No damage was found in an MRI on Tuesday, but his bad back could keep Ja’Marr Chase out of the lineup on Sunday.
Chase is officially questionable to play in the Cincinnati Bengals’ Week 10 tilt against the visiting Houston Texans.
In the Bengals’ Week 9 victory against the Buffalo Bills, Chase skied for a high ball and came down with an ugly thud on his back. He didn’t leave the game, but he did miss practice on Wednesday before returning in a limited capacity on Thursday and Friday.
On Thursday, Chase delivered his MRI news and added that he was dealing with a back bruise.
Chase’s loss Sunday would be monumental individually, but it will be magnified in combination with wideout Tee Higgins (hamstring) being out. Charlie Jones is also listed as questionable due to a thumb injury.
Cincinnati rolls into Sunday with four straight wins. During that span, Chase has totaled 35 receptions for 413 receiving yards with four touchdowns.
On the season, Chase’s 64 catches, 697 yards and four TD catches are all tops on the Bengals.
Quarterback Joe Burrow’s top target is up in the air with the Texans (4-4) and Bengals (4-4) set to kick off Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.