Cincinnati Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase did not stutter about the Pittsburgh Steelers showdown on Sunday in a pivotal battle.
The Cincinnati Bengals are doing whatever it takes to find a way to get into the playoff hunt. Going into Week 10, the Bengals are 3-6 and just two games behind the Pittsburgh Steelers for the top spot in the AFC North, believe it or not. The Bengals have been without quarterback Joe Burrow, and the hope is that he can return at some point sooner rather than later.
Still, wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase is excited for the game against the AFC North rivals, although he didn’t hesitate to call it a “must-win” for the team, via Ben Baby of The Athletic.
“Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase says Sunday’s game against the Steelers is a “must-win” if Cincinnati wants to win the AFC North.”
These two teams met on October 16 and the Bengals won, 33-31. It was Joe Flacco’s second game as the Bengals’ starting quarterback, and Chase exploded with 16 catches for 161 yards and a touchdown on 23 targets.
This time, the Bengals are coming out of a bye, but they have lost two straight games and six of their last seven, with the only win coming against Pittsburgh. The schedule is brutal for Cincinnati going forward. Here is what it looks like for the next four weeks after the Steelers game.
They end the year with games against the Miami Dolphins, Arizona Cardinals and Cleveland Browns, but it might be too late at that point of they can’t string together some wins.
After another offensive meltdown, Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young’s calm demeanor was gone. He was found out by the New Orleans Saints, who knew he didn’t have the tools to beat them without a strong rushing attack.
They were right, and the criticism has come in spades for Young over recent days.
Rookie first-round wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan said Young addressed the team after the game, and the message wasn’t sugarcoated.
“He addressed the team,” McMillan said. “I feel like he was probably one of those guys that came out of the game with the most fire in his eyes. He was disappointed himself in the way he played and the way the team played, and he addressed that and he let the team know how he felt, and, you know, it’s just contagious.”
That’s not the typical version of Young that his teammates usually see. The No. 1 overall pick in 2023 has prided himself on composure. But this time, he couldn’t hide the frustration of another stagnant showing: just 124 passing yards, one completion longer than 15 yards, and a passing attack that never threatened New Orleans’ defense.
Head coach Dave Canales didn’t point the finger at Young, calling the lack of explosive plays a collective problem. The Saints sold out to stop Rico Dowdle and the run game, stacking defenders at the line of scrimmage, daring the Panthers to throw over the top, and Carolina couldn’t do it.
“In general, I think it’s a group effort,” Canales said. “Calling more of them, yes, let’s get some more opportunities. We would love to have those explosive plays come alive. But we have to keep working together. We’ve got to make the most of those opportunities when we have them, so that we are a balanced offense.”
The Panthers finished with just 4.4 yards per pass attempt, continuing a season-long struggle to generate big plays. Through nine games, Young is averaging 5.6 yards per attempt, down a full yard from the second half of last year.
For McMillan, seeing Young show emotion wasn’t a concern; it was a rallying point. And with Canales’ group reevaluating everything — even down to whether their Victory Monday last week was a mistake —Carolina’s leaders seem to be embracing a tougher tone.
It’s easy to dismiss postgame emotion after a loss. But for a young quarterback still carving out his identity, this frustration looked like that of someone passionate and ready to take the next step.
Young’s teammates saw a leader demanding more from himself and everyone else. Whether that fire turns into progress or more smoke will depend on how Carolina responds this weekend against the Atlanta Falcons on the road.
For now, McMillan’s words say it best: the fire was there, and it was contagious.