Frustrations are mounting in Cincinnati after the Bengals dropped yet another one-score game to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday Night Football. With the 34-27 loss to the Chargers, the Bengals fell to 4-7 on the season, and 1-6 in one-score games.
It's a tough pill to swallow, especially for a guy like Ja'Marr Chase, who has been having a stellar, MVP-caliber season individually, despite Cincinnati's struggles as a team. Over the past two games, Chase tallied 339 yards and five touchdowns, but the Bengals lost both games.
The star wide receiver is clearly not happy with the way the season is unfolding for Cincinnati, and after the loss to Los Angeles, he seemingly called out head coach Zac Taylor and the rest of the coaching staff for the team's inability to close out games.
Ja'Marr Chase points the finger at Zac Taylor for Cincinnati's inability to close out games
When asked what the Bengals need to do in order to start pulling out wins in close games as opposed to letting them slip away, he provided a quote that is sure to generate headlines.
"I don't know," he said. "Ask Zac. Ask the coaches. Don't ask me. That's not my job. ... I play football on the field, I don't call plays for us."
Ja’Marr Chase is also frustrated with team’s inability to finish games. How? “Ask Zac. Ask the coaches. Don’t ask me. I play football on the field. I don’t call plays for us.” pic.twitter.com/GOzY5EjOhS
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) November 18, 2024
Yikes. That's about as close as you can get to calling out a coach directly, and it's fair to wonder how Chase's words will be received by Taylor and the rest of the coaching staff. Even if that is how he feels, sometimes it's better not to say stuff like that publicly.
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But, in fairness to Chase, it's also nothing that Bengals fans haven't been saying on social media all season long. The Bengals consistently start slow under Taylor, and while they've been able to overcome it in the past, that just hasn't been the case this season. And it's unfortunate because the Bengals are wasting elite seasons from both Burrow and Chase in the process.
Chase is leading all receivers in receptions, yards and touchdowns, while Burrow is leading all quarterbacks in passing yards and touchdown tosses. They currently form the best quarterback-receiver due in football, but their collective greatness hasn't been enough to elevate the Bengals beyond mediocrity. That's an indictment on the rest of the roster, and the coaches.
So, it's tough to blame Chase for feeling frustrated, and he's not alone in the feeling, as Burrow also referred to the current campaign as the most frustrating of his career.
It's usually not a good sign when your two best players are publicly expressing their unhappiness, but that's where the Bengals are after yet another disappointing loss in what's shaping up to be a wasted season for the franchise.