WR Ja’Marr Chase isn’t going to undersell what the impact of losing QB Joe Burrow means for the Cincinnati Bengals when it comes to making a playoff push.
Sitting at 5-5 and last in the AFC North, the Bengals find themselves in a do-or-die situation this weekend with the Pittsburgh Steelers coming to town having lost last week themselves to a Cleveland Browns squad without starting QB Deshaun Watson for the rest of the season. However, the Bengals lost much more than a football game last week against the Baltimore Ravens as Burrow injured his wrist in the contest, having tests confirm that he would need to have season-ending surgery.
The Bengals now turn to QB Jake Browning, who came into the league as an undrafted free agent out of Washington in 2019, spending two years on the Vikings practice squad before coming over to Cincinnati in 2021. Browning is definitely no Burrow, but Chase believes that the backup quarterback can do enough to keep the Bengals alive as they look to close out the season strong.
“I feel like we have a shot at getting into the playoffs,” Chase said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “Have to win both of these games against the Steelers. Then come back and beat the Browns that last game. We still have opportunities. Just make sure we get in the playoffs and just keep rolling.”
Chase understands the odds that are stacked against them, but if they do manage to beat Pittsburgh in both of their upcoming matchups and get a win against the Browns as well, they have a good shot at getting into the playoffs. Pittsburgh split with Cincinnati last season, winning Week One on the road in a crazy game while the Bengals got the win in Pittsburgh later in the year. The Browns took care of business the first time they played the Bengals this season, winning 24-3 in a dominant defensive effort at the start of the season when the Bengals offense looked abysmal. Since then, Chase particularly has heated up when playing with Burrow, and he expects that to continue with Browning now throwing him the ball.
“We’ll show y’all this week,” Chase said. “Wait for the show.”
Chase played well in his lone matchup against the Steelers last season in Week One, catching 10 passes on 16 targets for 129 yards and a touchdown. He missed the second meeting with Pittsburgh with a hip injury that caused him to miss four games but still managed to go over the 1,000-yard mark in 2022.
Still, playing without Burrow will be a challenge as Cleveland’s receivers found out last week against the Steelers. With QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson setting in for the injured Watson, pass catchers like Amari Cooper posted just 34 yards and Elijah Moore gained 60 yards on the day. Pittsburgh’s coverage has stabilized more in recent weeks with CB Joey Porter Jr. playing in a full-time role on the outside. He is likely going to get his first exposure to Chase on Sunday. Even without Burrow in the lineup, Chase is a viable threat to score any time he touches the ball. His efficiency will likely take a hit with Browning at quarterback, but Porter and the rest of the Steelers’ secondary better lock in to keep Chase from taking over the game.
