Ja'Marr Chase says he's No. 1, Justin Jefferson is No. 2 receiver in NFL
Tyreek Hill is on pace to become the first wide receiver in NFL history to reach 2,000 yards in a single season, but if you ask Bengals star Ja'Marr Chase who the best receivers in the league are he'll tell you its him and Vikings megastar Justin Jefferson.
The former LSU teammates are set to square off Saturday in Cincinnati, though both Chase and Jefferson are dealing with injuries. Chase was a limited participant in practice on Wednesday with an ankle injury and Jefferson, who says he will play, suffered a hit Sunday in Las Vegas that sent him to a hospital to make sure he didn't suffer internal injuries.
Chase met with reporters on Wednesday and the back and forth about his friend went like this...
Reporter: "Where do you and Justin rank in the wide receiver hierarchy here in the NFL?"
Chase: "Me and him? Probably one and two."
Reporter: "Who's one?"
Chase: "Me."
Reporter: "What makes [Jefferson's] game so good?"
Chase: "He's so quick and explosive, man. You watch film and he makes it look so easy. We probably could do the same move but just because he is twitchier and more explosive sometimes on some routes, he just has that look in his routes that he just makes defenders fly."
Sep 7, 2019; Austin, TX, USA; LSU Tigers wide receiver Justin Jefferson (2) celebrates after his touchdown with LSU Tigers wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase (1) in game against the Texas Longhorns in the first half at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
Credit: Ronald Cortes-USA TODAY Sports
Had Jefferson not suffered a hamstring injury in Week 5, his numbers this season might be on par with Hill, who through 13 games has 97 catches for 1,542 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Jefferson had 36 catches for 571 yards and three touchdowns when he was injured, which had him on pace for 122 catches for 1,941 yards.
"That was the goal to get to at least close to 2,000, but since I got hurt the new goal is 1,000," Jefferson said last week. "I want to end every single year over 1,000 yards."
Chase has 89 receptions for 1,092 yards and seven touchdowns this season.
Chase (left), Jefferson (right)
Photo credits: Jeremy Reper, Jeffrey Becker for USA TODAY Sports
