Are Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase already getting frustrated in Cincinnati?

Former LSU football teammates Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase were reunited this past spring.

The Cincinnati Bengals, who selected Burrow with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, picked Chase with the No. 5 overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft.

So far, the Burrow/Chase connection appears to be paying off.

Chase had five receptions for 101 yards and a touchdown in a season-opening win against the Minnesota Vikings.

This past week, Chase caught two passes for 54 yards and a touchdown.

Not a bad start for a wide receiver who hadn’t played in a game since the 2019 season.

But while Chase and Burrow clearly have the same chemistry they had in Baton Rouge, there appears to be some frustration with the play calling in Cincy.

Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase frustrated with lack of downfield pass attempts

Burrow and Chase both lamented the lack of downfield pass attempts after the loss this past Sunday to the Chicago Bears.

Here’s what Burrow had to say after the game (via Paul Dehner):

"“You’ve got to throw the ball over their head. At least make them feel like you are going to be able to do that and call some plays that go over their head.”"

And here’s what Chase had to say:

"“We should have been (doing) that, bro, to be honest. We waited until the last minute to take shots. We knew they was sitting the whole game. I was telling Joe. Tee (Higgins) knew. We just got to capitalize on the stuff we see early in the game.”"

It definitely sounds like there’s some frustration there.

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor addressed the comments from Burrow and Chase this week:

"“We had some shots called. Sometimes the coverage takes that away.”"

The decision to not throw the ball deep more often was perplexing, mostly because that’s how the Los Angeles Rams were able to beat the Bears in week one (and Taylor is a Sean McVay disciple).

One reason why Cincinnati may have decided to stay away from the deep ball was to protect Burrow, who is already getting hit way too much this season (he was sacked four times against the Bears).

Burrow, however, doesn’t seem that concerned about being protected, saying this week “Not concerned, this is football, you are going to take some hits”.

It doesn’t sound like it’s paradise in Cincy right now. Hopefully, everyone gets on the same page soon, otherwise, it could be a quick exit from Ohio for Taylor.