The Cincinnati Bengals saw Joe Burrow get injured against the Jacksonville Jaguars last season, and in Sunday's Week 4 action, their next-most important player, Ja'Marr Chase, suffered a possible concussion in the second quarter.
Chase is among the most aware, balanced, freaky-athletic players on the field no matter who he's matched up against. Unfortunately, nothing could save him from a brutal play that led to a severe blow to the head.
Jaguars cornerback Jarrian Jones got ahold of Chase's facemask for a 15-yard penalty, but linebacker Ventrell Miller drilled Chase helmet-to-helmet into the Paycor Stadium turf.
Chase leaves the field under his own power vs. Jaguars, ruled out
It was encouraging to at least see Chase be able get off the canvas and march toward the sidelines with Cincinnati's training staff. The Bengals provided the "out" designation after Chase was evaluated in the locker room for a concussion.
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) October 4, 2026
Chase doesn't have any history of concussions, at least in terms of such injuries being officially reported on. It was a fluke play and a perfect storm of being completely defenseless against a full-speed defender, and the only reason Chase was vulnerable in the first place was because of an illegal play by Jarrian Jones.
Joe Burrow obviously has his work cut out to keep playing at a high level with his No. 1 target out of the lineup. He's already thrown a bad interception since Chase exited, and generally looks more hesitant when going through his progressions. Probably because Cincinnati's other pass-catchers are struggling to create easy separation.
Beyond Tee Higgins, tight end Mike Gesicki and speedy wideout Dohnte Meyers figure to be the go-to options for the Bengals' passing attack. Meyers has had an active Week 4, but he's only seeing an increased role because Bengals wideout Andrei Iosivas is on injured reserve.
It's going to be even harder for Cincinnati's offense to be multifaceted sans Chase. Chase Brown has had a decent but not great start to the season, and opponents can more easily stack the box without Chase to account for.
What a brutal way for the Bengals to lose one of the best players in the NFL.
With the winless Miami Dolphins on horizon in Week 5, Cincinnati may want to just keep Chase on ice until after the Week 6 bye. No need to press him back into duty in a contest where the Bengals should be double-digit favorites.
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