Bengals Beat: Ja’Marr Chase, Tyler Boyd On ‘Winning’ Culture That Keeps Diva Attitudes Out

CINCINNATI — In the golden era of wide receivers – from Jerry Rice in the 1980s through to Randy Moss, Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, Chad Johnson and Terrell Owens and throughout the 2000s – the word diva gets thrown around a lot.

Great receivers – divas or not – need the ball in their hands to make great things happen. When quarterbacks don’t feed the monster, the monster can turn.

The Bengals have a group of three elite level receivers who manage to keep their egos in check and play for the good of the team, which means wins above all else.

In Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd, the Bengals possess the perfect complement of receivers who all add their own unique element to the potent Bengals passing attack.

“I think we care for one another,” Boyd told me. “I think we care more about being friends and brothers than trying to surpass each other in yardage or touchdowns. At the end of the day, we are going to get our opportunities. We are going to make plays, we are going to get chances to score and get yards after catch. We don’t worry, as long as we winning and contributing in anyway, you can’t be mad at each other.”

The numbers are down a bit this season due to Chase missing four games with a hairline hip fracture, Higgins hamstring and now Boyd’s dislocated finger on his left hand.

The distribution on this team is pretty even, considering everything. Chase is back in the team lead with receptions (64 for 821 yards) while Higgins has 60 catches for 861 yards. Boyd is at 45 catches but 655 yards. Hayden Hurst is actually third on the team with 46 catches and 400 yards. The distribution of touchdowns is equally impressive. Chase has seven, Higgins (5), Hurst (2) and Boyd (4).

Why have the Bengals avoided any drama in that room?

“Probably all of us. We don’t really care. None of us really care,” Chase told me. “When we see a matchup and know we have the advantage, we ask for the ball. There’s nothing about being divas, it’s just us taking advantage of the matchup in front of us.”

In other words, winning to Chase, Boyd and Higgins is above all else.

“Yeah, that’s how you bond. You want to win,” Chase added. “The only way we can really bond good is if we’re winning. If we come in here losing every game, we’re just going to pout, be mad at each other and blame every little mistake on everybody. So, winning helps the bonding in the locker room.”

That was also evident in another way Sunday in the win over the Browns. Tee Higgins tweaked his hamstring in warmups and was essentially told he would sit out the game but despite that, he sneaked onto the field for a snap on the first drive.

“We didn’t want him in on that first snap,” Zac Taylor said after Sunday’s game. “He found his way onto the field. We had him dressed up we in case we did some stuff, but Tee did not want to be held out of the game.

“He wanted to play, but (with) some of the information I got in pregame, we did not want that to turn into something worse. So again, he wanted to play. I appreciate that. He found his way out there the way some guys do when they want to play (when) they’re a competitor, but ultimately, we did not want him out there.”

It bears repeating here but the Bengals have a receiving corps that is the envy of every other passing unit in the NFL. They have the brainy quarterback, an offensive line that is getting better each week, an offensive coordinator who knows what he’s doing with the skill he has to work with and three receivers who won’t ever back down.

With his seventh TD catch this season on Sunday, Chase became the second player in NFL history with 2,000 yards receiving and at least 20 touchdowns in their first two seasons prior to the age of 23, joining Hall of Famer Randy Moss in this most exclusive club.

But Chase wasn’t about self-promotion when talking about the team concept in the receivers. He was all about giving props to Trent Taylor and 27-year-old Trenton Irwin, who has been earning more and more playing time because of the quality mental reps he’s taking when he’s not on the field.

Irwin has been constantly showing the coaching staff, fellow receivers and most importantly, Joe Burrow, that he’s ready in a pinch. That pinch came Sunday when the Bengals went with the flea flicker call in the third quarter. It broken open a tight game and put the Bengals ahead, 20-3.

“Those guys are picking up right where we need them to,” Chase said. “T.I. and T.T. are doing a good job. Staying in tune. Everybody knows their role, and when they come in, they play it right.”

“I expect him to do everything (and) expect him to know everything because of the way he carries himself in meeting rooms and at the facility. He’s always taking notes, and he went to Stanford, too, so he has no choice but to be knowing everything.”

Boyd feels ready to give it a go Sunday:

It’s been a week of pain management and control for Tyler Boyd. Ever since he suffered a dislocated left middle finger Sunday on the game’s second offensive snap, the Bengals star slot receiver has been trying everything to keep the pain and swelling down and wrapping it in black tape and heading out to practice.

“S–t, I’m great,” Boyd quipped when asked about the finger Thursday after practice. “I kind of took the first couple days just chill, not really catchin’ or things like that. But at the end of the day, it’s gonna hurt. Just take some (ibuprofen) 800s, ibuprofen, Tylenol, whatever the case may be. Just get it padded up and gotta go. Gotta deal with.”

Boyd said he’ll play if it’s just a matter of pain tolerance.

“Pretty much. But at the end of the day, football is pain,” Boyd said. “You gonna get hit. You gonna wake up the next morning sore anyway.”

But, bottom line, does he feel he can function and catch Burrow’s passes?

“Yeah. It may hurt a little bit, but I’ll be good,” Boyd said.

Boyd acknowledged that he’s managing the types of catches he’s preparing for in practice, just to ensure he’s ready for Sunday.

“Little bit of in between, some days if it’s sore, just a couple little catches, but at the same time I’m preparing myself to go by any means I got to catch the ball,” Boyd said. “Whenever the ball comes, I’ll do my best to try and catch it.”

That might not be a standard good enough for Zac Taylor and the coaching staff, especially with Trent Taylor and Trenton Irwin available. A lot could also hinge on Tee Higgins’ availability. If Higgins is a full go, then Boyd might get another week or two to make sure the pain is not nearly the issue it is right now.

“It was very tough cause we didn’t know status of Tee,” Boyd said. “We just had me and Chase, when I went down I kind of felt like I had to stay out there even if I had to be a decoy, but we have great receivers in the room, which you all see. We got TI, Trent (Taylor) and Stan (Stanley Morgan), we’ve got guys that can make up. They came out and they showed.”

Boyd said he didn’t remember exactly how the finger was damaged on the second play of the game.

“I couldn’t even tell you to be honest, it was so much of a bang-bang play. I don’t even know,” Boyd said. “I didn’t have too many finger injuries, this is like the first. I just kind of got to deal with it, it’s a little nagging. At the end of the day I can play, I can move my legs. I can make it work.”

Following a game of ping pong with his right hand, he went to the trainer’s room, took off the protective splint and had the left hand sealed in a clear inflated plastic bag.

“It broke through skin,” Boyd noted. “It wasn’t just a finger bent. The bone kind of came out. The good thing about it was no torn ligaments, nothing dislocated. They put it back in, stitched it up. Ready to go.

“I kind of went in shock. I never really had any major injuries, thank god, let alone being able to see a bone. So it kind of threw me off. But at the same time, my adrenaline was pumping. So it wasn’t really hurting or fazing me. The only thing I was worried about was getting back out there to help my guys. Every player wants to go out there and help the team. But I’ve got to get treated and make sure I’m healthy before I can do much more.”

Dax Hill ready at the call:

If Mike Hilton (right knee) and Jalen Davis (thumb) are unavailable this week to play slot corner against Tom Brady and the Buccaneers, it will be another Michigan alum who goes up against TB12. Dax Hill, the first round pick of the Bengals, has been repping snaps at slot corner and says he’s ready for his chance. Hill stepped in and play corner when Chido Awuzie, Mike Hilton and Tre Flowers were all hurt against the Browns on Halloween. That next week, against Carolina, Jalen Davis started at slot corner for Hilton and his injured left pinky. But now both Hilton and Davis have yet to take a practice snap, with Davis spotted Thursday in a sling. Hill would be making his first NFL start against the most accomplished and decorated quarterback in NFL history.