Ja’Marr Chase gets brutally honest about Bengals’ defense woes: “I don’t want no defensive player chewing me out”

Ja’Marr Chase didn't mince words following another gut-wrenching loss for the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, fueled by a defensive collapse. The Bengals suffered a 47-42 loss to the Chicago Bears at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, thanks to their defense, the worst in the NFL.

The defense gave up 576 total yards, including 293 yards in the air and 283 yards on the ground. In his postgame interview, Chase admitted his frustration with the team's defensive performance, which has failed to match the production on offense, but refused to blame the unit.

Q: How difficult is it to stay unified and make sure that it's not offense versus defense in this lockdown? How difficult is that going to be given the emotion? Chase: I don't know. I've never been in this situation. I don't know how to handle it. I don't know. I'm just trying to stay positive.

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Q: At some point, as a leader, or any of the leaders on the offense, is it good to get on the defense or stay in your lane? Chase: I'm gonna stay in my lane. I don't want no defensive player to come and chew me out about what the f*ck I'm doing.

Despite avoiding criticism of the defensive performance over the last couple of games, Ja’Marr Chase's response in the interview underscores the tension that has become increasingly visible in the team. The Bengals, who fell to 3-6 after the loss, will need something miraculous on the defense to save the season.

Joe Flacco joins Ja’Marr Chase in refusing to blame the defense

Joe Flacco had the same approach as Ja’Marr Chase regarding questions on turning on the Bengals’ defense following another underwhelming performance on Sunday. The veteran quarterback, who was acquired via trade in October, refused to blame the defense amid an impressive offensive production.

“It's one team,” Flacco said. “You need to focus on yourself and do your job. I get it, it can be emotional. I go to those guys and have good conversations about going to work and taking pride in what you do. If you do that, you don't have time to get mad at people you shouldn't get mad at. You can't be worried about anyone else.”

In the last two games, Joe Flacco has led the Bengals to score 80 points while gaining 893 total yards. However, both games have ended in a loss for the team due to the poor defensive performance. He's formed great chemistry with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, ensuring efficiency on the offense.

Edited by Farouk Yusuf