“I think it’s still kind of fresh for everybody, so it’s not like you’re gonna get a big reaction or anything like that, but at the end of the day we know, everybody knows, how special he is,” Collins said. “So, he’ll get healthy. He’ll be ready to go when it’s time.”
Chase injured his hip in Week 6 against the Saints and reaggravated it in the first half of a 35-17 win over the Falcons. He returned to start the second half and finished with 130 yards receiving and two touchdowns on eight catches, but only three of those receptions for 18 yards came in the last two quarters.
Bengals coach Zac Taylor called Chase “day-to-day” with soreness when asked about Chase’s status during his press conference Thursday, but reports surfaced indicating he fractured the hip and is expected to miss four to six weeks, which would make him a candidate for the injured reserve list. If Chase is placed on IR, he would miss a minimum of four games.
On Friday, Taylor confirmed that Chase will miss time but wouldn’t elaborate further. He declined to confirm if the hip is fractured.
“He has a hip injury, he’s gonna miss some time, and he will make a full recovery, so right now that’s the information I have,” Taylor said Friday. “We have a couple more days this week to make decisions on IR, things like that, so that’s all the information I have.”
Chase was the league’s offensive rookie of the year last season and he’s been Joe Burrow’s most utilized target, recording 605 yards and six touchdowns on 47 catches to lead what is considered one of the best receiving corps in the NFL. Burrow has targeted Chase 74 times over seven games – 30 more than the next guy, Tee Higgins.
Cincinnati still has Higgins and Tyler Boyd as options, but the backup receivers have accounted for just two catches for 38 yards – both from Mike Thomas on eight targets. Stanley Morgan famously was targeted on a failed shovel pass attempt at the goal line in a loss at Baltimore in Week 5.
“Obviously, him (Chase) not being there is tough, but we got to do what we got to do,” Collins said.
Asked if the running game takes on more importance this week with Chase out, Collins said “every aspect of the game does.”
“(The key is) just making sure the guys that are filling in for him are able to play at a high level and contribute to the team, which, you know, we got those guys that can do that,” Collins said. “At the end of the day, we’ve still got a lot of great talent, a lot of great skill position guys that can get it done.”
Higgins declined interview requests Friday, and Boyd was unavailable.
Backup receiver Trent Taylor, who serves as the team’s punt returner, played 13 snaps on offense last week in a 35-17 win over Atlanta and said his experience last year taught him the importance of staying ready. He spent all of 2021 on the practice squad before he was called into duty for the final four games on special teams – and on offense in the regular-season finale when starters rested.
In the AFC Championship, the Bengals called upon Trent Taylor in a key moment when he caught a two-point conversion pass to tie the game at 21 in the third quarter at Kansas City. Cincinnati ended up winning on a walk-off field goal.
Trent Taylor said the Bengals aren’t panicking without their “elite playmaker.”
“At any point, if anybody gets hurt like that, it’s always next man up, and, you know, I’ve always said we got the best receiving corps in the league and that’s not talking about just our top three guys,” Trent Taylor said. “I think our whole depth chart of receivers, we got a lot of guys who can do a lot of different things, and it’s just a super well-rounded group, and so, now that Ja’Marr is down, all of us, all the other guys, we have the opportunity to show what we can do. And I think we’ll get it done.”
MONDAY’S GAME
Bengals at Browns, 8:15 p.m., ESPN, ESPN2, 700, 1290, 1530, 95.7, 102.7, 104.7
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