Offensive Rookie of the Year Bets: The Case For Ja'Marr Chase

When you are discussing impactful rookies from the NFL season, it is hard to ignore how great the AFC Champions number one wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase has provided. He is neck-and-neck with New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones to win the award according to oddsmakers. Today we are going to dive into why Ja’Marr Chase should win the 2021 Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. 

Remember that the ballots are casted at the end of the regular season before the playoffs begin so everything that Chase has done in the postseason will not affect his case for the award.

Just Look at the Numbers

When one player makes the Pro Bowl and the other one does not, it seems to be an opened and closed case but we will dive into this a little bit more. Even when you compare him to the rest of the wide receivers in the National Football League, he was fourth with 1,455 receiving yards on just 81 receptions and 13 touchdown receptions. He has been a key piece in the offense as he has six games of at least 100 receiving yards and two games of at least 200 receiving yards. 

It’s difficult to get into the upper echelon of wide receivers and receive All-Pro honors but Chase did so by being named to the second team during his rookie season. 

Mac Jones Wasn’t That Impressive

Yes, wide receiver is a dependent position and the quarterback has more things to deal with but Mac Jones did not do all that great compared to the rest of his position. With the Patriots, Jones finished with a 50.9 QBR and with 3,801 passing yards while throwing 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. None of those numbers are higher than 13th out of all quarterbacks. He was the best rookie quarterback but not the best offensive rookie player. 

Also, it is a little bit of the cherry on the sundae but the Patriots were unable to win their division while the Bengals were able to do just that.

Closing

It is difficult to compare players at different positions since there is not a statistic that can demonstrate individual success across every position. The National Football League usually awards this to the quarterback position as Odell Beckham Jr was the last wide receiver to win the award back in 2014. 

Chase has been dominant and taking control as the best cornerback is lining up against him and Cincinnati has a solid running game as well so it’s not just throwing the football in his direction. The Bengals have been a completely different offense with Chase in the lineup this season and they should continue to dominate for years to come but the 2021 NFL season has had Chase showcase that he was the best rookie player in the entire sport. This is one of the years that we need the skill position player to win the award and Ja’Marr Chase has proved that his numbers are elite compared to every other player in the entire sport. 

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