Ja'Marr Chase barks back at critics after Week 1 performance: 'Enjoy the show'
The hype for Ja’Marr Chase was high following the 2021 NFL Draft. Reunited with his college quarterback in Joe Burrow, many believed he was going to the perfect situation with the Cincinnati Bengals.
However, a roller coaster summer dampened expectations. Throughout training camp and the preseason, Chase was plagued by drops — many began to question if his career at LSU was a fluke.
Alas, Chase put all those concerns to bed by showing out in his first career NFL game last Sunday. In an appearance on Good Morning Football today, Chase was asked what he’d say to the naysaying critics who harped on his preseason struggles.
“I like to tell them, ‘Enjoy the show.’ That’s all I can tell them,” Chase said. “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, the show was can’t miss. To illustrate, Chase hauled in five receptions for 101 yards and a touchdown — an electrifying 50-yard score lighting up highlight reels.
‘It came real easy to us’
Additionally, Chase mentioned that his tremendous debut is only the beginning.
“I’m not gonna say it was easy. But it sure did look like it, you know what I’m saying,” Chase said. “Everything that we practiced, it came real easy to us. But I’ve got to get faster and better on that game speed of course, lining up faster, knowing what I’ve got to do quicker and faster. So that’ll help me to be even more better on the field.”
If Sunday was the pilot for The Ja’Marr Chase Show, it’s evident that the star wide receiver will continue being can’t miss television with the Bengals.
Chase’s record-breaking day
In his debut, Chase became the first Bengals rookie with 100-plus receiving yards in Week 1 all-time. Moreover, the former LSU Tigers wide receiver was the fourth rookie in the last 10 seasons with five-plus receptions, 100-plus receiving yards and 1-plus receiving TD in his NFL debut.
On the day he was drafted, Chase mentioned that he’s trying to break every record that he can.
“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.”
Ja’Marr Chase has big expectations for his NFL career — and he’s off to a roaring start. In Week 2 against the Chicago Bears, we’ll see what he does for an encore.