Last Sunday, Cincinnati Bengals receiver Ja'Marr Chase made the catch of the season so far: A twisting over-the-shoulder grab near the bottom-right pylon, somehow snagging the ball which keeping his two feet in as his momentum was carrying himself out of bounds.
But was it really as spectacular as it seemed? Or was there a sneaky push-off at the last second to get open?
Super Bowl Champions and former Pro Bowlers Chris Harris Jr. and Emmanuel Sanders discussed that very play on this week's edition of "The Matchup" podcast, where they each had a different perspective. It's not hard to guess who Harris Jr. favored and who Sanders favored.
Check out the former stars break down the top matchups between DBs and WRs each week on YouTube @TheMatchupPod.
Chris Harris Jr. and Emmanuel Sanders Discuss Chase's Catch
"Y'all always get them sneaky pushes in," the cornerback Harris Jr. joked. "He pushed him in the back and Stingley got off balance," he said more seriously.
"DB's always talking about guys pushing off and receivers always complain about holding," said Sanders, a former receiver. However he admitted that, after watching the tape, "Stingley didn't really play it that bad...it just seems like the ball isn't bouncing in Houston's direction right now."
Earlier in the podcast, the two had spoken about the Texans' struggles defensively so far this year after the unit's dominating 2025 season. While they've played two terrific quarterbacks in two weeks, it's certainly uncharacteristic to see that defense let up plenty of big plays already.
Chris Harris Jr.'s Thoughts on the Texans Secondary
"I think they have some safety issues going on...they're not in tune all the way," Harris Jr. said. "Stingley and Lassiter, they're playing solid, but not how they played last year...I wouldn't say they're playing at an All-Pro level, and I had to drop them a little in my rankings."
"I can't believe they started 0-2...I know they gotta be asking themselves, 'what's going on,'" Sanders said about Houston.
While the Chase vs. Stingley matchup was one that was heavily anticipated, there was another battle brewing in Chicago between Justin Jefferson and Jaylon Johnson, but bad weather made it difficult for the premier receiver to have much of a chance.
Justin Jefferson vs. Jaylon Johnson
"When I turned on the TV, man, I saw it was raining. I done turned the TV off, Chris," Sanders started. "For a receiver, you can sit back and say catch the ball in the rain, but those are elements that just don't favor us."
Jefferson had a chance to score a touchdown, and Sanders believed that he should've come down with it, but it went sliding off his hand before harmlessly falling to the ground. Overall, Jefferson had three receptions for 55 yards in the rain.
"The defenses showed up," Harris Jr. said. "Johnson had a solid game and Coach Flores did his thing."
Check out the former stars break down the top matchups between DBs and WRs each week on YouTube @TheMatchupPod.
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