Heading into Thursday Night Football, Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase is not only leading the league in Triple Crown categories, but he’s also on track to break the Bengals’ single-season records with 1,632 yards, 113 catches, and 19 touchdowns. This would surpass T.J. Houshmandzadeh’s 2007 mark of 112 catches, Carl Pickens’ 1995 record of 17 touchdown receptions, and Chase’s own 2021 record of 1,455 receiving yards.
With quarterback Joe Burrow poised to throw a club-record 42 touchdown passes, the duo is on track to finish the regular season with 46 career connections, surpassing the 44 touchdowns of Chad Johnson and Carson Palmer, and just one behind Pickens and Jeff Blake. They’re chasing the 51 touchdowns of Isaac Curtis and Ken Anderson, and the record 58 by A.J. Green and Andy Dalton.
“We focus on the players. It’s all about leveraging their strengths and minimizing their weaknesses,” said Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher during the bye week. “When you have players who can change a game at any moment, you need to give them the opportunity to do so. But you can’t overdo it—balance is key. We have other game-changers, and that goes into creating a game plan.”
Chase reached 40 receiving touchdowns in his 56th regular-season game last Sunday night, and now has 41. He’s the eighth-fastest player in NFL history to reach 40 receiving touchdowns, behind legends like Lance Alworth, Jerry Rice, and Randy Moss. After 56 games, he leads the Bengals’ all-time list, surpassing names like Green (34), Pickens (33), and Curtis (32). He’s tied with Eddie Brown for fifth on the team’s all-time list with 41 touchdown catches.
Chase has recently highlighted how the Bengals have used him in various positions, especially in the slot. With 43 slot targets, he’s ranked ninth in the league, just two behind Cooper Kupp, the last receiver to win the Triple Crown. He’s also caught three touchdowns from the slot, one more than last season.
“We’re different this year in terms of player roles,” Pitcher said. “With Boyd in Tennessee, we’ve adapted. We’ve been intentional about moving Chase around, as he’s our top player. We’ve had to be creative to get him the ball in spots where he can make an impact.”
Chase’s flexibility has also allowed Tee Higgins to see more action in the slot. Higgins, PFF’s top-rated slot receiver, caught a 42-yard touchdown from the position last Sunday, bringing his total to three slot touchdowns, tying Chase’s tally. Higgins also recorded his most receiving yards against off-coverage, with 138 yards in the game.
In another standout performance, Burrow thrived in a game against the Chargers that saw a shift in defensive schemes. Despite the Chargers playing man-to-man on a season-high 34.5% of snaps, Burrow threw three second-half touchdowns and amassed 120 yards on eight completions. His deep ball accuracy also shone, with 109 yards and two touchdowns from deep passes.
Burrow is also rewriting the Bengals’ record books, on track to break his own marks for touchdowns, yards, completions, and attempts. He’s on pace to surpass his 2022 record of 35 touchdowns, 4,679 yards, and 414 completions. If he throws one more touchdown against the Steelers on Dec. 1, he will become the third-fastest quarterback in NFL history to reach 125 career touchdown passes, trailing only Patrick Mahomes and Dan Marino.
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