Even though he barely finished in the top 10 for receiving yards in 2022-2023, Ja’Marr Chase let the Buffalo Bills and their star receiver Stefon Diggs know on Thursday that there is no debate, the best pass catcher in the NFL is playing in Cincinnati.
The Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals will go to war on Sunday afternoon in the divisional round of the AFC Playoffs. The game will have a unique emotional element, due to the team’s connection to the scary Damar Hamlin incident in their Week 17 clash. However, some of the best players in the league, especially on offense, will compete in their matchup.
Along with arguably two of the three best quarterbacks in the game — Joe Burrow and Josh Allen — facing off at 3 PM ET on Sunday, the Bills vs. Bengals game also includes two of the elite receivers in the sport. Along with Minnesota Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson, Cincinnati’s Ja’Marr Chase and Buffalo’s Stefon Diggs are game-changer talents for their respective teams.
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However, it seems that despite missing a good bit of action this season, and not posting numbers close to Diggs and Jefferson, Chase believes without a shadow of a doubt he is the best wide receiver in the NFL.
Ja’Marr chase gives the Buffalo Bills and Stefon Diggs some bulletin board material
Ahead of their game this weekend, Chase was asked by the team’s website about his place among the top pass catchers in the NFL. And the 22-year-old boldly proclaimed his belief there isn’t a player better than him in the league at his position.
“Hell yeah [I’m the best]. I just put up how many stats with four missed games? Who knows what would have happened? I’ve been thinking about it. I’m not a cocky person. I’m humble. I know what I can do. I don’t need to prove it. Everybody knows what I can do. Never a doubt in my mind.”
– Ja’Marr Chase [h/t Pro Football Talk]
Ja’Marr Chase finished seventeenth in yards (1,046), fourteenth in receptions (87), and tied for sixth in touchdowns (8) this season. He does make a fair case, in that his numbers could have been elite-level if he did play in all 17 games this season.
In comparison, Buffalo Bills superstar receiver Stefon Diggs was fifth in yards (1,429), fourth in catches (108), and third in TDs (11). Chase very well could have done better with four more games played.
The Buffalo Bills will surely be looking to shut down the self-proclaimed best in the game on Sunday.