Ja'Marr Chase Wants Joe Burrow to Sit Out for Bengals vs. Rams with Calf Injury

While most of the city of Cincinnati will be praying that Joe Burrow is able to suit up for the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night as they take on the Los Angeles Rams, star wideout Ja'Marr Chase is not among them.

Chase spoke with reporters following practice Friday and said he told Burrow—who is dealing with an injured calf—that he doesn't want to see him back on the field until he's 100 percent healthy, even if that means missing some time.

"I told him back then, don't play until you're 100 percent ready to play," Chase said. "I don't know what he's doing [Monday night]."

After not practicing Thursday, Burrow participated in individual throwing drills Friday, but his status for the Rams game is still very much up in the air.

The Pro Bowl signal-caller has been noncommittal about whether he'll suit up Monday night. He aggravated the calf injury that cost him the majority of training camp this offseason in Cincinnati's loss to the Baltimore Ravens last week.

And some injury experts believe the best move the Bengals could make at the moment is to place Burrow on injured reserve to give him the necessary resting period.

"When it's reported there's been a tweak or aggravation," CBS Sports HQ's Marty Jaramillo said Friday, "that means some amount of scar tissue that's been laid down for healing has been torn. The player takes a step back. The question is, how far did he step back? Saying he's 'day to day' is highly optimistic and quite unrealistic. Terms related to his availability like, 'We'll see' and 'day to day,' they sound to me like they're coming from an elite, optimistic athlete. I believe he should be out at least four weeks."

Burrow's struggles with the injury have been evident in his play as Cincinnati has fallen to 0-2. The 2020 No. 1 overall pick has thrown for just 304 yards—82 in Week 1—to go along with two touchdowns and one interception.

And no one has been more affected than Chase, who has also seen a huge downturn in production. He has 10 receptions for 70 yards with no scores.

If Burrow isn't able to play Monday, he'll be relieved by former University of Washington standout Jake Browning.