Bengals vs Steelers injury report for Week 16: Latest on Ja'Marr Chase, Kenny Pickett, Najee Harris and more

The Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers face off on Saturday in Week 16 of the 2023 NFL season. Both teams have playoff aspirations, even though one of the teams is barely hanging on at this point.

Here's a look at which players are facing a race against time to be fit for the weekend.

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Cincinnati Bengals injury report for Week 16

The Bengals will be without star pass catcher Ja'Marr Chase for Saturday's game. The Pro Bowler is dealing with a shoulder injury and has not participated in team training all week. Chase joins his fellow LSU alum Joe Burrow on the sidelines, with Burrow being ruled out for the 2023 season due to a wrist injury.

Furthermore, six other players appear on the Bengals' injury report:

• Chase Brown
• Alex Cappa
• Cameron Sample
• Joe Bachie
• Jake Browning
• Jackson Carman

Thankfully, these players were all full participants in Thursday's training session, so they'll most likely feature on Saturday.

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Pittsburgh Steelers injury report for Week 16

As for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the franchise will have to do without franchise QB Kenny Pickett, starting defensive back Trenton Thompson, and star safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. All three are ruled out of Saturday's game due to existing injuries. Also, star running back Najee Harris has no designation coming into the game, even though he was a full participant in Thursday's practice.

Furthermore, defensive back Elijah Riley is questionable for the match because of an ankle injury, while the rest of the players on the injury report are unassigned.

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Can the Bengals still make the playoffs?

Yes, Cincinnati can still make this season's playoffs. The Bengals currently have an 8-6 record, and according to NFL.com, they have a 47% chance of making the playoffs. However, if they lose against the Pittsburgh Steelers, their chances drop to 20%; if they win, their chances will rise to 66%.

Hence, Saturday's game is a must-win for Jake Browning and co., as their playoff hopes rely on a positive result against Mike Tomlin's side. Furthermore, the Bengals' last two games are against the Kansas City Chiefs and Cleveland Browns. The Pittsburgh game is the most straightforward on their remaining schedule.

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Fire up our NFL Playoff Predictor to find out if the Bengals sneak into the postseason.

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Can the Steelers still make the playoffs?

As for Pittsburgh, yes, they can still make the playoffs. However, their chances of making the playoffs are a meager 7% coming into Saturday's game. The Steelers are at the bottom of their division and have a better chance of convincing Rob Gronkowski to unretire than making this year's playoffs.

Even if the Steelers win on Saturday, their chances of making the playoffs will increase to 15%. On the contrary, if they lose, they'll be officially eliminated from the playoff picture, joining the New York Jets, Tennessee Titans, and New England Patriots in the elimination tier.