The Cincinnati Bengals likely saved their season last Saturday with a gutty come-from-behind victory against Minnesota. However, that victory did come with some costs as the team saw star wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, defensive lineman D.J. Reader and cornerback D.J. Ivey all leave the game early due to injuries.
Reader and Ivey are now done for the season after Reader suffered a torn right quadriceps and Ivey tore his left ACL. Chase injured his shoulder in the fourth quarter and did not return as the Bengals rallied from a 14-point deficit to win 27-21 in overtime.
While reports indicate the 2021 first-round pick suffered a separated shoulder, there are no broken bones, just a sprain of the AC joint and the ligaments. Bengals coach Zac Taylor told reporters Tuesday that Chase wouldn’t practice, but Taylor refused to count him out for Saturday’s game at Pittsburgh.
Other reports, though, indicate Chase will miss this week’s game and possibly the Bengals’ key Week 17 contest at Kansas City on New Year’s Eve. Because of the injuries, the Bengals playoff chances have slipped to +220. Cincinnati is -300 to miss the postseason.
Injuries an Issue All Season
If Chase indeed can’t go this weekend, he would be the latest Bengal to miss some time this season. Quarterback Joe Burrow saw his season end after tearing a ligament in his wrist against Baltimore last month. Cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt has missed more than a month due to leg injuries. Wide receiver Tee Higgins has missed four games this season thanks to rib and hamstring issues.
This wouldn’t be the first time for Chase to miss time. Last season, a hip injury forced him to sit out four games. While WhoDey Nation may be worried about losing yet another star, the Bengals fared well without WR1. To aid in your Ohio sports betting, BetOhio.com utilized ProFootballReference.com to look at how the Bengals performed in Chase’s absence.
How Bengals Perform Without Jamarr Chase
Last season, Chase missed games against Cleveland, Carolina, Pittsburgh and Tennessee. The last three games of that stretch were also the start of the eight-game winning streak the Bengals used to win the AFC North and make the playoffs for the second consecutive season.
Many fans and pundits thought the Bengals 2023 season was finished after Burrow’s injury. However, backup quarterback Jake Browning has rallied the team to three straight wins over playoff-contending teams. At 8-6, Cincy currently holds the sixth seed in the AFC playoffs. Still, with games at Pittsburgh and Kansas City and the regular season finale at home against the Browns, the Bengals have the toughest closing stretch of any playoff contender in the conference. The mounting injuries, even as the team has played well of late, also do not help their case.
That’s why oddsmakers at ESPN BET Ohio give the Bengals odds of +220 to make the playoffs this season. Those odds equal an implied probability of 31.25%. The PENN Entertainment brand launched as an Ohio sports betting app last month gives Cincinnati +10000 odds to win the Super Bowl this season.
