What happened to Ja'Marr Chase? Bengals WR to miss 4-6 weeks
Cincinnati Bengals star wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase is looking at a stint on the sidelines. The 22-year-old is dealing with a hip issue that is expected to put him out of action for four to six weeks, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.
According to Schefter, Chase sought out a hip specialist on Wednesday, and it is looking like the star receiver could potentially be headed to injured reserve.
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.
It is a bitter blow to the 23-year-old and the Bengals offense as they are leading the AFC North, along with the Baltimore Ravens.
Having won back-to-back games, the Bengals looked like they were getting their season back on track after a wobbly start, but now with Chase out, there is a gaping hole in the offense.
The receiver had totaled 605 receiving yards and six touchdowns through seven games on 47 catches. His absence will be felt dearly by Joe Burrow and the Bengals offense. It is hoped that Chase can return for Cincinatti's playoff push.
Ja'Marr Chase injury: When will Bengals WR return?
Per Schefter's tweet, the four to six week timeline (if the recovery all goes well) will see him return between Week 11 and 13. That gives him plenty of time to get his feet underneath him as the Bengals prepare for what they hope will be another deep playoff run.
How will Ja'Marr Chase injury impact Joe Burrow and Bengals?
As mentioned above, the Bengals will have a huge hole to fill and Burrow will now not have his favorite target for at least a month. The 23-year-old's 605 receiving yards are over 100 yards more than the Bengals' second-most (Tyler Boyd, 455 yards).
In terms of receptions, Chase also leads with 47. The next best is Tee Higgins with 31. That is some drop off. In his seven games in 2022, the 23-year-old has had five games of 10 or more targets and three games of 129 receiving yards or over.
With the Bengals' star receiver now sidelined, it will be up to the likes of Higgins, Boyd, Hayden Hurst and running backs Joe Mixon and Samaje Perine to pick up the slack.
This WR trio is just on another level 🤯📈
@Real10jayy__ x @teehiggins5 x @boutdat_23 | @Bengals 🔥 https://t.co/fpjVqeiiId
Cincinnati has enough weapons and firepower to cope without the 23-year-old, but not having a player of his caliber on the field will hurt their offense. But Burrow will be able to overcome it with his receiving group, hopefully.