Details surrounding the injury to Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase continue to shift as the team preps to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 16.
Given the nature of a separated shoulder, that isn’t too much of a shock. In the wake of Bengals head coach Zac Taylor suggesting Chase is a day-to-day classification and unwilling to rule him out for Week 16 yet, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport updated the situation.
“This seems to be more of a moderate separation,” Rapoport said. “Likely misses this week, potentially misses next week, then after that gets into the realm of ‘should be able to go.'”
The Bengals don’t have any incentive to list Chase as out so early in the week, though this isn’t the first time a report has suggested he will miss the game.
Following the reported timeline, Chase would miss the Steelers game and then potentially the road game against the Kansas City Chiefs, leaving only the finale against the Cleveland Browns as a question mark.
At that point, whether Chase returns at all this season could hinge on whether the team is still in playoff contention by the time he’s healthy.
