Whoever the Cincinnati Bengals starting quarterback is going to be this Sunday will have to operate without the team’s No. 1 wide receiver. Ja’Marr Chase has been suspended for a game after spitting on Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Jalen Ramsey in Week 11.
Chase being out naturally changes the outlook for both the Bengals and their opponent, the New England Patriots, this week. But while Cincinnati is undoubtably less talented with the four-time Pro Bowler absent, the Patriots are making sure not
to underestimate the team’s remaining receivers.
“Plenty of talent,” said head coach Mike Vrabel about the Bengals wide receiver room beyond Chase. “It’s just the opportunities probably haven’t been there. But when they’ve been given the opportunity and they’ve gone to them whether that’s [Andrei] Iosivas, that’s [Mitchell] Tinsley down the field, obviously Tee [Higgins], deep threat, took a slant to the house against Pittsburgh, tight window, split the safeties. So, I don’t think that they lack in talent, I think it’s just been opportunity.”
With Chase suspended, the Bengals will be without a player who has so far this season contributed 79 receptions for 861 yards and five touchdowns to the club’s offensive output. In his place, Tee Higgins will slide into the WR1 role and get a prime chance to add to his 35 catches, 544 yards and team-leading seven scores.
Beyond Higgins, Andrei Iosivas (19-256-1) and Mitchell Tinsley (3-49-1) are the next men up. Tinsley, a former undrafted free agent in his first year in Cincinnati, is likely to experience the most drastic increase in opportunity.
The wide receivers are not the only ones asked to step up, though. Running back Chase Brown (39-229-1) and tight end Noah Fant (30-256-3) have also been reliable targets, while ex-Patriot Mike Gesicki returned to practice on Wednesday after missing the Bengals’ last four games on injured reserve.
“It’s going to be a whole host of guys that we will afford opportunity,” offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher said about replacing Chase. “That was a message to them this morning when we talked to the team. When you don’t have Ja’Marr available, everybody has eyes in their head. They can see how big of a piece he is to what we try to do week in and week out.”
The Patriots, meanwhile, are making sure to properly prepare for the variety of weapons Cincinnati’s quarterback — either Joe Burrow or Joe Flacco — will have at their disposal Sunday.
“They still have a very good offense,” said cornerback Christian Gonzalez. “They have Tee; Chase Brown’s been playing really well. Charlie Jones, they have Iosivas. They have people. They still have a lot of receivers that can work.”
“We’ll have to do a great job trying to defend them, whether that be Brown or Higgins or anybody else,” added Mike Vrabel. “It’s just a big challenge offensively.”
