Ja'Marr Chase offers surprising answer for toughest DB he's faced

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase offered his thoughts on the toughest defensive back he’s ever faced this week ahead of a primetime matchup against the Buffalo Bills. Having played against the best of the best in college and in the NFL, Chase has quite a roster of opponents to consider but his answer may surprise you.

The Bengals wideout shared with former Patriots legend Devin McCourty that the award would go to Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Carlton Davis. Davis, a former second-round pick out of Auburn, is in his sixth year in the league, having played all six seasons in Tampa.

“For me, I’d say Carlton Davis,” Chase said. “He’s longer than I expected, longer arms, and he just, he ain’t got no knee bend, he just hunches over and plays defense. I think I’ve played him twice, too, so, he made some good plays so I ain’t never going to forget that one.”

The SEC alums battled it out in December last season with Chase managing to haul in seven catches on 13 targets for 60 yards and a touchdown.

Davis, who’s played in five games this season, has 21 tackles so far. In 2022, he had 65 tackles in 13 games played with a forced fumble and an interception. He also has seven career interceptions and 13.5 tackles for loss.

Chase, Bengals begin to right ship

Meanwhile, Chase’s luck this season has significantly turned around. He’s posted performances with 192 yards, 80 yards and 100 yards over the last three games. On the year, he’s up to 656 receiving yards with four touchdowns.

After falling to 1-3 with a loss against the Titans, Chase went viral for his response to reporters’ questions about his usage. Asked whether he feels he has sufficient time to run his routes and get open, he was adamant that he is “always f***ing open.”

“I’m open,” Chase said. “I’m always f***ing open. Excuse my profanity, I’m sorry.”

The Bengals are on a three-game win streak with wins against the Cardinals, Seahawks and 49ers. The game against the 5-3 Bills is at 8:15 p.m. ET on Sunday. It should be a pretty good game amid a stacked Week 9 slate. The Bills defense is currently holding opponents to a league third-best 17 points per game.