"Paying Tee Higgins $30M to get two targets": Shannon Sharpe goes scorched earth on Joe Flacco's favoritism toward Ja’Marr Chase

Veteran NFL quarterback Joe Flacco saw an opportunity to turn his fortune around after a rough start with the Cleveland Browns and decided to take it by joining the Cincinnati Bengals in October.

Now playing alongside star receivers Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase, Flacco seems to have regained his confidence and discovered a newfound sense of purpose. However, following the team's recent loss to the New York Jets, the quarterback has come under fire this week.

Some NFL fans and pundits have criticized the quarterback for not making the most of the offensive options available to him in a game where Cincinnati's defensive shortcomings were once again evident.

Despite the defensive problems, NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe believes the Bengals could have still won against New York on Sunday if Flacco had done a few things differently.

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Speaking to Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson on the "NightCap" show after the Jets' 39-38 win on Sunday, Sharpe said that Flacco's tendency to lock in on Chase is hurting the team.

"Joe Flacco is looking for one guy," Sharpe said. "Let this sink in for one second. Ja'Marr Chase had 19 targets, Tee Higgins had two, Noah Fant had three, your running back had three targets, Tanner Hudson had two, Samaje Perine had one, and Andrei Iosivas had three targets." "Ocho, you can't have that discrepancy. You can't have one guy have 19 targets and the second-best receiver that you're paying $30 million to have two targets.”

Citing the target breakdown from the Week 8 game, Sharpe pointed out that Chase had 19 targets while the players who were next most targeted had only two or three. Chase had 23 targets in the Bengals' win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 7 as well, which emphasizes the former NFL tight end's case even more. However, Higgins also saw 10 targets in that game.

In Ochocinco's defense of Joe Flacco, he explained that Chase is the best pass-catcher in the league and the veteran passer, who's still only in his third week in Cincinnati, feels like Chase is the one he can rely on.

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Joe Flacco fails to blame the Bengals defense for the Week 8 loss to the Jets

The New York Jets won their first game of the 2025 season after coming back from a 15-point deficit thanks to the Cincinnati Bengals' defense collapsing once more on Sunday. The Bengals' defense let up three touchdowns in the final quarter of the game after leading 31-15 entering the fourth quarter, resulting in a dramatic 39-38 loss.

Joe Flacco chose to stay positive and defend the unit when asked about Cincinnati's defensive problems following the game.

"It's hard not to (blame the defense for the loss)," Flacco said. "But this is a team sport. And we're all in this together. It's not offense, defense, or special teams. They're out there doing their job, but we are one. We feel this as one."

The Bengals have the poorest defense in the NFL, allowing 31.6 points per game. Additionally, the unit is giving up 151.9 rushing yards per game and 407.9 scrimmage yards per game, both of which are the lowest in the league. Their 256 passing yards allowed per game also rank third-worst in the NFL.

Edited by nagpaltusharn25