Ja’Marr Chase was ruled out with a concussion after a first-half hit against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
The Bengals hosted Jacksonville at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on October 4, 2026, returning home after consecutive road games at Houston and Pittsburgh.
Cincinnati’s receiving options narrow
Rookie Colbie Young was inactive with a knee injury, while Andrei Iosivas was already on injured reserve with a thumb injury. Cincinnati had brought back Mitch Tinsley during the week after he spent time on Houston’s practice squad.
Tinsley was active against Jacksonville and appeared behind Chase on the depth chart. Tee Higgins and Dohnte Meyers occupied the other starting receiver spots, but Cincinnati also lost Higgins to an adductor injury during the game.
Coach Zac Taylor confirmed Higgins’ injury after the game and said the receiver tried to return for one play but could not continue. That left Tinsley and Meyers as the available wide receivers for the finish, with tight end Mike Gesicki also used outside. Cincinnati therefore had to adjust around both Chase’s concussion and Higgins’ later departure.
Chase’s recent production
Chase entered Sunday with 18 receptions for 185 yards and three touchdowns through the opening three games. He had just delivered his busiest performance of the young season at Pittsburgh, catching nine passes for 98 yards and a touchdown.
The sixth-year receiver had topped 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first five seasons. His 2025 totals were 125 catches, 1,412 yards and eight touchdowns, following a 2024 season in which he led the league in catches, receiving yards and touchdown receptions.
He also began the afternoon within reach of another franchise milestone, needing 80 receiving yards to move past Isaac Curtis into third place on Cincinnati’s career list, behind Chad Johnson and A.J. Green.
Joe Burrow also arrived at Week 4 with a productive start: 743 passing yards, six touchdowns and one interception, with a 70.9 percent completion rate. The quarterback had already needed to adjust his personnel groupings when Young was hurt on the first play against Pittsburgh.
What comes next
The next scheduled game is an October 11 trip to Miami. Chase’s status for that matchup remains unconfirmed. The next substantive update should clarify his progress, with no recovery timetable or future-game decision established here.
No published comments yet. Start the conversation.