Dear Ja'Marr Chase,
You make loads of money, my guy. Deservedly so, but I believe Cincinnati Bengals fans across the globe are entitled to some sort of financial compensation due to the distress you caused us on Tuesday.
Just kidding. This isn't that kind of welfare check.
Dear Cincinnati Bengals diehards/Who Dey Heads,
Were you scared? Because I was. Local 12's Yanni Tragellis got the footage of when Ja'Marr Chase went down awkwardly and came up limping after a contested throw by Joe Burrow, with DJ Turner in coverage:
Ja’Marr Chase is hurt. #Bengals pic.twitter.com/k04E1olC50
— Yanni Tragellis (@yannitragellis) August 25, 2026
Shout out Yanni for going absolutely nuclear on Elon Musk's X/Twitter algorithm. It was Thanos levels of inevitable to get this grisly footage out to the masses.
And an even bigger shout out to Yanni for the follow-up report, where Chase told Cincinnati ESPN 1530 local radio, "I'm fine." It appears to just be a hyperextension. Chase would've returned to practice if the team allowed him, and would've played if the Bengals had a game tomorrow, as reported by Fox19's Jeremy Rauch.
That sound you hear is a sigh of relief from millions of Bengals fans
So how are we doing, Who Dey Nation? Since none of you can respond directly to me, I'll share my experience and perspective as a means of hopefully providing, I don't know, vicarious catharsis?
I was feeling blue as could be. Or green, ya know, sick-like. About to hurl. I think I might've blacked out because it's almost like I tried to blot it out of my mind and pretend like it didn't happen. Guess I rounded 'em all on the color wheel, eh?
Like yeah, the tone of this column is somewhat jokey in nature. However, it's quite a serious matter overall.
If you really zoom out and think about how much so many people depend on Chase to perform at a high level, it's staggering. Everyone in the organization is counting on him to be an elite player who helps the Bengals contend for a Super Bowl.
Chase knows that. He's worked his whole life for such prestige. It comes with the territory. However, through no fault of his own, Tuesday was a harsh reminder that it can all be taken away in an instant.
I've written at length about why I believe Ja'Marr is the best receiver on the planet. He's determined to chase down Randy Moss' single-season receiving TDs record this year, too.
To almost lose Chase for the year in the blink of an eye was a shocker to say the least. To me, Ja'Marr's blend of body control, dynamic movement skills to avoid defenders, and even his raw power to shed tackles, made me believe he's virtually indestructible. His game should age very well as the prime of his career keeps unfolding.
But make no mistake, it only takes one awkward move on one awkward play for the waking nightmare to end all waking nightmares becomes reality. Doesn't matter how durable or athletically gifted a player is.
We've seen Burrow endure a Murphy's law outcome of cataclysms from the football gods. Thankfully, them folks or the forces of the universe or whatever determines fate in this weird existence we call life decided to spare Chase from a severe injury.
More than anything else, I view the Chase injury scare as a stern reinforcement of the fragility and fleeting nature of greatness in football. I mean, life is short, but life as an active NFL player? Much less how many peak seasons you have? It comes and goes before you know it.
Burrow and Chase are already in their seventh and sixth seasons respectively. Isn't that absurd? Where did the time go!?
It's OK to not be OK as they say. But today, I'm glad Ja'Marr Chase, and many of us Bengals fans by proxy, are OK.
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