Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase ruled out after suffering shoulder injury in fourth quarter vs. Vikings

The Bengals lose their star receiver

With their playoff hopes hanging in the balance, the Bengals were without their top pass-catching option. In the fourth quarter of Cincinnati's Week 15 contest with the Vikings, 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. As the team crossed midfield, NFL Network cameras caught Chase walking to the locker room with trainers. 

The Bengals have since announced that Chase has been officially ruled out with a right shoulder injury. While it's unclear when he specifically injured himself, the 23-year-old was hobbled earlier in this second half and was seen talking to trainers on the sideline after missing out on a couple of offensive plays before briefly returning to action. 

Ja'Marr Chase

CIN • WR • #1
TAR: 128
REC: 89
REC YDs: 1092
REC TD: 7
FL: 0
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With Chase on the sideline, the Bengals were able to move 75 yards down the field and tie the game at 24 thanks to a remarkable touchdown reception by fellow receiver Tee Higgins. 

Before exiting to the locker room, Chase caught all four of his targets from quarterback Jake Browning for 64 yards.

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. Of course, having a healthy Chase in the fold would give them their best chance at making that late-season push.