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Ben Baby, ESPN writer
CINCINNATI – At the time, Ja’Marr Chase wanted to leave it a mystery.
When he scored a touchdown in a Week 11 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, the Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver grabbed the towel hanging from the back of his pants, knelt down and wiped the ball like it was a guy’s butt. baby. It was a tribute to a touchdown Steve Smith scored in 2005.
Why, exactly, was not something Chase wanted to reveal. That changed on Wednesday. Chase knew he could accomplish a feat that only Smith and a few others had accomplished in their careers: winning the Triple Crown.
If Chase has even a mildly productive game on Saturday against the Pittsburgh Steelers (8 p.m., ESPN/ABC), he will finish the season as the NFL leader in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. Since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, only four players have led the league in all three categories: Jerry Rice (1990), Sterling Sharpe (1992), Smith (2005) and Cooper Kupp (2021).
The way Chase described the praise felt nonchalant. But he knows that this season he continues his trajectory to one day be remembered as one of the best receivers in the NFL.
“If not now, soon,” Chase said.
Entering Saturday, Chase has a firm grip on the triple crown. He has 117 receptions (leads Amon-Ra St. Brown of the Detroit Lions by 8), 1,612 receiving yards (leads Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings by 133) and receiving touchdowns (leads St. Brown and Terry McLaurin of the Washington Commanders by four).
Chase broke his own record for most receiving yards in franchise history, holds the record for most receptions by a Bengal in a season and needs two receiving touchdowns to surpass Carl Pickens’ mark set in 1995.
Some of this has been a byproduct of how the Bengals (8-8) operate offensively. Coach Zac Taylor has stated his desire to be the best passing team in the NFL and has been committed to that concept for years. This season, the Bengals rank second in passing attempts, and quarterback Joe Burrow, Chase’s longtime teammate, is having a career year. Burrow leads all passers with 4,641 yards and 42 touchdowns. His QBR of 76.7 is second behind the 78.0 of the Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson.
But it’s also a testament to the work Chase has put in to become a more complete player this season. When Cincinnati didn’t re-sign veteran Tyler Boyd, it left a void at receiver.
Chase was eager to fill that void. Every morning he met with assistant Troy Walters, his position coach, to study routes. And it has been worth it.
This season, Chase is the only receiver to have more than 400 receiving yards when lined up in the slot and 1,000 yards when lined up outside, according to ESPN Research.
Chase told ESPN that things started to click for him after his second year in the league in 2022. But this season has produced a significant evolution in his knowledge.
“This is the first year I know for sure,” he said. “The confidence he had was like he already knew.”
It’s been such a fantastic year that it’s easy to forget how it started. Chase sat out training camp due to a dispute over a new contract that never materialized. But even though he didn’t wear cleats, he was still an active participant as he attended almost every practice.
During walkthroughs and practices, Chase stood next to Walters as he called plays. The receiver detected them immediately.
Now, everything becomes second nature.
“Really all (receivers) know where they line up, what route they have, just by the name of the play,” Walters told ESPN. “I’m getting to the point where now I can call out a formation and maybe a certain move, and they know what the play is.”
All of that has led to a huge season. On Thursday, Chase was named to his fourth Pro Bowl in as many seasons. If he is named to the Associated Press All-Pro team, he will be the first Bengal to earn that honor since 2015.
During his midweek press conference, Chase ignored many comments about praise and instead shifted focus to Saturday’s game. The Bengals need to win and they also need to lose to the Denver Broncos (9-7) and the Miami Dolphins (8-8) in order to make the playoffs.
But his teammates know how special it will be to win a triple crown for the Chase. Burrow said he will do everything in his power to help his old friend reach all three marks.
And while Chase may not understand it in real time, those around him have already understood what this rare feat means.
“One day I’ll be able to tell my kids that I played with an MVP quarterback and a Triple Crown winner,” Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins said. “Not many people can do that.”
