Ja'Marr Chase Had Four-Word Message After Bengals' Blowout Loss to Broncos

Ja'Marr Chase and Zac Taylor addressed their sideline exchange during the Bengals' loss to the Broncos.

Bengals star Ja'Marr Chase was held to four catches for 23 yards in a brutal loss to the Broncos. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

In their first two games since Joe Burrow went down with a toe injury that required surgery, the Bengals offense has fallen flat. Cincinnati has been held to under 200 yards of offense each of the last two weeks, and were blown out 28-3 by the Broncos on Monday Night Football.

Amid a second straight tough offensive showing without Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase was seen approaching head coach Zac Taylor on the sideline in the third quarter. Chase and Taylor had a conversation, and Chase's body language seemed to indicate the frustration of their offensive woes. Chase was held to just five catches for 23 yards on Monday, and has been limited to 73 yards on 10 catches the past two games.

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 posted on X after the game, "I play with passion."

In another tweet, he said with multiple laughing emojis, "man yall better leave me alone man."

While speaking with reporters following the loss, Chase said "it didn't look like we wanted it" and pointed to the number of penalties they committed and "just giving up."

Asked Ja’Marr Chase if the Bengals have a true sense of urgency after back-to-back blowout losses “Urgency is there but you’ve got to want it. Today, it didn’t look like we wanted it.” pic.twitter.com/cRqNrClEvg

— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) September 30, 2025

Of his conversation with Taylor, Chase said, "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."

Taylor also spoke on his interaction with Chase after the game. "I'm sure if that interaction ... comes from a place of 'I want to help the team win. I can help the team win. Help me help the team win,'" Taylor said.

"He just wants to win," Taylor added. "Comes across as emotional, but that's just a captain that works his tail off. All he wants to do is win the game, all he wants to do is affect the game. And often times it feels like if I have the ball in my hand I can do that and I don't disagree with him. We're always looking for ways to get him the ball. ... I love Ja'Marr. When I'm done coaching, he'll be one of my all-time favorites ... for the way he's become the total pro that you want leading your football team and competing in practice and competing in games. I can't say enough about him."

While the Bengals managed to go 4-3 over seven starts with Jake Browning in 2023, adjusting to life without Burrow has proven much tougher this time around. Outside of Chase and Tee Higgins, the Bengals lack a run game or defense that they can rely on, and since the Broncos were able to limit the star receiving duo on Monday, there wasn't much else the offense could do.

With looming games against the Lions, Packers and Steelers, it won't get any easier for the Bengals going forward.

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