Bengals don't expect Jalen Ramsey to shadow one WR and won't be afraid to target him, either
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theramswire.usatoday.com]
Cameron DaSilva
The Los Angeles Rams face a big test in Super Bowl LVI with the Cincinnati Bengals’ receiving corps, a talented group that’s headlined by Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd. All three went over 800 yards, contributing in different ways to help Joe Burrow put together the terrific season he just had.
The Rams have the ultimate eraser on the other side in Jalen Ramsey, but he can’t cover all three of them. The Bengals know that, too.
Boyd spoke to the media this week and said the Bengals don’t expect Ramsey to shadow one specific receiver, understanding that he moves around the secondary. And even when he does match up with Chase, Burrow isn’t going to be afraid to target him.
“He has traveled with a guy,” Boyd said, via ProFootballTalk. “He has played both left and right corner. He even has clips of when he was in the slot. He’s a guy that can play it all but we’re not anticipating guys singling out other guys playing them one-on-one. We don’t care what’s going to happen, how you are going to play us. We’re going to continue to play our game. We’re not going to not throw [Chase] the ball because Ramsey is on him. However they decide to play, they’re going to have to match us.”
Much of this game will come down to the job that Darious Williams and David Long Jr. do at cornerback. Ramsey plays consistently well week in and week out, but it’s been an up-and-down season for Williams and Long.
Burrow might not be afraid to target Ramsey, but he’s not going to go after him regularly. It’s likely that most of his passes will go to players who aren’t covered by Ramsey, and that’s where the Rams need their role players to step up.
