Bengals won’t have top WR Chase vs. Steelers

Ben Baby, ESPN Staff WriterDec 21, 2023, 12:27 PM ET
Close

CINCINNATI — Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase is out for Saturday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Chase, who is seventh in the NFL in receiving yards (1,156) and receptions (93), did not practice all week as he continues to recover from a sprained AC joint in his right shoulder suffered during last week’s win over the Minnesota Vikings.

“We just ultimately made the decision that this week it’s not going to happen,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said after Thursday’s practice.

Taylor did not give an indication on how long the two-time Pro Bowler will be out but referenced the time the Bengals will have before a Week 17 showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs on Dec. 31.

“We’ve got significant length before the next game from where are today,” Taylor said. “So we’ll just continue to go from there.”

Trenton Irwin has typically started at wide receiver when Chase or Tee Higgins has been unavailable. However, Taylor did not indicate whether Irwin would start against the Steelers (7-7), saying Cincinnati has “a lot of guys available to play a lot of different roles.” Rookie Andrei Iosivas is another option.

Higgins, the Bengals’ other starting outside receiver, said he doesn’t expect things to change for him with Chase out.

“I still gotta go out there and be the receiver I am,” Higgins said.

Cincinnati (8-6) is trying to continue a late-season push to clinch a playoff berth for the third straight season. With Jake Browning playing at quarterback for the injured Joe Burrow, who is out for the year with a torn ligament in his right wrist, the Bengals have won three straight games.

In his four games as a starter, Browning has completed 76% of his passes for 1,180 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions.

Even though the Bengals are on a hot streak and the Steelers have dropped three straight, Browning expects another typical game in a physical division.

“Any AFC North game, the records don’t matter,” Browning said. “The momentum, maybe one team has some momentum, one team doesn’t. It does not matter. It is a tough, bloody fight, really.”