Can Chase and Higgins finish among NFL history’s best receiver duos?

The Cincinnati Bengals’ offense is humming right now. There really isn’t another way to look at it. Joe Burrow has thrown four or more touchdowns in four straight games and leads the NFL with 23 passing touchdowns while ranking among the top five in passing yards with 2,386.

However, much of the credit for Burrow’s great season must go to Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, who established themselves Sunday as the best wide receiver duo in the league, clearly overtaking the likes of CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, and even Christian Watson and Matthew Golden, who have had a great statistical start to the season.

Higgins and Chase dominated in Spain against the Falcons, helping lead the Bengals to a 34-17 victory. The duo combined for 187 yards, 15 receptions and three touchdowns, with Chase doing much of the carrying in Madrid, a departure from the norm this season.

Much of the reason they have established themselves as the best wide receiver duo in football is Higgins, who is second in the NFL with 758 receiving yards through eight games. He also has six touchdowns, bringing their combined total to 13 scores.

Higgins has gone from a player who could be a No. 1 receiver on multiple teams to a player who could be a top-10 wide receiver in football when you break it down. He’s been elite, not just in production but in the catches he’s made and the target share he’s receiving, despite lining up across from Chase, who was named the best wide receiver in football by ESPN before the season.

They aren’t just the best wide receiver duo in football right now. If they keep up this pace, they could become a top-five wide receiver tandem in NFL history. Obviously, the extra game helps compared with past players, but at their current pace, they would finish with 2,896 yards, 215 catches, and 28 touchdowns. The 28 scores would be the second most, beating the 27 they scored in 2024, which tied Jerry Rice and John Taylor.

That would put them in the conversation with tandems such as Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt, Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin, and Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne.

I expect Cincinnati to continue abandoning the run and making Higgins and Chase the focal point of the offense. Meanwhile, Burrow will continue playing his game, delivering accurate passes and scoring in the red zone. Everything points to a monster season from Chase and Higgins, with Burrow having an MVP-caliber season in the meantime.