Zac Taylor watched every camera angle of Ja'Marr Chase's touchdown — here's what he found

BengalsWhat Bengals coach Zac Taylor said about Ja’Marr Chase’s acrobatic touchdown vs. the TexansBengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase comes down with the ball after catching a pass for a touchdown during the first half against the Texans in Houston on Sunday.AP Photo/Ashley LandisCINCINNATI, Ohio — Some plays demand a second look. Ja’Marr Chase’s touchdown catch late in the second quarter against the Texans on Sunday demanded a lot more than that.Bengals head coach Zac Taylor didn’t just rewatch the play once or twice. He went through every available camera angle and then brought what he found into the team meeting room to show his players. It’s the kind of play, which you can see below, that makes casual fans rewind and makes coaches reach for the film controls.How Dexter Lawrence, DJ Turner II and the rest of the Bengals defense graded in Week 2 against the TexansHow Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and the rest of the Bengals offense graded in Week 2 against the TexansEarly Cincinnati Bengals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers NFL Week 3 picks, odds, and prediction marketsJa’Marr Chase catches two touchdowns as the Bengals knock off the Texans, 20-6, to improve to 2-0Why the Bengals’ 2-0 start in 2026 feels different than 2025 after shutting down the Texans: Tim BielikWhen asked how many times he went back to watch it, Taylor was direct.“I’ve watched a lot. Yeah. I’ve watched every camera,” Taylor told reporters on Monday.What he found when he slowed it all down was a masterclass in athletic body control. “It’s impressive, you know, for him to slightly lose his balance there as they kind of get tangled up and then be able to torque, locate the ball, get two feet in, really impressive,” Taylor said.But Taylor was careful not to let the spotlight fall only on Chase. He pointed out that the play was a team effort. The offensive line held up, and Joe Burrow made the smart decision to trust his receiver in a one-on-one situation against a quality corner in Houston’s Derek Stingley Jr. “Good job by Joe. Just taking the one-on-one, you know, and letting his guy make a play against a really good corner. And Ja’Marr made it pay off for him,” Taylor said.That trust between Burrow and Chase is a recurring theme in how Cincinnati’s offense operates. When the Bengals see a matchup they like, they don’t hesitate. They let their best players go make plays. Burrow read the coverage, identified the one-on-one, and handed the moment to Chase. Chase delivered.The natural question that follows a play like that is where it ranks. Taylor didn’t dodge it — but he also wasn’t ready to hand out a definitive answer. He put the catch in conversation with one of the most memorable plays in recent Bengals memory: Tee Higgins’ touchdown grab against the Minnesota Vikings in 2023.“If you’re going to compare him to [Tee’s catch] against Minnesota here that one year for the touchdown, I would say that those — maybe they would disagree with me, but those are the two that come to [mind],” Taylor said. “Maybe I’ll have to go back and watch every catch they’ve ever made, both of them, at some point in the offseason to really give you a ranking. But that one was really, really impressive.”It’s a high bar. But based on Taylor’s reaction, Chase’s catch cleared it.What makes the catch matter beyond the highlight reel is what it says about where Cincinnati’s offense is at this point in the season. Chunk plays are what drive this offense, and when Burrow is trusting his receivers in critical moments and those receivers are delivering, everything else opens up. The running game works better. The play-action is more dangerous. Opponents have to account for everything.Chase turning a near-stumble into a two-handed, tiptoe touchdown is the kind of thing that doesn’t just end up on a highlight reel — it ends up in the film room on repeat, because it’s worth studying.Taylor has clearly been doing exactly that.The Cleveland.com Express Desk uses AI tools to assist in producing content, which is reviewed and edited by staff.This article was produced with assistance from AI tools and reviewed by Cleveland.com staff.