During the Bengals' 28-3 blowout to the Broncos on Monday night, wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase was seen approaching head coach Zac Taylor on the sideline in the third quarter. The two had an animated conversation, in which Chase appeared frustrated as the offense struggled to do much of anything, and Chase was held to just five receptions for 23 yards.
The Burrow-less Bengals are gonna be a brutal watch this year pic.twitter.com/4rJhM1nAmI
— Bussin' With The Boys (@BussinWTB) September 30, 2025
Chase simply said of the exchange after the game, "We were just talking about the possession, talking about what plays we can run. How can we attack certain coverages and get our playmakers the ball."
On Thursday, Chase was asked about his conversation with Taylor again, and he explained that his coach allows him to vent to him.
"That's normal I feel like for me and Zac," Chase told reporters. "That's not my first time doing. Zac lets me walk up to him and talk to him, he wants me to do that. Sometimes my emotions pick up, I might look like I'm yelling, but I'm definitely just talking to him sometimes. That's normal."
"We can't get the ball to ourselves. If a receiver wants the ball, that's good."
— Jeremy Rauch (@FOX19Jeremy) October 2, 2025
Wanted to ask Ja'Marr Chase more about the context of his sideline conversation with Zac Taylor and if he was just asking for the ball more. #Bengals @FOX19 pic.twitter.com/jKN7cazWFR
The fifth-year receiver felt that part of the conversation is about wanting the ball, but he doesn't view that as a bad thing. "We receivers, we can't get the ball to ourselves. That's the hardest part about our job. If a receiver wants the ball, that's good. If he doesn't want the ball, then that's not so good." Chase said.
Taylor seemed to largely agree with the sentiments from Chase after the game. "Ja'Marr Chase, coming off a game like this, is one of my favorite players to deal with quite frankly, because he's just competitive. He wants to win, and it comes across as emotional, but that's just a captain that works his tail off," Taylor said Monday. "All he wants to do is win the game. All he wants to do is affect the game, and oftentimes he feels like, 'If I have the ball in my hand, I can do that.' And I don't disagree with him."
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Ja'Marr Chase Clarifies Sideline Conversation With Zac Taylor in Bengals' Loss.
