Ja’Marr Chase left the Santiago Bernabéu on Sunday with a souvenir. At his news conference after the Cincinnati Bengals beat the Atlanta Falcons 34-17 in Madrid, he held up an orange No. 1 jersey signed by Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. “It’s from the best soccer goalie in the world,” Chase said. Chase said Courtois had come to a Bengals practice during the week and asked for one of his jerseys, so Chase made sure the Real Madrid keeper got one in return.
Chase earned the attention. He caught 10 of his 12 targets for 155 yards and a 47-yard touchdown, and 142 of those yards came before halftime. That is the most receiving yards Chase has ever had in a first half. His previous best was 112, also against Atlanta, in 2022. The touchdown was his seventh of the season, the most in the AFC.
“He’s up for it every year”
Chase was asked about Joe Burrow, who threw for 271 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another. At first he said it was a hard question for him to answer, because he has played with Burrow for so long. Then he answered it anyway. “I’ve been thinking he should’ve won an MVP,” Chase said. “I said this when we went to the Super Bowl that year and he didn’t get it that year. So I mean, he’s up for it every year.” The Bengals reached the Super Bowl after the 2021 season, Chase’s rookie year.
Burrow completed 24 of 29 passes with no interceptions, a 140.1 rating. Cincinnati is 6-2 and has won four in a row, and it has scored at least 30 points in all four. That ties a franchise record last set in 1997. It was also the first win the Bengals have ever had outside the United States.
Burrow said it was not hard to find Chase. “We’ve just played together for so long now. We’re coming on 10 years playing together,” he said. “So when you do that, you just develop that connection mentally, that nothing needs to be said.” The two were teammates at LSU before the Bengals drafted Chase in 2021. Burrow has now thrown 55 of his 180 career touchdown passes to Chase. Since 2021, no other quarterback and receiver have connected for more touchdowns.
The 47-yard touchdown and A.J. Terrell
Atlanta scored on its opening drive. The Bengals tied it on a five-play drive that ended when Burrow hit Chase deep on third-and-2. Burrow called it “a great play design” and said Cincinnati knew the Falcons’ safeties “like to play a little shallow,” so “you want to take a shot over the top in that position.” Chase was matched against cornerback A.J. Terrell, who also covered him when LSU beat Clemson in the national championship game in January 2020. “We knew AJ was going to press, the safety is going to be pretty low,” Chase said.
Chase had a simple explanation for his first half. “Actually today was the first day that I listened to soothing music the whole time,” he said. “I never did that. So I think that happened. That’s why.” He also said the trip was a chance to play for new fans. “Honestly, I think it’s just a blessing, a good opportunity to be a part of this whole situation,” he said, “coming out here and play in front of these fans that don’t normally get to see us football players play outside the country.”
The matador and the “bull thing”
Chase and Tee Higgins celebrated a touchdown with a matador routine. Chase said a friend suggested it and told him the crowd would love it. Higgins said it came together late. “I was asking Joe, should we do like a Vinnie celebration,” he said. “Joe did it. And Ja’Marr’s like, nah, let’s do the bull thing. I was like, all right, bet.”
Higgins had five catches for 32 yards and touchdowns of 4 and 8 yards. The first was the 50th touchdown catch of his career. He gave a touchdown ball to a young fan. “I saw the kid running up and I was like, you know what, it’s for him,” Higgins said.
Burrow: “I loved putting on a show”
Burrow had never played a game outside the United States before Sunday. “I feel great,” he said. “I loved playing in the stadium. It was a great atmosphere. I loved putting on a show for the people of Spain, and I was happy to be here.” Asked whether it was a statement win, he said: “Statement win, I don’t know. Every win is a statement win. I’m happy to get it done. Obviously the plane ride back is going to be a lot more fun having played the way we did today, and just got to keep getting better.”
He said the Bengals still have room to improve after scoring on their first four drives. “Well, we didn’t score on every single possession,” he said. “So always room to improve, and it’s never going to be perfect.” He was also asked about his favorite Pokémon. “My favorite Pokémon right now, probably Snorlax,” he said.
Burrow has said for a long time that he wants to help grow the game abroad, and he said so again on Sunday. “Having teams out in Europe at some point is a goal of the NFL,” he said, adding that playing “some small part in that” would “mean a lot to me.” He thinks flag football is the way in for new players. “I think there’s less barrier to entry with flag football, and once that happens you start to see more and more people play the game,” he said. “There’s a lot of rules, so you got to study a little bit and understand it, but I think we’ll get there.”
“Be a legend”
Defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence said he gives Burrow the same message before every game. “I always whisper in his ear and tell him be legendary, be a legend,” Lawrence said. “That’s who you are, and you don’t have to go outside yourself. Just be you, and that’s what he does.”
Zac Taylor praised both of them. Of Chase, he said, “At any moment, you’ve got to be ready for him to transition what’s a five-yard completion into a 40-yard gain. And that’s just Ja’Marr Chase, best in the world.” Linebacker Barrett Carter finished with 10 tackles and intercepted Michael Penix Jr. in the fourth quarter. Next for the Bengals is a home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night, November 15, at 8:20 p.m. ET, which is 3:20 a.m. Monday in Cairo.
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