Ja'Marr Chase Outburst: Zac Taylor, Joe Burrow Respond After Bengals Win
· Yahoo Sports
The Cincinnati Bengals are 5-2 and in second place in the AFC North behind the 6-2 Pittsburgh Steelers. They picked up a 43-36 overtime win against the Tennessee Titans in an up-and-down game in which Joe Burrow committed four turnovers and the defense allowed 440 total yards to the now 1-7 Titans.
The fan base and some within the Bengals organization are reacting almost as if Cincinnati lost, when the vibes around the team should be much higher.
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It was an ugly, unorthodox game, and the defense has taken a lot of flak, but bouncing back from four turnovers and locking in to get stops is very difficult. The Bengals fell behind 13-0 after the first quarter, then gave up just eight points through the second and third quarters.
The defense allowed Cam Ward to throw for 304 yards, the most in a single game of his career by 39 yards. His previous high was a 21-of-39, 265-yard game in a win over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 5.
However, the story of the game happened on the sideline and in the postgame locker room. Wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase made his displeasure known on the sideline with an emotional outburst directed at his teammates and even head coach Zac Taylor. But Taylor and Burrow took it well, seeing the fire and emotion Chase plays with as a positive.
Taylor said after the game that emotion is a part of the game, especially in tight contests like the one they played Sunday. He’s OK with his players being mad at him and said they will take the necessary steps to work through it.
Burrow said an outburst like that reminds him to get the ball to Chase, which is always a good idea. Chase was asked after the game about the slow starts the Bengals have gotten off to in recent games. They have combined for 14 points in the first half of their last two games, all 14 coming in the second quarter against the Titans on Sunday.
His response? “Ask Zac.” It's not exactly the stock answer a Bengals public relations staffer would want to hear, but it's also not out of the norm for Chase, who doesn’t shy away from speaking his mind.
Chase had his best game of the season against the Titans, topping 100 yards for the first time this season with 11 catches for 141 yards and a touchdown. Wide receiver Tee Higgins continued his All-Pro-level season with 10 catches for 155 yards and two touchdowns.