Two weeks, two deep touchdown grabs for rookie wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase.
After all the issues with drops in the preseason, Chase is on a tear to begin his first NFL regular season. And in doing so, he accomplished something that hadn’t happened since way back in 1976.
After his 50-yard touchdown reception against the Vikings in Week 1, Chase hauled in a 42-yard touchdown in Week 2 against the Bears. With that catch, Chase became the first rookie wide receiver with two touchdown receptions of at least 40 yards since Sammy White did so for the Vikings 45 years ago.
White had a 47-yard touchdown reception in a 40-9 Week 1 win over the Saints and followed that up with a 56-yard touchdown grab in a 10-10 tie in Week 2 against the Rams as part of a nine-catch, 139-yard day.
White would go on to catch 51 passes for 906 yards and ten touchdowns that year. That included a 7-210-2 line in a 31-23 Week 9 win over the Lions and a 9-120-3 line in a 29-7 Week 14 win over the Dolphins.
And that was all still in the days of the old 14-game regular-season schedule. Who knows what Chase can do with three extra games. The Bengals open divisional play next week against the Steelers with every team in the AFC North sitting at 1-1.
