JA'MARR CHASE IS OFFICIALLY AWAKE As The Bengals Roar Back To Stun The Saints In New Orleans

This was the textbook example of gut-check time for the 2022 Cincinnati Bengals. If they were to go on the road and lose to Andy Dalton and the Saints, well, that'd be a pretty sad state of affairs. Falling to 2-4. Taking an "L" in Louisiana to a depleted New Orleans team who was without its top three wide receivers and best cornerback. Yikes.

It was on the precipice of happening. However, Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase rediscovered the magical connection they first forged at LSU, showed off to the world in this very Superdome venue for a national title, and used as a spark for Cincy's Super Bowl run. And it couldn't have come at a better time.

First there was a laser from Burrow to Chase in the red zone to cut into the Saints' nine-point lead:

Then we had ourselves the game-winner going into two-minute warning:

Ja'Marr finished with seven receptions for 132 yards and two TDs. Hell of a homecoming performance. 

Joey B. went for his first 300-yard passing game since Week 1, tossed three TDs and ran in another one from 19 yards out on a huge third down in the opening half. Not sure where the Bengals would be without these dudes. Not in a good spot, that's for sure.

I'm not gonna lie…it should not have been this hard for Cincinnati to earn a 3-3 record to date. All three losses were on the final play of the game, and it was looking like things would head that way today once again. Big shoutout to the defense. They got punched in the mouth by the Saints' rushing attack all afternoon, yet got a key stop to set up Chase's winning score, and kept New Orleans out of the end zone to close things out. 

While getting gashed for 228 yards on the ground is not a good look any way you slice it, defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo keeps living up to his reputation for making second-half adjustments.

DJ Reader can't return soon enough…and let's hope Logan Wilson getting hurt in the final quarter is nothing too serious.

As encouraging as the Bengals' finish was, this trend of starting slow is maddening and downright annoying. It's like there's some sort of imaginary governor that Joey B. keeps having to overcome, checking out of bad play calls and everything is just. So. Hard. 

I don't know what needs to change. It seems like whatever the process is with play-calling will remain the same and Zac Taylor will continue to be in charge. There are flashes of greatness, just not the consistency, or the plethora of splashy, explosive plays we all grew accustomed to in 2021.

Choosing to view this through the optimistic perspective, though: Sunday's win could be a legitimate turning point. The Bengals tapped into the collective resilience they showed throughout their epic playoff run. They have a ton of momentum entering next week's winnable matchup with the mind-boggling, 6-0 ATS Falcons.

Twitter @MattFitz_gerald/TikTok