Remember when the Cincinnati Bengals drafted Ja’Marr Chase fifth overall in 2021 and people scoffed at the decision to pass on an offensive lineman?
The thought was that the Bengals had plenty of receiver talent and needed more blocking after Joe Burrow suffered a torn ACL and MCL behind a bad offensive line the previous season.
Well, that theory is about to be put to the test.
Chase will miss the next four to six week with a hip injury, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Thursday, dealing a bit of sobering news to an offense that was just beginning to find its groove and a team that won four of its last five games.
Bengals’ WR Ja’Marr Chase is dealing with a hip injury that is expected to sideline him 4-6 weeks and makes him a prime candidate for injured reserve, per sources. Chase visited with a hip specialist Wednesday and is seeking more answers about his injury.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 27, 2022
The Bengals still have that receiving talent people previously spoke of, so I don’t expect the absence of Chase to significantly hurt their ability to cover as three-point road favorites against the Cleveland Browns on Monday night.
Their biggest concern in that game will be an inability to run the ball, which has been the most effective strategy against the Browns. In the end, though, I trust their defense to hold up better against Cleveland’s offense.
But it’s fare to question how the Bengals will fare in the following weeks.
Chase caught for 130 yards and two touchdowns in each of Cincinnati’s last two games, including a Week 7 blowout of the Atlanta Falcons where Joe Burrow had 481 passing yards, the second-most of his career.
In that same game, it was actually Tyler Boyd, not Chase, who led the Bengals in receiving with 155 yards. Tee Higgins added another 93. The Bengals have had four different leading receivers in games this year, including tight end Hayden Hurst. Running back Joe Mixon is also a threat in the passing game. Their embarrassment of riches on offense is built to absorb a loss like Chase.
But even if the Bengals didn’t have both Boyd and Higgins, second-round picks who could be No. 1 receivers on other teams, they would have a good chance to extend their winning ways in the next four weeks due to a strong defense and and a weak upcoming schedule.
Entering Week 8, only four of the Bengals’ remaining 10 games are against teams with winning records. Their next four opponents are the Browns, Panthers, Steelers and Titans. On the earlier end of Chase’s timeline, he would return after that stretch for a big Week 13 meeting with the Kansas City Chiefs. And it’s possible the team wouldn’t have lost a single game in his absence.
So, if you bet on Cincinnati’s win total over at 9.5 games or put money on their playoff odds, I wouldn’t worry about how they’ll fare without Chase. They should be just fine in the interim.
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