There was hope when quarterback Joe Burrow resumed practicing last week that maybe, just maybe, the Cincinnati Bengals could reassemble their broken season. Perhaps they could hang in there just long enough, with no one running away with the AFC North, for Burrow to rejoin wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins in the coming weeks and craft a stretch-drive run toward a playoff berth.
But those hopes are fading quickly in what continues to shape up as another lost season. The Bengals’ lopsided loss Sunday in Pittsburgh dropped them to 3-7. The NFL suspended Chase for one game without pay Monday for spitting at Steelers cornerback Jalen Ramsey, provoking Ramsey into being ejected when he retaliated by striking Chase. Barring a successful appeal, Chase would miss Sunday’s game against the visiting New England Patriots.
And a loss to the Patriots, who are tied for the NFL’s best record at 9-2, would raise the issue of whether it’s prudent for the Bengals to put Burrow back in harm’s way by allowing him to play in games during what remains of this ill-fated season.
Field-level view of the second altercation between Ja’Marr Chase and Jalen Ramsey. Chase said “I didn’t spit on nobody.”
The video clearly shows he did.#Bengals @FOX19 pic.twitter.com/ooGzInoPdS— Austin Briski (@austin_briski) November 16, 2025
The NFL announced Chase’s suspension Monday. It concluded that Chase spit on Ramey and added that he was being suspended “for an act of unsportsmanlike conduct.”
If Chase appeals, his case would be resolved by one of the hearing officers for on-field discipline jointly appointed by the NFL and the NFL Players Association. The suspension, if it stands, would cost Chase $448,333 — one-eighteenth of his $8.07 million base salary for this season. (Players are paid over 18 weeks of the regular season, including one bye week.)
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— Post Sports (@PostSports) October 16, 2025
There was precedent from earlier this season for the suspension, although it was not straightforward. The NFL suspended Philadelphia Eagles defensive lineman Jalen Carter for one game without pay for spitting at Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott during the league’s season-opening game in September. But Carter did not miss any subsequent games because the NFL ruled that he had, in effect, already served his suspension based on being ejected from that game before the opening play from scrimmage. The league fined Carter one game check to make his retroactive suspension be without pay.
Referee Bill Vinovich said in a pool report Sunday that the officials did not see Chase spit at Ramsey. The players were face to face as they engaged in a skirmish following a play during the Steelers’ 34-12 victory. Ramsey struck Chase in the helmet and was ejected. Ramsey said after the game that Chase had spit at him. Chase denied that, but video surfaced that appeared to support Ramsey’s assertion.
“I didn’t spit on nobody.”
Here is what Ja’Marr Chase had to say about his altercation with Jalen Ramsey: pic.twitter.com/PRRnqWt4kw— Noah Hiles (@_NoahHiles) November 16, 2025
Referee Bill Vinovich told pool reporter @BrianBatko that officials didn’t see Ja’Marr Chase spit on Jalen Ramsey. pic.twitter.com/RdUgwOBgzp
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) November 16, 2025
“I’ve always thought it was unbelievable how he’s handled himself in some really high-pressure, emotional decisions,” Bengals Coach Zac Taylor said of Chase at a news conference earlier Monday. “Obviously, what happened is crossing the line. We can’t have that. And I know he’ll own up to that.”
Chase leads the NFL with 79 catches. He ranks second with 861 receiving yards but is only tied for 14th with five touchdown catches. Last season, he led the league in catches, receiving yards and touchdown catches.
“We’re not all perfect,” Taylor said. “We’re going to make a mistake here and there. But I stand by Ja’Marr. And I know it was an emotional situation. I know there was a lot of things going on there that lead to things like that.”
Burrow is working his way back from surgery for turf toe. The Bengals opened his 21-day practice window last week, after which they must activate him from injured reserve or end his season. A player of Burrow’s value could be carried on the active roster for a few weeks even if he’s not ready to play. Burrow mentioned the possibility of returning for the Bengals’ game at Baltimore on Thanksgiving night. Their following game Dec. 7 at Buffalo might be more realistic.
The Bengals traded last month for quarterback Joe Flacco to attempt to keep their postseason hopes alive long enough for Burrow to return. But while Flacco has had some big games, the Bengals have continued to lose. Their offensive line is leaky, and their defense is dreadful. They are 1-7 since a 2-0 start.
It’s worth wondering whether Burrow should play again this season. He has suffered several serious injuries in his NFL career, to the point that he is a two-time winner of the comeback player of the year award. No player should want to win that award twice, much less become a candidate to win a third time.
— MarkMaske (@MarkMaske) November 17, 2025
The Bengals are three games behind the first-place Steelers and two games in back of the second-place Ravens in the division. They’re three games out of the final wild-card spot in the AFC. That’s not an insurmountable deficit for a rejuvenated team. But would the Bengals, even with Burrow, be that?
Burrow participated in seven-on-seven passing drills last week and could progress this week to 11-on-11 drills, Taylor said Monday. He declined to answer directly when asked whether the Bengals’ record will affect decisions on Burrow.
“I think right now he’s of the mindset that he wants to play football for us,” Taylor said. “And so, again, we’ll just continue to get through his rehab progression and see where that ends up before we make any decision on how we want to proceed.”
Burrow undoubtedly will push to play. Perhaps the Bengals would be wise to protect Burrow from himself as well as from opposing pass rushers.
The idea when the Bengals signed Chase and Higgins to lucrative long-term contract extensions in March, following public lobbying by Burrow, was that they would return to contender status following two straight non-playoff seasons. But it hasn’t happened. And there are few indications that it would happen even with a late-season return by Burrow.
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