Zac Taylor teases plan for Ja’Marr Chase that will help Bengals get back on track against Chiefs

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase caught six passes for 62 yards in Week 1 against the New England Patriots. He also didn't see a pass come his way until the fourth drive of the game in the second quarter.

When asked about his lack of targets, Chase deferred to head coach Zac Taylor.

"I don't know," Chase said Sunday . "You gotta ask Zac [Taylor] on that. I don't know."

The more the ball gets to Chase, the better the Bengals' offense will be. Luckily, Taylor expects this to happen right away.

It wasn't a given that Chase would play at all. He was listed as questionable on the injury report with an illness due to food poisoning he incurred Saturday. The three-time Pro Bowler was able to muster up strength to play the next day. He was also limited most of the week during practice.

Should Chase be a full participant in practice this week, which is the expectation, Taylor teased at a heavier workload for Chase next Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs.

"I think that's safe to say," Taylor said during his Monday presser.

It's a rarity to see Chase dress for a game and not play virtually every snap. He was on the field for 43 of the offense's 51 snaps Sunday, which is honestly more than expected given the context.

Chase told reporters Friday he expected to play between 40-50 snaps , but that number was likely based on the offense being on the field for longer than 51 total plays. Cincinnati struggled mightily on offense and ended up with four of their eight drives ending in three-and-outs.

Instead of playing 60-70% of the game, Chase played over 80% and still only had six passes come his way. To the surprise of no one, not one of them hit the ground. A lack of practice didn't take away his abilities.

This week against the Chiefs, with Tee Higgins' status very much up in the air , getting Chase more involved is an absolute must. In games against Kansas City when he and Joe Burrow both play, he's averaged just over nine targets a game. He posted 266 yards—a Bengals record—in his first-ever matchup with the NFL's current dynasty back in the 2021 regular season.

Getting Chase back to his regular involvement is one of the first steps towards fixing the Bengals, and it needs to happen as soon as possible.

Related: Tee Higgins' value, run defense woes among overreactions to Bengals' Week 1 loss to Patriots