consecutive losses during the ’10-day stretch of doom’ that saw the Philadelphia Eagles, Baltimore Ravens, and Kansas City Chiefs soundly defeat the Steel City’s beloved Black and Gold.

However, Steelers ROLB Alex Highsmith isn’t lacking confidence and believes it is just a matter of time before Pittsburgh returns to the winning ways displayed earlier in the season.

The Steelers edge rusher spoke with Teresa Varley of Steelers.com, and argued that Week 18’s matchup—a divisional showdown with the Cincinnati Bengals—is the perfect opportunity to showcase what the Steelers are truly capable of. To make this return to form a reality, Highsmith believes the recipe for success is simple: “We’ve just got to put our heads down and work.”

The Cincinnati Bengals are on the verge of earning a playoff berth and could look to pull out all the stops with their electrifying offense led by QB Joe Burrow and WR Ja’Marr Chase. Fans can tune into the action-packed divisional contest on January 4th at 5:00 PM EST.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Commanders’ fans want Bengals star Tee Higgins after his latest performance

Commanders’ fans want to see Tee Higgins in the burgundy and gold next season.

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins went off in Saturday’s 30-24 win over the Denver Broncos. In a must-win game for Cincinnati’s playoff hopes, Higgins caught 11 passes for 131 yards and three touchdowns, including a dominant drive in overtime to help the Bengals improve to 8-8.

Higgins, of course, is a free agent after the season. Playing on the franchise tag in 2024, the Bengals must also pay fellow wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase this offseason. It’s almost mathematically impossible for Cincinnati to pay Joe Burrow, Chase and Higgins.

With so many teams needing wide receivers this offseason, Higgins will have no shortage of suitors. The Patriots, Panthers and Commanders are among the teams with the cap space, cash, and a need at wide receiver. Washington has Terry McLaurin, who is having a phenomenal season but badly needs a legit difference-maker opposite him for rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels.

Could Higgins be that guy? Would general manager Adam Peters splurge on Higgins? While Higgins will be expensive, he is 6-foot-4, only 25 (26 in January), and highly productive. He could be exactly what Washington needs to take its offense to the next level.

While it’s unclear where Peters stands on Higgins, Commanders’ fans made it clear on X — formerly Twitter — where they stand.

This Eagles fan does not want Higgins in Washington.

 

Bengals go shocking route in new mock draft

The Bengals go away from what fans and players seem to want the team to do in a new mock draft.

The Cincinnati Bengals have been able to win their last three games, and in doing so are pushing themselves lower and lower in the 2025 NFL draft that will be in April. With winning football games and still having a shot at making the playoffs in mind, of course the Bengals don’t mind that, but regardless the pick won’t be as high as it might have been before.

In a recent mock draft done by Vinnie Iyer of The Sporting News, the Bengals used their 13th overall pick to take wide receiver Isaiah Bond out of Texas.

It’s not clear yet what the team plans to do at wide receiver, still trying to work out a deal with Ja’Marr Chase, and possibly even trying to still hold onto Tee Higgins in the offseason. But with both of those deals still in limbo, Iyer sees Cincinnati going after a receiver early in the draft.

The Bengals have done well when it comes to drafting wide receivers in the recent past, Higgins and Chase being the obvious examples, so it is a route that they could end up going, but Bengals fans would certainly prefer to see Chase have a long-term deal with the team, maybe allowing them to go with a defensive player with their first pick in the draft, the side of the ball that has seen the biggest struggles this season.

Joe Burrow would also like to see the Bengals attack a different position in the draft when it comes around. He has been vocal about wanting the team to work out a deal with Higgins so he can keep his two biggest weapons around on the offensive side of the ball.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1]

Will Bengals fumble problem 31 other teams would love to have?

The Bengals can’t possibly mess this up, right? Right?

The Cincinnati Bengals have a top-five quarterback and two No. 1 wideouts who want to stay with the team long-term.

Talk about a problem 31 other teams would love to have at any point in time.

Surely, this is a layup at the rim, right? A chipshot field goal from close range? Joe Burrow wants the Bengals to keep Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins on extensions.

Chase wants to be back. And Higgins does too—that much we can discern from his parting ways with agent David Mulugheta and hiring the same reps as Chase.

The Bengals don’t even have to negotiate with different agencies now.

That doesn’t mean the Bengals will get a discount. This isn’t an extend one, get the other one half-off sort of thing. But Higgins going away from Mulugheta, who would only get him a top-of-market deal outside the Bengals, says it all.

The timing of Burrow putting pressure on the front office and Chase putting pressure on the front office isn’t an accident.

On paper, there’s no issue here. The Bengals are projected to have nearly $60 million in free cap space next offseason before any tough cuts conversations like Sheldon Rankins and Sam Hubbard, among others. And oftentimes, extensions can actually lower cap hits.

It’s not like other non-Trey Hendrickson names have earned big extensions because the team has drafted and coached so poorly. It’s not like Jessie Bates stayed (as he should have) and ate a big chunk of cap. There’s…not really anybody else left to pay, anyway.

Again, on paper, pay the Big 3, get at least a new defensive coaching staff in the building, draft well, add a few free agents to the mix, and field a league-average defense. That Big 3 should do the rest.

Of course, the Bengals will still have to leave their comfort zone when it comes to contract structure and guarantees while giving out fair market price to top stars.

But a (99 percent likely) playoff miss during a Burrow MVP year—just before lease negotiations get serious—should have a way of encouraging the front office to do whatever it takes.

The players involved have apparently already met the Bengals halfway on this. Now, it’s up to the team to do the rest. And if not…

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1]

Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins contract sagas with Bengals just took a turn

What the Bengals stars want couldn’t be more obvious.

At this point, the writing on the wall for the Cincinnati Bengals is pretty hard to miss.

The ball’s in the team’s court when it comes to keeping Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.

Joe Burrow wants it. And so, too, do Chase and Higgins, clearly.

Higgins just parted ways with agent David Mulugheta. And now, just a day later, Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer reported that Higgins’ new reps is Rocky Arceneaux of Alliance Sports Management.

Caitlin Aoki and Arceneaux rep Chase.

It doesn’t get much more obvious than this. Out goes Mulugheta, an agent the Bengals have a terrible history with, most recently through Jessie Bates. In are heavyweight reps the team has worked with in the past and will when it comes to Chase already next offseason.

The situation won’t do the Bengals any favors financially, not after the team gave itself a self-inflicted wound by not extending Chase last summer. But it should make the logistics a little easier — and both guys clearly want what the franchise quarterback wants.

All the Bengals have to do is provide the cash, with the proper structure, and all is well. What the players want — and what fans want — couldn’t be clearer.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1]