Cincinnati lost at home to Jacksonville 22-17 on Sunday, and the final score was the smallest problem the Bengals walked away with.
Ja’Marr Chase went into concussion protocol in the second quarter and never came back. He remains in protocol and is uncertain for Week 5. Tee Higgins left late with a groin issue after an 11-catch, 157-yard afternoon and is day-to-day. Cincinnati is 2-2 and tied for last in the AFC North.
The Play
With 12:04 left in the first half, Chase caught a Joe Burrow pass near the Jacksonville 29. Jaguars cornerback Jarrian Jones grabbed his facemask and twisted him down. Linebacker Ventrell Miller arrived next and drove his head into the turf.
Chase walked off under his own power with a towel over his head. He was evaluated and ruled out. Worth noting for accuracy: multiple outlets describe the facemask grab, but I have not found confirmation that a flag was actually thrown on the play.
He finished with three catches for 26 yards.
This Is a $161 Million Problem
Chase is 26 and signed a four-year, $161 million extension in March 2025, roughly $40.25 million a year, which made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history at signing. Higgins signed a four-year, $115 million deal alongside him.
Through four games Chase has 21 catches for 212 yards and three touchdowns. The game log tells the story of a season that was just starting to turn: two catches for 12 against Tampa Bay, then seven for 75 and two scores at Houston, then nine for 98 and a touchdown at Pittsburgh.
He was building. Now he is in a dark room.
Burrow Is Fine, Which Makes This Worse
Joe Burrow threw for 428 yards against Jacksonville. He also threw two interceptions against one touchdown, and Cincinnati still lost by five.
A quarterback can put up 428 yards and lose when his offense has no answer in the red zone and his two best targets are hurt by the fourth quarter. Zac Taylor’s response was measured: “Ja’Marr is a big part of the plan, but again, we’ve got to adjust.”
What Week 5 Looks Like
The Bengals get the 0-4 Dolphins, a team that has not scored more than 13 points in a game all year. That is the schedule gift Cincinnati needs, and it is the kind of matchup you can survive without your best receiver.
Concussion protocol does not run on a schedule, and nobody should want Chase rushed back for a game against Miami. Taylor has not ruled him out, and he has not been cleared. The honest answer right now is that nobody knows.
Cincinnati has a 2-2 team with a top-five quarterback, a damaged receiver room and a division nobody is running away with. The season is not lost. It just got a lot narrower.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.