In the middle of the second quarter on Sunday, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow faced his first blitz of the game against the Baltimore Ravens. After Burrow picked apart a conservative Ravens defense in the first 20 minutes of the game, Ravens defensive coordinator Don Martindale dialed up a blitz on 3rd and 2 from the Ravens 20-yard line.
The blitz gave Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase a sliver of daylight on an underneath route close to the line of scrimmage. After catching the short pass, Chase sprinted up field 20 yards for a first down.
Against the Ravens, Chase had seven catches for 125 receiving yards. Tee Higgins was the Bengals wide receiver who made the most remarkable catch of the game, and wide receiver Tyler Boyd had the game-high 68-yard reception.
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But the game against the Ravens was notable for Chase because it showed a new element to his game. It showed how dynamic the rookie wide receiver can be after the catch.
“It's fun getting the opportunity to get some (yards after catch) on short yardage and show off your speed a little bit after the catch,” Chase said. “You just get to show off different abilities that you have that you don't always get to show, just mixing it in and having fun out there.”
Chase’s longest catch on Sunday was only 22 yards. For a receiver who has connected with Burrow on several 50-yard touchdowns this year, it wasn’t the same style of production that led to success earlier in the season.
Chase made most of his catches against the Ravens close to the line of scrimmage. Baltimore typically played zone coverage with multiple defenders past the first down line on Sunday. That left several windows for Chase to catch the ball close to the line of scrimmage, and his standout speed led to 125 receiving yards.
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“It's just a product of how they were playing it,” Burrow said. “I think certain times they zone blitzed us in the second half, and when you zone blitz, you leave opportunities underneath for catch and runs. Ja'Marr took advantage of that.”
The Bengals drafted Chase in large part because of his speed, and there are two ways to use a player with that skill set. You can send that wide receiver on deep routes, which the Bengals have done often with Chase. And you can quickly get them the ball for a short reception and room to run.
In the win over the Ravens, Chase showed how easily he can make defenders miss.
“I just know that when I saw Ja’Marr Chase, I saw a guy that can score touchdowns whenever he touches the ball,” Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan said. “Those are the kind of guys you want to have if you can find a way to acquire them. They are rare talents.”
On one play in the third quarter, the Bengals ran an intended screen pass to the right side of the field for running back Joe Mixon. But when Burrow looked to his left, he saw Chase facing soft zone coverage on a short route near the line of scrimmage.
After catching the ball near the line of scrimmage, Chase weaved through three defenders, crossed the first down line and spun the ball to celebrate.
On a play in the fourth quarter, Chase caught a short crossing route, sprinted around four defenders to the left sideline and reached the first down mark. The Bengals used Chase in the slot more than they have in any other game this season. The result was that whenever the Ravens blitzed their slot cornerback, Chase had room to run.
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The Bengals have touted Chase’s ability to get yards after the catch since the draft. Against the Ravens, he showed how that can be another dimension to his game.
“We're pretty explosive right now,” Burrow said. “We just need to maintain this momentum that we have."
COVID UPDATE: The Bengals currently have six players on the COVID-19 list: backup quarterback Brandon Allen, CB Darius Phillips, LB Germaine Pratt, DE Wyatt Ray, DT D.J. Reader and WR Auden Tate.
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said Pratt tested positive on Wednesday, and Pratt's status for Sunday's game is uncertain.
OTHER MOVES: The Bengals cleared offensive guard Xavier Su’a-Filo to return to practice on Wednesday. Su’a-Filo was the Bengals Week 1 starter at right guard, but he has been out since Week 2 with a knee injury.
The Bengals returned wide receiver Mike Thomas to the active roster from the COVID-19 list. Thomas missed last week’s game against the Baltimore Ravens due to his status on the COVID-19 list.
With so much turnover at linebacker, the Bengals signed linebacker Austin Calitro from the practice squad to the active roster. Calitro had been a practice squad call up in each of the Bengals last three games. With an open spot on the practice squad, the Bengals added tight end Scotty Washington.
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