Report: Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase expected to miss Steelers game with separated shoulder

Cincinnati Bengals (8-6) receiver Ja’Marr Chase is expected to be sidelined for the Week 16 road contest against the Pittsburgh Steelers (7-7) this Saturday.

Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Chase’s absence could extend beyond the Steelers game after the 23-year-old suffered an AC joint sprain in the 27-24 Week 15 victory over the Minnesota Vikings (7-7) this past Saturday.

Chase left the game in the fourth quarter and did not return. Prior to his exit, he hauled in a team-leading four receptions for 64 yards. Head coach Zac Taylor originally said that Chase was “day-to-day.” The Bengals are already without quarterback Joe Burrow for the rest of the season, though they remain in the AFC playoff picture with Jake Browning under center.

Ja’Marr Chase becomes latest Bengal to get banged up

Chase, the 2021 fifth overall pick out of LSU, has already notched his third consecutive 1,000-yard season. In 14 games, he’s come down with 93 receptions for 1,156 yards and seven touchdowns. Without Chase, Cincinnati will have to rely on Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd. Higgins came up clutch in the win over Minnesota, hauling in two touchdowns — one with under a minute remaining in the fourth quarter to send the game to overtime.

In addition to Chase, Cincinnati lost nose tackle D.J. Reader in Sunday’s game. Reader was carted off the field on the second defensive snap of the game and later diagnosed with a torn quadricep tendon.

“It’s unfortunate for DJ, unfortunate for all of us because he’s such a big part of all of us. It’s a killer to see something like that happen to him,” Taylor said. “Every step of the way he’s represented everything that we talk about in the locker room. Everything we talk about on the field. Everything we talk about at practice. The way you conduct yourself. He’s represented everything and then that’s why he’s elected captain. He’s earned all of that and he’s been invaluable in his time here.”