Did Ja'Marr Chase take a subtle shot at Zac Taylor after Week 1 loss to Patriots?

With their 16-10 loss to the New England Patriots in Week 1, the Cincinnati Bengals started the season 0-1 for the third consecutive year, and fifth time in six seasons under head coach Zac Taylor. Slow starts have been a problem during Taylor's time with the team, and the trend won't stop this year.

Ja'Marr Chase seems to question Zac Taylor after loss to New England

Fans are understandably frustrated, and the players are too. While speaking with media members after the loss to New England, star wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase seemingly pointed in Taylor's direction when discussing Cincinnati's recent annual tradition of starting slowly.

"I feel like we always start like that, especially the first game of the year," Chase said. "I feel like we should be better about that by now."

[Insert eyeballs emoji here].

Seriously though, this is an eyebrow-raising quote from Chase, who had six catches for 62 yards against the Patriots. It's possible that he didn't mean anything by it, and maybe he spoke out of frustration after a disappointing loss.

But... it certainly seems like he's throwing some shade at the coaching staff for failing to have the team properly prepared for the start of the season. A team as talented as Cincinnati shouldn't struggle out of the gate every year. That's how Chase seems to feel, at least.

Chase also didn't seem especially happy about the fact that he had just six total targets in the game. "Just wish we had more of an opportunity to make plays," he said. Chase instructed media members to ask coach Taylor about his lack of targets.

"I don't know," he said. "You got to ask Zac on that. I don't know."

Again, these are postgame quotes made in the heat of the moment after a loss from a receiver who is already unhappy with the franchise because of contract drama, so they need to be taken with a grain of salt. Still though, the optics aren't great. The team looked disconnected and discombobulated out on the field, and it seems like that vibe might have carried over into the locker room.

Perhaps that perceived disconnect can be attributed to opening day rust. Cincinnati's starters barely played in the preseason, after all. But, the Bengals have to clean things up quickly. They head to Kansas City to take on the defending-champion Chiefs in Week 2, and they don't want to fall into an 0-2 hole to start the season.