CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bengals were able to pull out an overtime win against the Minnesota Vikings, but they didn’t come out unscathed.
Head coach Zac Taylor said Sunday that defensive tackle DJ Reader is officially out for the rest of the season due to a torn quad tendon. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo first reported the news Saturday evening. Reader was quickly carted off the field early in the game and was quickly declared out by the Bengals.
Other than Reader, star receiver JaMarr Chase is day-to-day with an AC joint sprain in his shoulder, Taylor said. Chase could be seen having issues with his shoulder before he left late in the fourth quarter before the game headed to overtime. He was officially ruled out during overtime.
Taylor said rookie corner DJ Ivey is also out for the rest of the season with an ACL injury. Ivey was carted off the Bengals sideline and could be seen visibly upset and in pain.
Reader is a leader and major part of the Bengals defensive line, and Taylor said his loss will be felt.
“Seeing him come off the field, seeing him in the training room last night, I know that he’ll respond the right way and it’s unfortunate for DJ, unfortunate for all of us because he’s such a big part of us,” Taylor said. “So it’s a killer to see something like that happen to him.”
This isn’t the first time quad injuries have ruined Reader’s season. In 2020, Reader suffered a torn tendon in his left quad costing him the rest of the season.
The Bengals head to Pittsburgh and take on the Steelers on Saturday, Dec. 23 at 4:30 p.m.
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