Where has Ja'Marr Chase gone in the Cincinnati Bengals' offense? It's one of the most pressing questions regarding the Bengals at the moment.
Chase caught the NFL by storm in the month of September. Not only did he take the crown for best offensive performance by a rookie, he was putting up numbers that rivaled some of the league's best wide receivers. Over the course of three weeks in September, Chase recorded 220 yards and four receiving touchdowns. But over the last month, his production has slowed and as the Bengals look to make a playoff push. They'll need Chase back making explosive plays like he was at the start of the season.
The conversation about the league catching up to Chase really started when Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said every year a rookie wide receiver catches the rest of the league by surprise.
Watch:Ja'Marr Chase bobbles likely touchdown pass from Joe Burrow to Chargers' Davis
"It seems like every year there is a young talented wideout that kind of takes the league by storm in September, and that's not downplaying any of the significance of what Chase has done. It just happens every year," Tomlin said.
Tomlin's right. The rest of the NFL has caught up and adjusted to Chase and how the Bengals were utilizing him. Since Week 8, arguably Cincinnati's best win of the season against the Baltimore Ravens on the road, where Chase was virtually unstoppable, the rookie hasn't had the same type of production.
Chase has not recorded a 100-yard receiving game in over a month. His six catches against the Cleveland Browns in Week 9 is the most he's had in three weeks. He's also had two costly drops – one in the end zone against the New York Jets, that could have changed the final outcome of the game. Chase's most recent drop came against the Chargers when quarterback Joe Burrow hit him in stride and he dropped the wide open pass. According to the rookie, he tried to "double catch" the ball, something he said he's never done on that specific play.
A look back:Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase sets NFL rookie record through seven games with 754 receiving yards
So, what does Chase see defenses are doing to him to take him away?
"I’ve been getting a lot of cloud lately," Chase said on Monday. "That makes my route change when I get cloud coverage. Bumping me, trying to make me slow down my route, get me out of the play, take me out back side. I’m pretty sure that’s slowing me down now. I have to make the adjustment to beat double teams."
The NFL is a game of adjustments. Chase has the raw physical talent to be one of the best wide receivers in the game but now that defensive coordinators have made their move to take him away, he needs to counter. Cincinnati's first-round pick has caught 55 passes on 90 targets for 958 yards and eight touchdowns.
'Ja’Marr just keeps being that spark for us':Chase continues his star-turn for Bengals
Chase said during his time at LSU, he moved around the field a lot and that helped him beat double coverage. Easier said than done, though. The Bengals have the luxury of being able to put Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd on the field at the same time as Chase. If head coach Zac Taylor and offensive coordinator Brian Callahan believe Higgins or Boyd has a better chance in winning a matchup somewhere on the field, the play will be designed to exploit the matchups they view as favorable. It's not as simple as just moving Chase wherever he wants to go.
"I think it all works in a cycle," Callahan said. "Guys have big games. Guys have quiet games based on the team we’re playing and how they play and all the things they want to do on defense. But I think the important thing is that when guys are leaned on to make plays, they made them. I thought TB made some really nice plays on third down yesterday. Tee Higgins, two games in a row, has really played well and made some great, explosive plays, contested catches. That’s a good thing. And Ja’Marr has had some quiet games."
The Bengals want to be an offense centered around explosive plays. Chase was drafted to add that component to Cincinnati's offense. And while the most important statistic to coaches and players is wins and losses, Chase's lack of explosive plays recently is certainly noteworthy.
It's also worth bringing up it's not necessarily from a lack of targets. There's been a handful of times when Chase has been open and has dropped the ball. With five games to go and several of them being must-win games for Cincinnati, Chase needs to be more consistent.
A closer look:Inside the mind of Bengals rookie Ja'Marr Chase and his wizardry of breaking down film
And when asked if his recent drops are what frustrates him the most, Chase didn't shy away from stating his opinion.
"Yeah, I guess basically, the ones you want the most," Chase said.
Chase has stated one of his goals is to reach 1,500 yards in his first season in the NFL. In order to get there, he'll need more performances like he had in the first half of the season.
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