Chase Brown may have chosen to play football instead of hockey, but he still managed to score a hat-trick on Sunday.
The Canadian running back found the end zone three times in the Cincinnati Bengals’ 45-21 win over the Miami Dolphins, all of which came in the third quarter as his team surged out in front. Brown carried the ball 12 times for 66 yards and a major, while adding two receiving scores on four catches for 43 yards.
Brown has been a bright spot on a bad Bengals team this season, rushing 197 times for 846 yards and four touchdowns. He has also set new career highs as a receiver, catching 62 passes for 379 yards and four majors.
“I think Chase is a huge weapon for us, and does a great job with his explosiveness,” Bengals’ head coach Zac Taylor said post-game. “Tremendous matchup in the pass game as well that he probably doesn’t get enough credit for. He’s won a lot of those choice routes underneath, and he caught a CO for a touchdown today when he was matched up on a backer. Again, he’s been a great weapon for us. I’m happy to have him. I’m good with the direction he’s heading.”
The record for most touchdowns by a Canadian in an NFL game is four, set by Pittsburgh Steelers’ receiver Chase Claypool in 2020.
With 1,225 yards from scrimmage through 15 games this year, Brown has several major milestones within reach over the final two weeks of the regular season. The native of London, Ont., needs 225 yards from scrimmage to surpass the Canadian record set by Rueben Mayes in 1986, and four more touchdowns to break his own Canadian record of 11 in that category, which he shares with Nate Burleson (2007), Chase Claypool (2021), and Chuba Hubbard (2024). With 154 more rushing yards, he can also become the third player from north of the border to record a 1,000-yard season running the ball in the NFL.
The 25-year-old ball carrier had a legitimate shot at all three milestones last season, but was unable to play in the finale due to injury. He finished short by one touchdown, 10 rushing yards, and 100 all-purpose yards, respectively.
Since he was taken in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, Brown has appeared in 43 NFL games with the Bengals. He has rushed 470 times for 2,015 yards and 11 touchdowns, while catching 130 passes for 895 yards and nine majors.
The Bengals (5-10) are already eliminated from playoff contention, but will conclude their season with games against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, December 28, and the Cleveland Browns in Week 18.
