During his team’s win over the Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals wideout Ja’Marr Chase took a hard fall on his back and was later seen getting treatment for it on the sidelines.
Chase later returned to the game and it was simple enough to presume he would be sore, but that his return suggested no long-term concern.
Or not.
Speaking with reporters on the Monday after the game, Chase offered this rather concerning snippet, via Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic: “I’m just going to support my teammates, man. Let those guys do what they got to do. Only thing I can do is get healthy for the team.”
More, via Dehner:
Chase was asked how he feels to open the convo.
"I'm alive, that's the best thing right now."
Said he fell on his back. "As for right now, that's all I know, for real."
Chase went on to say he's "pretty sore just moving around" and the injury "got worse as the game went on."
— Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) November 6, 2023
As of this writing, it’s hard to know if Chase and the team are awaiting tests on the back or simply going through treatment, but his opening statements publicly on the topic don’t sound great.
The Bengals have won four straight games and need to remain at full strength ahead of a game against the Texans, followed by a quick turnaround for a Thursday night game against the Ravens, so missing Chase for any amount of time isn’t ideal.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1]