Ja’Marr Chase proves preseason is overrated

By Luke Easterling

With every preseason drop, some started to wonder if the Cincinnati Bengals had made a huge mistake spending the No. 5 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft on LSU wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase.

In his regular-season debut, Chase made those concerns look ridiculous.

In Sunday’s overtime win over the Minnesota Vikings, Chase looked like the same guy who dominated the SEC as a sophomore, hauling in five passes for 101 yards and a touchdown. Reunited with the same quarterback that helped him light up the stat sheet and the scoreboard for the Bayou Bengals in 2019, Chase hauled in a 50-yard touchdown from Joe Burrow that looked rather familiar:

Preseason overreactions are an annual tradition, but Chase’s debut is just the latest example of why nothing really matters until the games do.

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