The Pittsburgh Steelers may have to reckon with Cincinnati Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase next weekend after all. Despite suffering a painful-looking shoulder injury that seemed likely to keep him out of next Saturday’s game against the Steelers, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Sunday morning that Chase is day-to-day and may not miss a game.
“His shoulder was in his sling,” Rapoport said of Chase on Sunday’s NFL GameDay. “He was in street clothes watching it. My understanding is, he’s gonna have some more tests today, but the early indications is that it’s an AC joint sprain. In other words, a separated shoulder. Unclear just how severe this is. From what I’m told, there is a chance that he actually misses no time. He is day-to-day and would be able potentially to play next week.”
Chase injured his shoulder midway through yesterday’s overtime win over the Minnesota Vikings. For awhile, he attempted to play through the pain and returned to the game. But he was spotted in street clothes and standing on the sideline late in the second half and was officially ruled out. He finished the game with four catches for 64 yards as the Bengals found a way to win without him, keeping their playoff hopes alive.
Now, Chase will have a week to get ready for the Steelers. In their first matchup in Week 12, Chase caught four passes for 81 yards, though two of his grabs were wild deflections he caught off the bounce.
With yesterday’s outcomes, the Bengals winning and Steelers losing, Pittsburgh now occupies the AFC North basement. Both teams still have slim playoff hopes but Cincinnati is in better position than Pittsburgh, the latter now the AFC’s 10th seed. The Bengals desperately need a division win, as they are 0-4 on the year in the North. The Steelers are desperate for a win period, losers of three straight.
Since making his first start NFL against them earlier in the year, Bengals QB Jake Browning has looked like a different quarterback. There was some regression in yesterday’s win, including one bad interception, but he made clutch plays late and got a little football luck on his side. On the year, he’s thrown seven touchdowns, completing nearly 75 percent of his passes, and twice has thrown for over 300 yards since losing to the Steelers in the team’s first full game without Joe Burrow.
Pittsburgh and Cincinnati kick off next Saturday at 4:30 PM/EST.
