With their playoff hopes hanging in the balance, the Bengals were without their top pass-catching option as they rallied to defeat the Vikings 27-24 in overtime on Saturday. In the fourth quarter of Cincinnati's Week 15 contest, star wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase was on the sideline with trainers as the team was marching down the field to try and tie the game within the final minute of regulation. The Bengals announced Chase would not return with a right shoulder injury.
Chase suffered an AC joint sprain and is set to undergo further tests on that shoulder, according to NFL Media on Sunday morning. Ian Rapoport reported there's a chance Chase doesn't miss any time and is considered day-to-day.
Before exiting to the locker room, Chase caught all four of his targets from quarterback Jake Browning for 64 yards.
With Chase on the sideline, the Bengals still managed to move 75 yards down the field and tie the game at 24, thanks to a remarkable touchdown reception by fellow receiver Tee Higgins. In overtime, wideout Tyler Boyd hauled in a 44-yard pass to then set up the game-winning field goal.
Coming into Week 15, the Bengals stood at 7-6 on the season and in the thick of the wild card race. They were knotted with five other teams with the same record but found themselves at the No. 10 seed due to tiebreakers not breaking in their favor, making each game effectively a must-win situation to keep their postseason hopes alive. This latest win against Minnesota now has them as the No. 6 seed in the conference heading into Sunday's action.
In Week 16, Cincinnati travel to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers and will be on the road again in Week 17 as they visit the Chiefs at Arrowhead, before wrapping up the year at home against the Browns. Of course, having a healthy Chase in the fold would give them their best chance at continuing this late-season push.
