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          NFL Nation

          Bengals rookie Ja'Marr Chase's draft night goals become reality in historic season

          • Ben BabyJan 7, 2022, 06:00 AM ET
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              Ben Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the company in July 2019. Prior to ESPN, he worked for various newspapers in Texas, most recently at The Dallas Morning News where he covered college sports. He provides daily coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com, while making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN's NFL shows and ESPN Radio programs. A native of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor's degree in journalism. He is an adjunct journalism professor at Southern Methodist University and a member of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).
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          CINCINNATI -- Ja'Marr Chase tried to tell everybody.

          When the Cincinnati Bengals drafted the former LSU wide receiver with the fifth overall pick last April, Chase said he wanted to break all of the team’s receiving records.

          “That’s my goal,” Chase said on draft night. “I’m telling you right now -- I don’t know how I’m going to do it, but it’s going to get done.”

          With one game left in his first NFL season, Chase is on the verge of one of the best seasons in Bengals history. Chase needs 12 yards on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns (1 p.m. ET on Fox) to break Chad Johnson’s franchise record for the most in a single season.

          And Chase is the last one to be surprised by what he’s done this season.

          “That’s what I wanted to do,” Chase said last Sunday after a historic win against the Kansas City Chiefs. “I came here with that plan. I wrote it down and I came in with that plan. I’m going to stick with it.”

          With 266 receiving yards and three touchdowns in a 34-31 victory over Kansas City that clinched the AFC North, Chase broke the team’s record for most receiving yards in a single game -- a record Johnson set in 2006 against the San Diego Chargers. That game gave Chase 1,429 yards on the season, surpassing the mark former LSU teammate Justin Jefferson set last year for the most by a rookie in the Super Bowl era.

          That outing against Kansas City also gave Chase another slice of team history. He became the first Bengal to have multiple 200-yard games in the same season, according to the team’s record book. Chase had 201 yards on eight catches in the team’s Week 7 victory over Baltimore.

          After that game, teams tried playing more zone coverage to effectively double-team Chase and keep him from getting behind the defense. Kansas City, however, tried defending Chase one-on-one. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow’s advice to those who want to play Chase this way? Good luck.

          “If you’re going to play him one-on-one, a lot of times it’s going to be a long day for you,” Burrow said after the game. “He’s a great player, and he’s going to be a great player for a long time.”

          Chase has scored 13 touchdowns, the most by any NFL rookie since Randy Moss had 17 in 1997. Eight of Chase’s scores have been 40 yards or longer. The next-closest player has four, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

          Cincinnati’s success might be the biggest obstacle to sealing Chase’s historic first season. Bengals coach Zac Taylor said Chase could “potentially” play against the Browns (7-9). With the AFC North title and a playoff bid already secured, Cincinnati (10-6) could rest Chase and others ahead of the team’s first postseason appearance since 2015.

          On Wednesday, Taylor said Chase has earned the right to be a frontrunner to win the Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year award. The third-year coach also praised Chase’s ability to avoid the proverbial rookie wall and power through the 17-game season.

          “As it gets harder, it's taxing on your body and it gets taxing on you mentally,” Taylor said. “It can be exhausting for a lot of guys. He's just maintained his standard throughout. He's been consistent with this process.”

          If Burrow has been known for being a winner at every level of his football career, Chase has been known as a record-setter.

          In his high school career in the greater New Orleans area, Chase set school records at Archbishop Rummel. When Chase left LSU in 2019, he set the SEC record for the most receiving yards in a single season.

          On draft night, Chase put out the goals for his first NFL season -- offensive rookie of the year, 10 touchdowns, 1,500 receiving yards. He has one crossed off and the other two firmly in his sights.

          When the Bengals selected Chase, they wanted someone who could be an immediate playmaker. After some preseason struggles, he lived up to those expectations.

          He’s altered the offense and became a distillation of a meme that is indicative of one of the best -- if not the best — year a Bengals receiver has ever had.

          “F(--k) it,” Burrow said, “Ja’Marr’s down there somewhere.”