Getty Images Bengals star receiver Ja’Marr Chase isn't looking for redemption against a Cleveland Browns team that will be resting a majority of its key players.
Ja’Marr Chase isn’t looking for redemption when his Cincinnati Bengals take on the Cleveland Browns on January 7.
Chase is never afraid to talk a little trash, but he knows there’s not much at stake for the Week 18 affair. The Browns have already punched their ticket to the postseason and are expected to rest a chunk of their starters. The Bengals have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Chase took some heat for his comments ahead of the season-opener against the Browns.
“It’s a regular game to me. It don’t feel no different,” Chase said ahead of the Week 1 game. “It’s just the hooping and hollering about the Cleveland Browns. I was about to call them the elves. … I don’t really hear it. If you ask me, I don’t really pay attention to it because Cleveland is Cleveland.”
Cleveland won the game 24-3, grounding Chase and the Bengals’ offense. Chase had just 5 catches for 39 yards. He gets another shot at the Browns to close out the season but knows the result holds less weight.
“Ain’t much redemption. They going somewhere we ain’t going,” Chase said on Thursday, January 4. “I could just beat them, but everybody ain’t playing. So it ain’t really bragging rights.”
The Bengals have had more team success over the last few years, appearing in a Super Bowl and an AFC Championship game. However, the Browns have been a thorn in their side, winning 9 of the last 11 matchups.
Browns Want to Finish Strong Despite Starters Resting
Getty ImagesBrowns head coach Kevin Stefanski said that his team earned the right to rest its starters against the Bengals.
The Browns earned the right to rest their starters for the final week of the season, racking up an 11-5 record. Some of the more notable names who will likely sit out are quarterback Joe Flacco, wide receiver Amari Cooper and superstar pass rusher Myles Garrett.
“We’ve earned this opportunity. We’ve earned the ability to do this, the flexibility to do something like this,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said on Wednesday, January 3, of resting his starters. “We’re going to utilize it, we’re going to take advantage of it. But the guys understand that it’s important that we handle this week this week. We’ll worry about next week next week.”
However, Cleveland is on a four-game win streak and wants to keep the momentum going heading into the postseason.
“We have to finish strong,” Stefanski said. “That’s our mentality; that’s what we’re trying to do.”
Browns to Start Jeff Driskel Against Bengals
Getty ImagesQuarterback Jeff Driskel will start for the Cleveland Browns against the Bengals on Sunday.
The QB star-power won’t be what it was in Week 1 when the Bengals and Browns faced off. Instead of Joe Burrow, Cincinnati will roll out Jake Browning as their starter. Cleveland will start newly signed veteran Jeff Driskel. He’ll be the fifth different starting quarterback this season for the Browns.
Driskel is starting in place of Flacco, who the Browns are choosing to rest. Driskel has watched the Browns from afar but has been impressed by the squad’s resilience.
“You see teams where a key player goes down and it just derails the season. And it’s been the opposite here,” Driskel said on Thursday, January 4. “I think it’s the way that the culture is built here, the way that the roster was built here. It really is a full team, and that’s what it takes to be successful.”
The Bengals are a touchdown favorite against the Browns for the regular season finale.