Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase has been known to shoot down the idea of must-win games, including during the 2025 season. That made it noticeable when he underscored the importance of the Bengals’ Nov. 16 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers by agreeing that it was a must-win contest.
Speaking during a Nov. 13 news conference at Paycor Stadium, Chase remarked on the significance of the trip to play the Steelers at Acrisure Stadium (1 p.m.), saying: “Yeah, it’s a must-win if you want to win the AFC, 100%.”
A win would give the Bengals (3-6) a season sweep of Pittsburgh (5-4) after winning the Oct. 16 shootout between the teams. It would also pull Cincinnati to within one game of the division-leading Steelers in the AFC North standings while a loss could drop the Bengals to three games back in the divisional race.
Cincinnati is coming off its bye week, having dropped high-scoring games to the Chicago Bears Nov. 2 and the New York Jets Oct. 26 going into the break.
In the past, Chase had dismissed the idea of must-win games. But not this week.
“I think it’d be good just to get our momentum back after these past two games we lost,” Chase said. “Just knowing the feeling of how it feels to lose and win, knowing after some games we were supposed to win, so, you know, just having that feeling of losing, I think we don’t want to feel that again so we know we’ve got to have a mindset to win this game because that’s where we want to be in the AFC.
“You can’t approach another game differently because it’s a must-win game. You’ve got to approach the game the same.”
Eight games remain for Cincinnati in 2025. On paper, that’s enough time to climb back into playoff contention as far as the divisional race is concerned. Playoff hopes could dim and the games will still be consequential, though, as wins and losses could be a determining factor in whether quarterback Joe Burrow returns from injury in 2025.
Burrow made his post-surgery return to practice Nov. 10 and indicated it would be meaningful to him to play in the team’s Thanksgiving night primetime game at the Baltimore Ravens. Both Burrow and head coach Zac Taylor said several factors would be considering in any possible return by Burrow. It has been speculated the team’s record could be one of the factors.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Ja’Marr Chase: Bengals facing ‘must-win game’ vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
