Ja’Marr Chase takes a break from bashing Bengals’ defense by highlighting lack of killer instinct in the offense

Ja'Marr Chase blamed the Bengals' defense for losses and the offense's inability to finish, despite leading the league in their categories.

Ja’Marr Chase takes a break from bashing Bengals’ defense by highlighting lack of killer instinct in the offense

Ja'Marr Chase (Image via IMAGO/X)

Ja’Marr Chase leads the league in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns, and quarterback Joe Burrow has the most passing yards and the best touchdown-to-interception ratio. However, the Cincinnati Bengals are still 4-8 and one loss away from missing out on the playoffs in consecutive years.

In their week 13 loss to the Steelers, the Bengals scored 38 points at home but gave up 41 to lose the game. The Bengals’ defense conceded a total of 520 total yards and 11 penalties.

YouTube video

Bro we are not finishing. We had the opportunities to close the games up.

Ja’Marr Chase said on Friday

Zac Taylor’s Bengals defense ranks among the worst in the league this year. They allow an average of 241+ passing yards per game and are third from the bottom in scoring defense and red zone defense.

However, Chase took the blame on himself and the offense for not taking advantage of the game.

You can pull the clips of every game we lost by three points or six points or seven points. It came down to the final three minutes on one play on the offensive side. I ain’t never gonna down my defense cause, the defense gonna be the defense always, and that’s not my job to worry about what they got going on.

Ja’Marr Chase added

Not so long ago, Chase was unhappy with the defense and even threw them under the bus. He implied that the defense was not doing their job properly and also criticized the coaching staff.

Ja’Marr Chase’s future with the Bengals remains under contention

It’s debatable that no matter how the season ends, it will factor little into Chase’s future in Cincinnati. The 24-year-old’s contract with the Bengals is up after the 2024 season, and judging by the current trajectory, it appears the campaign might conclude earlier than anticipated.

Ja'Marr Chase takes a break from bashing Bengals defense by highlighting lack of killer instinct in the offense
Ja’Marr Chase (Image via IMAGO)

The Bengals stalled Chase’s contract, and his latest comments added more fuel to the exit rumors.

What’s pushing me most this year with the (team) record is just making memories with the guys I have around me. Who knows what will happen in the next year?

Ja’Marr Chase said via Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic

Chase saw his peers, Justin Jefferson, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and CeeDee Lamb, bagging big money deals before the season began. He wanted similar numbers, but the Bengals did not budge from their stubborn stand, which egged Chase to hold out from any kind of offseason activities.

The former fifth-overall pick currently earns around $4.9 million a year. Sports Illustrated projects Chase to earn around $30 million annually for the next four years.

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