The Cincinnati Bengals sure looked like they missed wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase Monday night. 

With Chase nursing an injury and expected to miss some time, the Bengals’ offense looked lost and listless without the former LSU wideout in the lineup. 

With as much talent as Cincy has, putting up only 13 points feels like a red flag. Quarterback Joe Burrow has plenty of firepower at his disposal even without Chase, but the QB only threw for 232 yards against a struggling Cleveland secondary. 

None of his receivers crossed 50 yards, either. Cincinnati’s passing attack was varied, if not particularly successful. Most teams would be more than fine to have a receiving room with just WR Tyler Boyd, WR Tee Higgins, tight end Hayden Hurst and running back Joe Mixon. 

Cincinnati’s offensive line has been a major disappointment after it got reworked in the offseason, with Burrow getting sacked five times during Monday night’s game. 

With Burrow under too much pressure and now missing his most reliable target, Cincinnati is going to have to figure out life without Chase if it wishes to keep pace in the AFC. 

With the Baltimore Ravens adding some major defensive juice with linebacker Roquan Smith and pass rusher David Ojabo for the second half of the year, Cincy can’t even afford to fall behind in the division. 

Life will be easier for Cincy once Chase gets back, but with this many passing options, you’d think they’d be able to withstand it better than they did against Cleveland.