Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase’s endless "Go," route against the franchise record book keeps going Monday night in Denver (8:15-Cincinnati’s Channel 9) when he's slated to pass two of the more iconic names in Bengaldom.

His next catch is the 417^th of his career, pushing him past Bengals Ring of Honor member Isaac Curtis and into a tie with Cris Collinsworth. Not only that, if Chase grabs 117 yards, he'll move past Curtis into third place on the Bengals list with 21 games of at least 100 yards while passing T.J. Houshmandzadeh into ninth place on the receiving yards chart.

Curtis, the prototype of the 21^st-century wide receiver in his 12 seasons in Cincinnati during the '70s and '80s, has seen it before. Late last season in Chase's 264-yard game in Baltimore, he broke Curtis' club record with his 11^th career touchdown catch of at least 60 yards.

"We're both threats," Curtis told Bengals.com after that game back in November. "The game's a little different. We battled up and down the field a little more, and it's a passing league now. We didn't get as many targets. There was more balance. But anywhere on the field, we can hurt you. If you make a mistake, we'll make you pay."

Tee Ball

Although he's had his slowest three-game stretch in two years to begin the season with seven catches for 104 yards, wide receiver Tee Higgins is still in the middle of one of the hottest stretches to start a Bengals receiving career.

As he heads into his 74^th game, only Chase and the Bengals' two leading all-time receivers, Chad Johnson and A.J. Green, had more than Higgins' 337 catches.

He's been targeted 14 times this season compared to Chase's 27, but he's learned to be patient.

"I know it's going to come my way," Higgins said this week. "I've always been like that. When the ball comes my way, I've just got to make a play on it. I've got to take advantage of every opportunity I get."

Head coach Zac Taylor predicts it's coming his way at some point.

"He and I talk," Taylor said. "That's the thing about our guys. There's not an ego involved in any of this. When it hasn't gone that way for guys, they really trust where we'll head."

Fast Starts

The Bengals defense would love to come out in its first series like it plays the second series.

Bengals linebacker and captain Logan Wilson came out this week emphasizing faster starts after his defense has allowed touchdowns on its opening series in each of the three games. That's when they've committed six penalties while allowing 197 yards, or 18% of their total yards.

But they've bounced back big on the next drive. They drove the Browns to a three-and-out, cornerback Dax Hill picked off Jags quarterback Trevor Lawrence in the end zone and last week in Minnesota they parlayed a Vikings' false start into another three-and-out punctuated by defensive linemen Kris Jenkins Jr., and Myles Murphy splitting a sack.

"Start faster so we're not in a 7-0 hole just from the jump,' said Wilson of a deficit they've faced twice. "Just being cleaner. If we don't make penalties, they don't get a first down. We're just giving them first downs. Just battling against yourselves.

"Those are usually one of the harder drives of the game. The first 15 plays. The schemed-up plays," Wilson said. "We just have to survive those first 15 plays better."

Slants and Screens

After Friday's practice, Taylor gave the thumbs-up to cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt for Monday after he practiced full for the first time since injuring his ankle two weeks ago against the Jags …

No homecoming for Bengals tight end Noah Fant, out with a concussion. Fant was Denver's first-round pick in 2019 …

That means another prime-time shot for Cam “National Window,” Grandy, the Bengals' second-year run-blocking tight end. It's the 10th game of his career and sixth in a national game. In the 4:30 p.m. game last year against the Broncos at Paycor Stadium, Joe Burrow went to him right away on the Bengals' first snap for a seven-yard catch …

Rookie defensive lineman Shemar Stewart (ankle) is out for the second straight week …

Running back Samaje Perine (thumb) and right guard Dalton Risner (calf) went full all three days …