Ja'Marr Chase injury update: Bengals WR clarifies Week 13 status vs. Chiefs
Cincinnati Bengals receiver Ja'Marr Chase has been on the sidelines since Week 6 against the New Orleans Saints after he suffered a hip injury. The Bengals receiver has been working on getting his fitness back to where it needs to be, so he can suit up again.
Many thought that Ja'Marr Chase would not be seen until later in the year, but the receiver himself gave reporters some juicy inside information regarding his status for the Week 13 clash against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Per Ari Meirov of Pro Football Focus, Ja'Marr Chase told reporters that he fully expects to play Sunday against the Chiefs.
"#Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase confirmed to reporters today that he expects to play on Sunday vs. the #Chiefs."
Now while the receiver says he "expects" to play, that doesn't mean it is certain to take place. After all, the doctors and other team physicians will need to do their final checks on him, but it does look promising.
The Bengals will be wary of thrusting Chase back into the lineup too soon in the odd event he reaggreivates his hip injury. The Bengals have hit form of late and will want their superstar receiver in the lineup come playoff time.
Ja'Marr Chase's return comes at the perfect time for the Bengals
Joe Burrow and the Bengals have now won three straight games as the race for the AFC North heats up. Burrow has done well without Chase in the lineup. Adding him into the offense for the remaining five games to allow him to get his feet underneath him is scary for the league.
Prior to his injury, the star receiver had 605 receiving yards and six touchdowns in seven games. He also had three 100+ receiving yard games, too. Having that sort of a offensive weapon back is something that will scare a lot of teams going forward.
Without their number one receiver, the Bengals still posted points totals of 42, 37 and 21, so they were doing fine without him. We can only imagine what his inclusion will do for Burrow and the offense now.
It is still early in the week, but at the time of writing, it looks like the 22-year-old will be out on the field against the Chiefs.