DK Metcalf wasn't shy with his praise for Ja'Marr Chase, yet wanted to display confidence in his own teammate. Devon Witherspoon, the fifth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, will be seeing plenty of Chase on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals, as Chase will be lining up in the slot against the Seattle Seahawks star rookie cornerback.
"Just a long ball that Joe Burrow threw to him. It was like a 70-yard bomb. I appreciated how effortlessly he caught the ball," Metcalf said of Chase. "He's just a great receiver. I tip my hat off to him.
"It will be fun to watch Sunday, but I think 'Spoon' will get the best of him."
Chase clearly saw the Metcalf clip, retweeting the video, and he responded to the trash talk from Metcalf with a laugh when asked about it Thursday in the locker room.
"He [Metcalf] isn't doing anything but praising his teammate," Chase said of Metcalf's remarks, via the Enquirer. "That's what he is supposed to do. At the end of the day, it's about game time reps and game-time decisions. He'll [Witherspoon] get the opportunity to get his matchups, and we'll see who wins that matchup."
Witherspoon has been very good through the first four games of his career. He's been targeted 24 times in coverage and allowed just 13 completions for 114 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Opposing quarterbacks targeting him have just a 49.3 passer rating.
Chase was brilliant against a depleted Arizona Cardinals secondary last week, catching 15 passes -- the Bengals' single-game record -- for 192 yards and three touchdowns. In Chase's last three games, he's caught 34 passes for 406 yards (11.9 yards per catch) and three touchdowns -- finally getting on the board in the touchdown department.
Chase's last three games
| Rec | Rec Yards | |
|---|---|---|
Week 3 vs. Rams | 12 | 141 |
Week 4 at Titans | 7 | 73 |
Week 5 at Cardinals* | 15** | 192 |
* Fourth game in NFL history with 15 Rec, 190 Rec Yds and 3 Rec TD
** Bengals single-game catch record
Chase vs. Witherspoon should be a fun matchup as the Bengals look to get back to the .500 mark and resurrect their season. The Seahawks' 30th-ranked pass defense will be on their toes with Chase and a potentially healthy Tee Higgins.
