Ja'Marr Chase put on a show against the Falcons in Cincinnati this weekend and surpassed a career milestone that puts him among the great young receivers. The Bengals had a clear game plan against the handicapped Atlanta Falcons on Sunday and that was to get Chase the ball early and often.
Chase appeared bothered by a hamstring injury just before the half but he battled through it and put together an outstanding performance. The superstar second-year receiver finished the day with 130 yards on eight catches and two touchdowns. He also surpassed the 2,000-yard mark for his career and he's one of the youngest players to achieve that feat.
Chase managed to rack up 2,000 yards in just 24 games. That is ironically the exact same timeline that his former LSU teammate, Justin Jefferson, reached this milestone. The two LSU alumni are now tied for the quickest receivers to reach the 2,000-yard mark behind another LSU standout, Odell Beckham Jr. It only took Beckham 21 games to surpass this mark back in 2015.
Fewest games to reach 2,000 career rec yards (since 1970)
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) October 23, 2022
Odell Beckham Jr 21
Ja’Marr Chase 24
Justin Jefferson 24 pic.twitter.com/UTWrd4EpYc
Chase and Jefferson have been compared to one another since their early college days. Both receivers were first-round picks in the NFL and top ten in all-time receiving yards for LSU. They are now tearing up secondaries at the next level and leading their teams to winning records. Ja'Marr is just 22 years old but has clearly established his place as a top receiver in the league and in the record books.
The Bengals are now tied for first in the AFC North with the Ravens. They have played phenomenally the last two weeks and will face their in-state rival next week. If Chase and the offense continue to operate at this level, expect to see a lot of wins in the last 10 games of the season.