Ja'Marr Chase names AFC North rival as toughest CB matchup

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase is an undeniable top wide receiver in the NFL, which means opposing cornerbacks usually bring their A-game when matched up against him. Ahead of the start of the 2025 season, Chase was asked about his rankings of toughest opposing cornerbacks that he's faced, and wasted no time in appointing Cleveland Browns star Denzel Ward as his toughest matchup. 

During his appearance on 'The Sitdown with Malik Wright' podcast, Chase did not hesitate and said it was an easy choice to pick Ward out of all the cornerbacks. 

"It's easy, Denzel (Ward). It's twice a year. It's one on one majority of the time. He got great feet. He knows leverage, he knows splits. He's one of the best I like playing." (H/T NFL.com)

Rounding out the Chase's Top-5 matchups were Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr., as well as his teammates, Darius Slay, and Jalen Ramsey, and Derek Stingley of the Houston Texans rounded out the list. With most of his picks coming out of the AFC North, it's clear that Chase takes a lot of pride in his divisional matchups and respects those that he sees more frequently. 

Chase's list also makes it even more intriguing to see how and the Bengals will do against the AFC North division and these specific players. While the most intriguing quarterback divisional matchup may be Cincinnati's Joe Burrow against Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, Ja'Marr Chase has multiple matchups he looks forward to in the division.