The Cincinnati Bengals have their duo back. Ja’Marr Chase and Joe Burrow returned to action on Thanksgiving primetime after the wide receiver missed Week 12. Chase was suspended for last week, and Burrow hasn’t played since Week 2. Now, against their division rival, the Bengals are looking to build momentum as they head into next season.
Ja’Marr Chase’s Quiet Start
Chase served his suspension and is back on the field in Week 13. He’s been quiet in the first quarter. Chase and Burrow are shaking off some rust as they look to get back into their top form. When these two are firing together, it is impossible to defend.
Chase notched his second catch early in the second quarter to bring his total to 22 yards. The Bengals squandered a golden goal-to-go opportunity and trail the Ravens after a Derrick Henry touchdown.
The Bengals are without their other star receiver, Tee Higgins, after he got hurt in last week’s game against the Patriots. Chase is going to have to step up and get involved if the Bengals want to have a chance at pulling off the upset.
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His season has been quite up and down, with some dominant performances and others underwhelming, following a particularly strong 2024 season. Burrow’s injury played a part, but even without Burrow, Chase had games where he looked unguardable. Chase is the 6th-ranked wide receiver in PFSN’s WR Impact metric with an impact score of 86.7. Chase needs 59 more yards tonight to hit the 1,000-yard mark on the season.
After forcing an Isaiah Likely fumble out of the back of the end zone for a touchback, Burrow looked Chase’s way a few times. He connected with Chase on a deep shot for a big gain and found him for a big third-down conversion to get them into the red zone.
Burrow to Chase for a pickup of 43
CINvsBAL on NBC
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Chase is up to four catches for 80 yards in the first half and helped the Bengals retake their lead.
The Bengals are playing for pride at this point in the season, unless they win out and miraculously secure a division title. That is extremely unlikely, and Cincinnati is just playing spoiler.
They would love to put a dent in Baltimore’s playoff hopes and have something to build off of moving forward. Getting Chase involved, as they did near the end of the second quarter, will be key to potentially securing the win tonight on Thanksgiving.
Editor’s Note: This is a breaking news story and will be updated throughout the day as more information becomes available.