The Cincinnati Bengals are expected to welcome wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase back into the fold with the Chiefs looming on the schedule.
If you’re a member of Chiefs Kingdom, then you’ve likely become very accustomed to the news that an injured player has somehow made his way back just in time to face Kansas City. It’s happened all season long and will happen again when the Chiefs visit the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 13.
The Bengals have been without wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase for more than the last month with a hip injury suffered during Week 7 in a win over the Atlanta Falcons. At first, it was believed that the injury would likely keep him out longer, but NFL reporter Ian Rapoport has word that Chase is on target to come back in time to host the Chiefs.
That’s not the worst thing for the Chiefs from a competition perspective. It does the team little good to face clearly inferior opponents if they want to test their mettle before the postseason begins. That said, it makes it that much harder to hold onto the AFC’s top seed with a tough Bengals team ahead.
The game against Cincy might be the single toughest challenge remaining for the Chiefs in the regular season. The Bengals have won three games in a row and beat Kansas City twice last season, including at Arrowhead in the AFC Championship Game. Chase was a major part of the Bengals’ success against K.C., and it will be interesting to see how he looks returning from time away.
Despite only playing in 8 total games, Chase has 47 catches for 605 yards and 6 touchdowns so far in 2022. Last season, Chase had an incredible 1,455 receiving yards and 13 scores for Cincy on his way to winning Offensive Rookie of the Year.