The Bengals will rock their all-white uniforms when they enter Acrisure Stadium for Sunday's divisional showdown in Pittsburgh. Cincinnati will not have one of its best players, however, as Pro Bowl wideout Ja'Marr Chase will miss his third consecutive game with a hip injury.
While Chase won't be available in Week 11, the Bengals are hoping that he will be able to make it back for Cincinnati's following game against the Titans in a rematch of Cincinnati's 19-16 win in January's divisional round playoff game, according to ESPN.
The Bengals are 1-1 this season without Chase, who had not missed an NFL game prior to sustaining his hip injury. His absence was clearly felt during the Bengals' first game without him, a 32-13 loss in Cleveland on Halloween night. Cincinnati's offense was significantly better six days later in a blowout win over the Panthers that saw running back Joe Mixon score five touchdowns while tallying over 200 all-purpose yards.
Mixon, wideouts Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd, and tight end Hayden Hurst have picked up the slack in Chase's absence. Joe Burrow, even with Chase's absence, has continued to play well. The reigning Comeback Player of the Year completed 74.6% of his passes over the past two games with three touchdowns and one interception.
While they've somewhat masked his absence, the loss of Chase is a significant one. The former first-round pick caught 47 passes for 605 yards and six touchdowns through six games. He caught 10 passes for 129 yards and a touchdown in Cincinnati's overtime loss to Pittsburgh in Week 1. Prior to getting injured, Chase caught a combined 15 passes for 262 yards and four touchdowns in Bengals wins over the Saints and Falcons.
A possible Week 12 return for Chase would obviously be welcomed news for the Bengals, who at 5-4 are currently second behind Baltimore in the AFC North division standings. Cincinnati is hoping to make it back to the playoffs this season after coming up just short in its surprising Super Bowl run this past winter.
