The Cincinnati Bengals suffered a humbling 20-3 defeat at the hands of the Denver Broncos, largely due to a string of costly mistakes. And for wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, it’s the frustration of having lost again. Now, Bengals fans have made their disappointment clear online, but it seems Chase has had enough patience this season.

“Man yall better leave me alone man,” he wrote on X, along with 3 laughter emojis. Several commented on the posts, taking a shot at the WRs or the team’s coach, Zac Taylor, joking about it, or expressing their frustration over it. And that perhaps might be the reason behind his question.

But before the comment, the player didn’t hesitate to call out the locker room. During the press conference, Chase made a blunt statement that the team lacked effort. “Urgency is there, man, it’s just you gotta want it,” Chase told the reporters.

When probed further, he added, “At the end of the day, we gotta want it. Today, it didn’t look like we wanted it.” His frustration with the game was obvious even before the game could end. The WR seemingly had a heated exchange in the third quarter. Their interaction, which went on for a long time before Chase walked away to sit on the bench, quickly went viral.

Later, both Chase and the coach downplayed the conversation as simply an exchange. However, recalling the moment, the coach added, “He’s competitive. He wants to win.” A WR of his caliber completed five catches for 23 yards in the game, which can be quite disappointing. “Works his tail off. We’re looking for ways to get him the ball. I love Ja’Marr,” Taylor admitted.

Now, the Bengals’ quarterback, Jake Browning, might have a different opinion on this. During his interview, the QB, who has taken the starting job after QB Joe Burrow was sidelined due to his turf toe injury, also admitted that there were several mistakes in the offense.

But, he didn’t agree with the efforts part and said, “I don’t question anybody’s effort in the locker room.” He further added, “I don’t think that’s how everything goes for the Bengals.” Though they pointed out several different issues, all three agreed on one thing, and that is, they need to be better.

For Chase, he couldn’t let his rival defeat him again.

Ja’Marr Chase faced his rival in a matchup against the Broncos

Finally, the wide receiver got his long-awaited matchup with Denver cornerback Patrick Surtain II in Week 4. Chase had been eyeing this duel since the summer, even taking pointers from NFL legend Chad Johnson during a Bengals training camp session. But when the game arrived, the result wasn’t what he had hoped for.

Denver defensive back Ja’Quan McMillian summed it up bluntly, “Game plan was Patrick Surtain (II).. Limited him and got the job done.” The two have faced each other in the past, too.

Their history tilts heavily in Surtain’s favor. In their first clash, he held Chase to just one catch for three yards on four targets. The following year, Surtain again kept him in check, with only three receptions on six targets for 27 yards.

Now, what about in Surtain’s absence? Chase hauled in six catches for 75 yards. That difference shows the competition between the two. And this will also be the reason why the Bengals WR will be eager to turn the tide soon, before the record against Surtain gets any worse.