Things could not have gone much better for the Cincinnati Bengals in their season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Their new-look defense seemed much improved, causing turnovers and helping Cincinnati get out to an early lead. Their disappointing linebacker corps in 2025 performed admirably in the Week 1 game.
However, if there was one disappointment, it was the lack of production out of superstar wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase. Chase finished the game with two receptions and 12 total yards on four targets. Chase, who suffered a knee injury late in training camp, shared an honest message on his status before the team’s second game of the season.
Cincinnati Bengals Wide Receiver Ja’Marr Chase Shares Update on His Knee
Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer posted on X: “Ja’Marr Chase says his knee feels great”
Regarding Chase’s update, the Rotowire staff wrote: “Chase sustained a knee injury in practice Aug. 25 but hasn’t seemed bothered by it recently, as he suited up for the Week 1 win over the Buccaneers and has been practicing without limitations ahead of Sunday’s road matchup with Houston. The star wide receiver had a disappointing 12 receiving yards against the Buccaneers, but starting slow has become the norm for Chase, who had 39, 62 and 26 receiving yards in the preceding three season openers. He bounced back from his 26-yard Week 1 showing in 2025 with 165 yards and a touchdown in Week 2.”
Chase has not appeared on the team’s injury report this week, which means he’s been a full participant in practice and has not received any treatment on his knee injury by the team’s medical staff.
Despite his lack of production in Week 1, it appears that his play was not impacted after his knee injury.
Ja’Marr Chase’s Lack of Production
– Zac Taylor on Ja’Marr Chase
#WhoDeyRegarding Chase having only four targets during the team’s season opener, offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher said, “We didn’t throw him the ball enough. Pretty simple. We got to throw him the ball more. He’s the best receiver in the world. So that’s first and foremost my job.” And Ja’Marr’s reaction? “Great. Yeah, Ja’Marr’s great. He’s one of the first people I talked to in the locker room. Listen, with elite competitors, there’s part of him, I’m sure, that walk out of the stadium on Sunday, happy as hell for our team that we won because he’s a captain and he’s a good teammate and he wants us to go great places and win and that’s the number one thing he wants. But all great competitors want to perform and perform well, and contribute, and there’s no receiver in the world that’s done that more over the last couple of years. So I’m sure it probably ate at him a little bit, but he didn’t show that, and it eats at me a little bit. So we’ll have to correct that.”
Head coach Zac Taylor seemed to agree that he needs to get Chase more involved, as he said, “You can’t have an excuse for why, as the playcaller, I don’t get him more touches.”
Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase Shares Honest Message on Week 2 Status