Though it’s been assumed over the last several days, the Cincinnati Bengals will officially be without their star wide receiver this weekend against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor ruled out WR Ja’Marr Chase due to the shoulder injury he suffered in last Saturday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings.
Chase had yet to practice this week and had been trending in the direction of not playing. That was backed up by reporting throughout the week suggested he would miss at least one and possibly two games. Chase suffered the injury midway through the team’s Week 15 overtime victory against the Minnesota Vikings. After attempting to play through the pain, he eventually went to the locker room and returned in street clothes to watch the Bengals pull off the win, keeping their playoff hopes alive.
It will mean that in both games against the Steelers this season, the Bengals will be without one of their top two receivers. In Week 12, WR Tee Higgins sat out due to a hamstring injury. Now healthy, Higgins will be QB Jake Browning’s No. 1 target. After a tough start to the season, Higgins has come on strong, catching a pair of touchdowns last weekend.
Chase caught four passes for 81 yards against Pittsburgh earlier this two with two of those grabs coming off wild deflections. It’s good news for a Steelers secondary also hurting, down multiple safeties, including Minkah Fitzpatrick (knee) and Damontae Kazee (suspended). They can roll coverage to take away Higgins and force Browning to target other players. TE Tanner Hudson has gotten more involved in the Bengals’ offense in recent weeks. The other receivers tasked to replace Chase include rookies Charlie Jones and Andrei Iosivas and Trenton Irwin.
