Ja’Marr Chase ruled out for Saturday’s Bengals-Steelers game

The Cincinnati Bengals have been able to stay alive in the AFC playoff race despite losing star quarterback Joe Burrow for the season. However, in their next contest, they are going to have to pick up the win without another one up their offensive superstars. According to Cincinnati beat reporter Kelsey Conway, wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase will not play in the Bengals’ next contest.

“Zac Taylor rules out Ja’Marr Chase to play vs. the Steelers on Saturday,” said Conway via X.

Cincinnati will take on their AFC North rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and a Saturday afternoon matchup with major playoff implications on the line. The Bengals are third in the AFC North with an 8-6 record, and Pittsburgh is just behind them at 7-7. If the playoffs were to start today, Cincinnati would be in as the sixth seed in the conference.

The significance of this game for Cincinnati’s playoff aspirations cannot be understated. According to NFL.com’s playoff probability predictor, if the Bengals beat the Steelers, their chances of making the playoffs climb to 65 percent from 45. However, should they lose, their playoff chances take a significant drop, falling to 20 percent.

Ja’Marr Chase becomes the 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.”

On3’s Nick Geddes contributed to this article