The presumptive Offensive Rookie of the Year padded his résumé Saturday in dominant fashion.
Ja'Marr Chase was Joe Burrow's go-to guy from the get-go in the Cincinnati Bengals' drought-destroying 26-19 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Super Wild Card Weekend. The rookie hauled in nine catches on 12 targets for 116 yards, all team-highs, in the victory.
In doing so, Chase broke the franchise record for most receiving yards in a playoff game (Cris Collinsworth, 107, Super Bowl XVI) and logged the third-highest receiving yards total by a rookie in the Wild Card Round behind DK Metcalf (160) and Jeremy Maclin (146). Chase also passed Bill Groman and Randy Moss for most receiving yards (1,571) by a rookie in a season (including playoffs).
It was par for the course for the record-setting rookie.
"I'm like that every game, no matter who is across from me," Chase said after the game, per the team transcript. "I have that dog mentality. It's either be stopped or not be stopped.
Cincinnati set the tone early when, on its first offensive drive, Burrow targeted Chase on his first four attempts, completing three passes for 37 yards, each completion resulting in a first down.
"It's always part of the game plan to target Ja'Marr Chase," coach Zac Taylor said. "It was never forced. There was not one ball that was forced there -- there's always options. He just made the most of his opportunities."
On Saturday afternoon, those opportunities included earning rare carries out of the backfield. Chase saw three rushes for 23 yards against Las Vegas, two resulting in first downs, as Cincinnati leaned on the sweep game. He became just the third rookie since 1950 with at least 100 receiving yards and 20 rushing yards in a playoff game in the process.
"I haven't played running back in a long time," Chase said after the game. "They gave me those tosses. I got hit by linebackers, and I know what those feel like again. I'm built like a running back. They only do those plays for receivers who are built like running backs."
Chase looked built like a bona fide star against the Raiders, effortlessly corralling Burrow's back-shoulder throws and creating separation from veteran defensive backs, like Desmond Trufant.
"Leaving me one-on-one is the wrong thing for a team to do," Chase told Network's Aditi Kinkhabwala.
Who the next team is to leave Chase single-covered is still to be determined; the Bengals will play the Titans if Kansas City wins Sunday night, but the Bills if Pittsburgh somehow pulls off an upset. Which ever club is up next for Cincinnati, Chase and Co. won't be relishing in having broken the franchise's 31-year playoff drought or the rookie's historic pass-catching campaign.
"We ain't accomplished nothing yet," Chase told Kinkhabwala. "We just got the first win. We've got more to go."
