The Cincinnati Bengals and Dallas Cowboys both lost their season openers last Sunday, and will be looking to get back on track against one another this week. This matchup lost some of its allure with Dak Prescott’s thumb injury, but there’s still plenty to look forward to in this interconference battle.
One matchup to watch is Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase vs. Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs. Both players are seen as two of the best at their respective positions, and will have the chance to face off against one another for the first time at this level. Chase and Diggs did both play in the SEC, and when Chase was asked this week about Diggs as a corner, he said this:
“He’s an athlete. He’s got great ball skills in the air. He’s super fast,” Chase said, via The Dallas Morning News. “He’s not too much on technique-sound, though. He’s a little hit or miss. He’s either all the way on or not on at all. But he’s definitely a great athlete.”
The Bengals’ star wideout both complimented Diggs, and maybe fired a couple shots at him as well. Diggs, a former wideout himself, is coming off of a career year in which he recorded 52 combined tackles, 21 passes defended and a league-leading 11 interceptions — the most recorded in a single season since Cowboys rookie Everson Walls did so in 1981. Diggs is undoubtedly an athletic defensive back, but like Chase said, he’s gotten lost in coverage once or twice — which actually somewhat led to him making the decision to delete his Twitter last month.
Diggs is going to have the opportunity to make Chase eat his words this weekend. Chase caught 10 passes for 129 yards and a touchdown in the season-opening loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow said Cincy wants to get him the ball even more moving forward.
