CINCINNATI — Apparently, Monday night did a world of good for the confidence of the Bengals.
Take offensive captain Joe Mixon, for example.
The 34-31 overtime win demonstrated to him that this Bengals team is more than capable of going on a run in the final five weeks to capture a playoff spot.
“I’m honestly I felt like just everybody was like, ‘Bro, we could do this. Like we are still the Bengals.’ You know what I’m saying? Ain’t nobody feeling sorry for themselves. And I think that was a huge thing that I’ve seen I felt like this past week was nobody hanging their heads. Nobody like, ‘Man, this shit is over with.’ Everybody was like, ‘Let’s go, like we still in it.’ You know what I’m saying?
“And you can see it from the coaches. You can see it from the players and you know, that’s a great thing to see because you know, when Joe goes down you expect you know, people be like off season is over this this and that but I mean, shit we just beat one of the top seeds in the AFC right now. So I feel like we could play out there we could play up there with the best of them. I don’t care who it is. You know I’m saying so we just got to go out there and do what we do each and every week, but it’s going to take all of us.”
Mixon is also showing his leadership by embracing rookie running back Chase Brown. The fourth-round pick out of Illinois had the best game of his rookie season on Monday, carrying the ball nine time and gaining 61 yards, including an explosive of 31 yards. Mixon is fully aware that with a second running back option, he can be fresher and more impactful in key situations, like on his two touchdown runs.
“Bro we can do this. We are still the Bengals” Joe Mixon pic.twitter.com/txTUurZQgh
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) December 7, 2023
While certainly not late in the game where stamina is an issue, his first-quarter touchdown run of six yards was an example of Mixon churning and keeping his legs going. Mixon could see more short-yardage runs and give the Bengals at least the threat of running the ball in typical passing situations. It was that threat on third-and-2 that led to safeties closer up in the box and left Ja’Marr Chase in 1-on-1 coverage on his 76-yard TD.
“I feel like we’re very dangerous and I’m saying I feel like we are very dangerous,” Mixon said of himself and Brown as a tandem. “I felt like as long as we stay true to the game plan and you know stay ahead of the chains, I feel like everything is in front of us. So we just got to keep on grinding one play at a time and keep it going.”
And if his words are any indication, Mixon isn’t threatened by Brown.
“I think that he’s a very good running back as well as the other two that we have in there,” Mixon said, referring to Chris Evans and Trayveon Williams. “I felt like he stepped up in a major way and I feel like as long as everybody continues to do that, whatever position, I think that will be great. We’ll be in great shape.”
Ja’Marr Chase is making a statement late in the season that could land him a role as a future team captain. Last week, he called out the team in general for not having the kind of intense practice that was needed to beat the Steelers. Then on Monday, he decided to show of his “evil” side, copping an attitude that would show he wasn’t going to take mediocrity anymore.
Chase was asked Thursday how he decided to make the most of that chip on his shoulder.
“I don’t know, man. Just waking up. Just a feel you get when we wake up in the morning. Just one of those days,” Chase said of his edge. “That’s just keeping us hungry if you want to look at it that way, keeping everyone hungry, make sure no one satisfied, just playing football and keep us the way we’re going.”
In other words, in terms of energy, sometimes you’ve got to fake it to make it.
“If it’s not there then we gotta fake,” Chase said. “If not, figured somebody got to get somebody else excited, give them energy just to get the day going. I mean, that’s the whole thing about it. I’m saying gotta find one find it within yourself to practice that day.”
Chase said during the Jacksonville game, he was speaking up more in the huddle.
“I was speaking up little more just keeping intensity going in the game making sure we were still going,” Chase said.
Ja’Marr Chase explains just how important Trey Hendrickson has been to helping him speak up when Hendrickson isn’t busy stealing his Sour @Skittles at practice. Also pushing @7eleven for a slurpee machine pic.twitter.com/Uk9jvrWiem
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) December 7, 2023
Before having his Sour Skittles stolen by Trey Hendrickson at walkthrough on Wednesday, Chase chatted with Trey Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard, looking for tips on what to say and when to say it when he is so inclined to address the team.
“I actually talk to Sam and Trey about me just being more vocal, just talking to them to just because they’re probably the two, other than Burrow, that I see in my eyes on this team as leaders. I’m asking those questions and I’m still young. So me asking those questions from those guys. They just going to let me know what to do, what I want to hear and hear from their perspective on how I should look at it.
“I felt like I should because of where we are. Joe’s not here on the offensive side to speak up, as vocal as he is, but I don’t really speak up. That’s not really something I do. I try just lead by example and by my game I play.”
One thing Chase is not talking about is the chances of making the playoffs. He realizes there are still five games to be played and so much can happen. Besides, the Bengals have to prove to themselves they have the consistency it will take to get to the postseason.
“The biggest thing is just being consistent on coming out there starting off the game fast. Try to I do want to see a shot at go out first possession because you know, we typically do good when we score first, so hopefully we come out starting fast,” Chase said.
Beat Indianapolis and Minnesota in the upcoming six-day stretch and Chase might be much more inclined to talk potential.
“We’ll get our foot in the door,” Chase said. “Then you start talking about that. But right now I ain’t talking about that.”
While he didn’t want to talk about team predictions, Ja’Marr Chase was happy to admit he has his sights on a special single-season franchise record. Chase enters the Indianapolis game with 1,063 yards on 86 catches, one shy of his career high from 2022. While he’s almost certain to reach the century mark for the first time, he’s thinking well beyond that. Chase needs 27 over the final five games to pass T.J. Houshmandzadeh for the single-season standard in Bengals history. Houshmandzadeh caught 112 passes in 2007.
“Fourteen away from 100, swear?” Chase said almost in disbelief of his own numbers. “Oh, yeah. I’m about to get this. That’s easy. Oh, yeah. I got it. I got it. Don’t worry about it. I’m trying to get 117, baby. Kill it shatter it.”
Chase admitted that he has actually written down the franchise record as a goal.
“I got it. Don’t even worry about it” Ja’Marr Chase on getting to 100 catches. He’s at 86 right now. Feels very confident Team record will be his pic.twitter.com/cKw7K4HuED
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) December 7, 2023
“I do have it actually written. That’s funny,” Chase said. “I just don’t want to be close to what he has to do to make it harder for somebody else next time. That’s all.”
Chase then shared another ironic twist to possibly breaking the mark. He went to LSU with Houshmandzadeh’s daughter, Karrington, who starred on the school’s softball team.
“I actually found out that he had a daughter (that went to LSU) the first time I met him,” Chase said. “It was in a suite and I was like, ‘Hey, I know her,’ and he walked in and I was like, ‘What the heck?’ It was just funny to see.”
