Burrow and Chase had one of the best games in their four years together with the Bengals
Despite a tough loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase are racking up hardware after playing one of their best games in four years together with the Bengals.
Burrow and Chase were voted as the NFL’s FedEx Air & Ground Players of the Week for Week 5, it was announced Wednesday. It’s Burrow’s eighth time since 2021 winning it through the air, and it’s Chase’s first time winning it on the ground in his career.
The award was updated for this season to where wide receivers and tight ends are also eligible to win the award on the ground. It’s the first update in the 22-year history of the award, which cites the evolving and dynamic nature of the game as the reason for the update.
Burrow threw for 392 yards and five touchdowns on 30 of 39 passing on Sunday, the 21st 300-yard passing game of his career. Chase caught 10 passes for 193 yards and two touchdowns on Sunday, his eighth career game with two or more touchdown receptions. Chase’s 193 yards are also the third-highest receiving total in his career, and this is the eighth game in his career with 10 or more receptions.
Burrow and Chase now have 14 touchdowns of 40 or more yards, with the two on Sunday going for 41 and 70 yards each. That’s the second-most by a quarterback-wide receiver duo both under the age of 28 in NFL history, trailing only quarterback John Hadl and Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Lance Alworth (20).
Among quarterbacks whose career began after 1990, Burrow’s 23 touchdown passes of 40 or more yards are the third-most by a quarterback in his first five seasons, surpassing Pro Football Hall of Famer Kurt Warner this Sunday.
In Chase’s first four seasons, he now has 15 touchdowns of over 40 yards. That is the fourth-most touchdown receptions by a player in his first four seasons whose career began after 1970. Only Mike Wallace (16) and Pro Football Hall of Famers Jerry Rice (21) and Randy Moss (22) have more.
We are witnessing one of the most lucrative quarterback-wide receiver connections in the NFL and in recent NFL history. Yes, it’s frustrating that the defense is letting Burrow and Chase, and the offense down. But if Burrow and Chase keep producing like this, there is still hope for the rest of the season.