Joe Burrow: Ja'Marr Chase was always going to show up on Sundays

The electric Joe Burrow to Ja’Marr Chase connection has carried over from LSU to the Cincinnati Bengals. During each the Bengals’ first three games of the 2021 season, Chase caught a touchdown pass. Chase had another productive day in Thursday night’s victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. In the win, Chase caught six passes for 77 yards.

Although Chase saw some struggles during training camp and the preseason, he has gotten off to a hot start in his rookie season. Burrow always knew that his favorite receiver in college would produce at the NFL level.

“I didn’t really have to say anything, I knew the kind of player and person Ja’Marr was,” Burrow said of Chase Thursday night on NFL Network. “When I’m in there getting my prework in the weight room every day, he’s catching tennis balls of the wall from coach Troy. I knew on Sundays he was going to show up and play. People kept asking me, ‘Are things wrong with Ja’Marr, yadda, yadda, yada.’ I told them just wait until Sundays.”

Chase, Burrow are looking to replicate their 2019 success at LSU

When LSU went on an undefeated, national championship winning run in 2019, the Burrow to Chase connection was the best in college football. Burrow won the Heisman Trophy after throwing for 5,671 yards and 60 touchdowns. Chase caught 84 passes for 1,780 yards and 20 touchdowns. The Bengals selected Burrow first overall in the 2020 NFL Draft and Chase fifth overall in 2021.

After questions followed Chase entering the season about his issues with drops, Chase has certainly proved all of his critics wrong early in the regular season. On the season, Chase has caught 17 passes on 25 targets for 297 yards and four touchdowns. He leads the Bengals in receiving yards and touchdowns and is second on the team in receptions.

“I like to tell them, ‘Enjoy the show.’ That’s all I can tell them,” Chase said of critics after Week 1. “A lot of news coming. I’ve been hearing this since I was young, you know what I’m saying? But I’m not worried about it. This is my job right here, and my job is to catch the football and make plays. So I’ma let them sit back and enjoy the show.”

In Week 1, Chase was the first Bengals rookie to ever have at least 100 receiving yards in a Week 1. He is the fourth rookie in the last ten years with five-plus receptions, 100-plus receiving yards, and one-plus receiving touchdowns in his NFL debut. For Chase, he is just getting started.

“Well, I’m trying to break every record that I can,” Chase stated. “I’m pretty sure I can’t break every record, but every record that’s meant to be broken. So I’ma make my way and somehow break a record here. Break as many as I can, as many as possible.”