The Cincinnati Bengals are in the midst of a three-season playoff drought despite having one of the most lethal offensive attacks in the league behind star quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receivers Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase.
While Burrow’s absence due to injury has been a large problem for the Bengals, Cincinnati’s defense has also finished as one of the worst units in the league for the past three seasons.
It’s something that isn’t lost on Chase, who doesn’t believe the franchise’s issues have been particularly hard to diagnose.
“Yeah. I mean, everybody pretty much knows what we need,” Chase said to Russell Heltman of Sports Illustrated. “I’ve said it out in the media. All I gotta do is sit back and watch. I can’t control that, so all I gotta do is control my production.
“I mean, at the end of the day, I’m just stating my opinion on what I think we need. So, you know, I sit back, let the organization do what they do, and I just gotta let my play do the rest.”
For his part, Chase is focused on committing himself to being the best teammate he can be, rain or shine.
“It’s really just a commitment thing, man, at the end of the day. Just gotta commit to yourself playing your part at the end of the day and being there for your teammates. And that was the biggest thing going through these last two years for me.”
It’ll be interesting to see how Chase and the Bengals respond next season.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.