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Key Matchup to Watch in Bengals-Lions: CB Jerry Jacobs vs. Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase

Read more on the key matchup to watch in the Detroit Lions' Week 6 contest with the Cincinnati Bengals.
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The Detroit Lions will have their hands full trying to stop Cincinnati Bengals rookie wideout Ja'Marr Chase Sunday afternoon.

The No. 5 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft has caught 23 balls for 456 yards and five touchdowns through five games, including a career-high 159 yards against the Green Bay Packers a week ago. 

Additionally, Chase's five reception TDs are more than all the other rookie receivers combined this season. 

And the member of the Lions' secondary that might be getting the assignment of manning him throughout the Week 6 contest is undrafted rookie Jerry Jacobs.

The looming Chase-Jacobs head-to-head battle is SI All Lions' biggest one-on-one matchup for the week.

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If Jacobs is able to keep Chase in check, it could turn the tide in favor of the Lions and lead to the first win of the Dan Campbell-Brad Holmes era in Motown.    

The University of Arkansas product in Jacobs is coming off a week -- Week 5 against the Minnesota Vikings -- during which he suited up for a career-high 94 percent of Detroit's defensive snaps and finished with three total tackles and his first career pass defensed.   

He understands that at least part of his task this week will be attempting to stop Chase. 

“I’ll be following him around a little bit,” Jacobs said after Friday's practice. “But, they’ve got a pretty good receiving corps. We’ve got a pretty good defensive back corps, too, so we just go out there and dominate and just play." 

It's a task that will be easier said than done against Chase and the Bengals. 

Among his many impressive stats already this season, Chase leads the league in 40-yard catches (four), ranks second in yards per catch among qualified receivers (19.8 YPC) and ranks seventh on the NFL receiving yards list (456 yards). 

Despite all the success Chase has had, Jacobs isn't afraid of the challenge ahead, and is confident that he can handle the assignment.

"He just runs behind guys,” Jacobs said. “Some guys aren’t really playing their technique, some guys’ eyes are bad. It’s just small things, you know? And I’m learning from that. Just seeing them guys getting ran past, I’ve got a good gameplan for me not to get ran past. So, don’t worry.”

I beg to differ. The Lions and their fans should worry, because I believe Chase is in store for a big game. 

Prediction for Chase's Week 6 stat line: Five receptions, 73 yards and a touchdown