Ja'Marr Chase's separated shoulder has officially ruled him out of the Cincinnati Bengals' Week 16 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor confirmed to reporters on Thursday that the 23-year-old, who did not practice on Tuesday or Wednesday, will be sidelined for what is a pivotal Week 16 matchup. This announcement from Taylor also comes following reports that he could miss multiple games.
The Bengals' two-time Pro Bowl receiver sustained the injury late in this past Saturday's overtime win over the Vikings. Chase currently has 34 more catches and more than twice as many receiving yards this season as the team's second-leading receiver, Tyler Boyd. Not having Chase in the fold for an offense that is already without star quarterback Joe Burrow is a big blow for the team, which is currently 8-6 and would be the No. 6 seed in the playoffs if the regular season ended today.
With Chase sidelined, Cincinnati will have to lean on other weapons on offense that include fellow wideouts Boyd, Tee Higgins and tight end Tanner Hudson, who has come on strong over the Cincinnati's three-game winning streak. The Bengals have also received a strong campaign so far from running back Joe Mixon, who has been complemented in the backfield by rookie Chase Brown.
The Bengals' recent success also can be attributed to the play of backup quarterback Jake Browning, who has completed 73.6% of his passes since replacing injured Burrow in the starting lineup.
Cincinnati will face a Pittsburgh defense on Saturday that will be without All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, who is dealing with a knee injury. The Steelers' secondary received another blow Monday when fellow safety Damontae Kazee was suspended for the remainder of the season by the NFL for repeated violations of rules designed to protect player safety.
