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Ja'Marr Chase is an impact player in the Bengals offense and has been so throughout his time with the team. Cincinnati has a big-time matchup with playoff implications against their AFC North rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers, in Week 16. However, he will not be available against the Steelers on Saturday afternoon.
It is a massive loss for Cincinnati's passing game, as the two-time Pro Bowler led the team in all receiving categories this season. Chase has 132 targets with 93 receptions for 1,156 yards and seven touchdowns.
This season marked his third consecutive one with over 1,000 yards and second with at least 1,100 yards. The team is already without Joe Burrow at quarterback due to a torn ligament.
Chase set the Cincinnati Bengals franchise record with the most receiving yards in a single season, with 1,455 yards in his rookie season in 2021. Chase's 13 touchdowns that season were the second-most in a season in franchise history.
What happened to Ja'Marr Chase?
Ja'Marr Chase did not practice all week ahead of the Week 16 matchup as he continues to heal from a sprained AC joint in his right shoulder. He suffered the injury during the Bengals's 27-24 overtime win over the Minnesota Vikings last week.
Head coach Zac Taylor addressed his playing status following the team's practice on Thursday:
"We just ultimately made the decision that this week it's not going to happen."
Taylor did not say how long the 23-year-old wideout will be out. He mentioned the gap ahead of their game against the Kansas City Chiefs on New Year's Eve will help:
"We've got significant length before the next game from where are today. So we'll just continue to go from there."
Ja'Marr Chase was initially listed as day-to-day until Taylor ultimately decided to shut down his top receiver. This likely means that Tee Higgins will see more targets his way and the emergence of Trenton Irwin in Chase's absence.
Can Bengals still make the NFL playoffs?
As of now, the Bengals (8-6) have a 39 percent chance of making it to playoffs for the third straight season. A win over Pittsburgh elevates those odds to almost 60 percent, according to the New York Times. Yet, a loss would all but end any hopes for the playoffs with a less than 20 percent chance.
In Week 17, a loss to the Chiefs would drop those odds to 53 percent, while a win would make them a near lock to make it to the postseason.
Fire up our NFL Playoff Predictor to find out if the Bengals can sneak into the playoffs.
Their season finale at home against another AFC North rival, the Cleveland Browns, becomes important should they lose against either the Steelers or the Chiefs. In other words, the Bengals control their destiny without the services of Ja'Marr Chase for at least one week.
