Bengals star wideout Ja’Marr Chase said Friday that he although he doesn’t believe injured quarterback Joe Burrow will play in Week 3, he has no issues with Burrow sitting out the Monday Night Football showdown.
While speaking with reporters, the two-time Pro Bowler stated he doesn’t believe Burrow will play against the Rams due to the right calf injury he’s been battling since early in training camp. He initially incurred the injury on July 27, and he re-aggravated it in Week 2 against the Ravens.
While the football world has long celebrated athletes who play through pain, Chase doesn’t want his quarterback taking any such chances. Despite facing a potential 0-3 start to the season, Chase would prefer Burrow not return to game action until he is fully healthy.
“I told him back then [after the initial injury], don’t play until you’re 100% ready to play,” added Chase. “… My answer has never changed from this.”
Asked Ja'Marr Chase if he had to guess if Joe Burrow plays Monday. Chase was his usual honest and forthcoming self Friday. pic.twitter.com/6rh96QLr94
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) September 22, 2023
Through two games this season, Burrow has struggled, posting a 70.6 passer rating. He’s thrown for 304 yards and completed just 56,9% of his passes.
The Bengals opened as seven-point home favorites, but that spread has dwindled to just 2 1/2 point at SI Sportsbook due to Burrow’s status.
Jake Browning is likely to make his first career NFL start in place of Burrow on Monday. Chase, who only has 70 total receiving yards in his first two games, could potentially find it difficult to post dominant production.
