Bengals HC Zac Taylor addresses Ja'Marr Chase' heated sideline outburst vs. Broncos

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor downplayed star wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase's apparent heated outburst on the sidelines last night during the team's game against the Denver Broncos.

During the fourth quarter of the team’s eventual 28-3 defeat to Denver, Chase was seen approaching Taylor on the sideline. He then became animated, expressing what seemed like frustration with the team’s poor performance. Post-game, Taylor downplayed the incident during his press conference, instead praising Chase for his competitive drive.

“Ja’Marr Chase, coming off a game like this, is one of my favorite players to deal with, quite frankly,” Taylor told reporters. “Because he’s just competitive. He just wants to win, and it 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 oftentimes he feels like if, ‘I have the ball in my hand, I can do that,’ and I don’t disagree with him. And we’re always looking for ways to get him the ball. Obviously, sometimes for him, he can’t see what’s going on in the backfield and some of the challenges that face back there, but I love Ja’Marr.

“When I’m done coaching, he will be one of my all-time favorites for the way that he has become the total pro that you want leading your football team — competing in practice and competing in games. I can’t say enough about him. It just comes from a place where, ‘I want to help the team win, I can help the team win, help me, help the team win.’ And I love that about him.”

Chase was targeted eight times last night, catching five passes for 23 yards.

Bengals struggle mightily after Joe Burrow goes down with injury

NFL: Cincinnati Bengals at Denver Broncos - Source: Imagn

Since Joe Burrow went down with a turf toe injury that will keep him sidelined for the majority of the season, the Bengals have gone 0-2. Their opponents have outscored Cincinnati without Burrow 76-13. The Bengals currently hold a record of 2-2 and sit second in the AFC North standings behind the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The outlook isn’t much better for Cincinnati in the coming weeks. Their strength of schedule could pose problems for the Burrow-less offense, as they take on the Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, and the Steelers in the coming weeks.