Ja'Marr Chase's Leadership on Full Display Ahead of Bengals' Showdown With Chiefs

CINCINNATI — Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase stood in front of his locker, answering questions for nearly nine minutes on Thursday.

The 24-year-old praised rookie Jermaine Burton and made it clear that the Bengals team that lost to the Patriots isn't the team that they're going to be on Sunday against the Chiefs.

"Everybody knows that. It's not no 'if,' you know what I'm saying?" Chase asked. "We are the team to beat in the AFC, and we know it. And we got to act like it. We got to play like it, too."

That's leadership. That's what this team needs after an ugly start to the season.

The standard is the standard—regardless of what happened in Week 1.

Some believe Chase's statement about being the best team in the conference is trash talk. It isn't.

It's the expectation.

"I told all the receivers, there’s no better opportunity than this week," Chase said. "They don’t like us, we don’t like them."

Chase has been the leader in the wide receiver room for years. He sets the standard.

He praised Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. He said he would save all of his trash talk for the field.

It would be easy to say Chase has matured, but this is who he's been.

It's why his teammates didn't flinch when he didn't participate in practice during training camp.

They knew he'd be ready. They knew he was working hard.

Chase sets the standard for the Bengals' wide receiver room. A group that will be without Tee Higgins on Sunday.

Some will dismiss his comments about the Bengals being the best team in the AFC and that's fine—but it's exactly what he should say. It's exactly what every player in that locker room should think ahead of Sunday's game against the Chiefs.

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