Cincinnati Bengals’ wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase took us back to the first game of the season after spitting at Steelers corner Jalen Ramsey this Sunday. While he was at it, he earned himself a one-game suspension, which will lead to an almost $500,000 pay cut. And he has quite an interesting argument to overturn that decision.

According to sources, Chase will appeal the one-game suspension because if he actually spat on Jalen Ramsey, he would have spat in his face instead of on the ground or on his jersey.

Well, that’s an interesting perspective. But it’s unlikely that the NFL head offices would care for it.

Late in the fourth quarter of the Bengals’ 34–12 loss, things boiled over. Ja’Marr Chase and Jalen Ramsey got into it, and cameras caught what looked like Chase spitting in Ramsey’s direction. Ramsey reacted immediately, yanking Chase’s facemask and taking a swing, and was out of the game. Chase, though, wasn’t penalized on the field.

Officials later said they simply didn’t see the spit. The league, however, didn’t miss it on review. On Monday, the league suspended Chase for one game without pay under its sportsmanship policy, a decision that will cost him at least $448,000 in base salary and roughly $58,000 per game active bonus.

The Bengals’ head coach, Zac Taylor, told reporters he spoke with Chase about the situation, and the receiver is planning to appeal. Still, as insider Frank Schwab pointed out, the odds of the league overturning this are slim.

“Chase vehemently denied it, then we saw the clear video. It was one magic loogie; it was right out of Seinfeld. There is a Zapruder film of that magic loogie, and because of it, Chase was suspended. I would also argue there’s no way that Ja’Marr Chase is going to win his appeal. It’s on video; spit comes from his mouth, and it isn’t just a little spittle,” Schwab said.

And this doesn’t just hit Chase. The timing is brutal for quarterback Joe Burrow, who’s been inching closer to returning and was counting on having his No. 1 receiver when he does.

Ja’Marr Chase’s suspension may end Joe Burrow’s year

Insider Frank Schwab also dug into what it means for Joe Burrow, and the picture he painted wasn’t exactly rosy for Cincinnati.

“And I’ll also argue this. The Bengals’ next four games are Patriots, Ravens, and Bills, And the Ravens. I’ll say that again. Patriots, Ravens, Bills, and Ravens. Do you need to look in the mirror and have a difficult conversation about telling Joe Burrow?”

If the Bengals drop next week’s game to New England, a team tied for the league’s best record at 9–2, the question becomes unavoidable: Is it worth putting Burrow back on the field for what’s left of this season? It’s already felt long for Cincinnati, and the stretch ahead looks even longer.

There was at least a sliver of hope a few weeks ago. The AFC North was tight, nobody was pulling away, and if the Bengals could just tread water until Burrow returned, maybe they could get him back alongside Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins for a late push. Burrow targeted Thanksgiving as his return date. But it now feels like a big, big risk.

And there won’t be much of a difference even if Burrow comes back, because Joe Flacco has been promising. Unless the defense magically gets fixed, there’s not really much point for Burrow to risk himself this season.