Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase expected to return from injury against Kansas City Chiefs

Cincinnati Bengals star wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase has missed the past four games with a hairline hip fracture. However, he’s finally expected to make his return to the lineup on Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. His confirmed return to the lineup is massive, as Chase is one of the best receivers in all of football. Tee Higgins has done an excellent job of picking up the slack in his absence and has hauled in over 100 receiving yards in back-to-back weeks.

Before the Chiefs and Bengals meet on the field this weekend, safety Justin Reid and Ja’Marr Chase got into it on social media. In an interview on Wednesday, Reid broke down his approach to this week’s matchup and joked that it didn’t matter which pass catchers were on the field — they were all getting locked down by the Chiefs secondary.

Justin Reid and Ja’Marr Chase talking trash

Chase apparently saw the interview shared on Twitter later on and challenged Reid to a bet that the Bengals would dominate this week.

“Let’s put some money on it big time.”

Reid responded by ending the conversation and acknowledging the challenge from Chase, telling him “y’all welcome for the extra motivation. Ima see you Sunday champ.”

Chase responded with a somewhat unclear answer, seeming to take another shot at Reid specifically and referring to him in a derogatory manner.

Whatever the intent by both stars, the Chiefs and Bengals are playing for real stakes this week as the NFL playoffs draw closer. Kansas City stands atop the AFC with a 9-2 record, two games ahead of the Bengals as they battle for a playoff spot. A win for the Chiefs will keep them in the running for a bye to start the playoffs as the No. 1 seed, while the Bengals are trying to win their division out of a tie currently with the Ravens.

The rivalry between the AFC foes caught on in a big way last season after the Bengals defeated the Chiefs by three points in back-to-back January games. In Week 17 the Bengals took down Kansas City, before repeating the outcome in the AFC Championship Game just four weeks later.

A large factor in Chase stepping up to the trash talk surrounding the game is likely his performance individually against Kansas City last season. During the regular season meeting, Chase exploded for an incredible 266 yards receiving and three touchdowns against the Chiefs. During the conference championship, Chase’s impact was far less despite the same outcome — catching six passes for 54 yards and a touchdown.

On3’s Austin Brezina also contributed to this article.