Tyler Eifert Back at Practice: Wednesday Injury Report
By Connor Howe
Nov 29, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Adam Jones (24) against the St. Louis Rams at Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals won 31-7. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Tyler Eifert is back on the practice field for the Cincinnati Bengals after sitting out a game in Cleveland.
Tyler Eifert is back. That’s the good news.
The bad news?
Adam Jones showed up to the Bengals’ practice facilities on a scooter with his foot in a cast.
It’s still yet to be determined whether either of these two players will suit up on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but Jones’ foot injury looms as a huge concern. Jones himself told ESPN’s Coley Harvey that he will not suit up this Sunday, but Marvin Lewis hinted that Jones may still have to play this Sunday.
Talking about whether Jones misses practice on Wednesday, Lewis had this to say:
“I would assume that until I get the saw out later,” he said, laughing. “I’ll save that until Saturday maybe.”
The hesitancy in Lewis’ response more than likely indicates that Jones will miss Sunday’s action. But matched up with a high-flying Steelers offense, Jones may have to tough it out for a second straight week after playing at what he claimed to be “65 percent” in Cleveland during Sunday’s win.
Here’s a look at this week’s injury report:
[table id=114 /]
DNP – Did Not Participate
LP – Limited Participation
FP – Full Participation
Game Status
Out = Player will not play
Doubtful = 25% chance a player will play
Questionable = 50% chance a player will play
Probable = 75% chance a player will play
(-) = Not Listed – No game status available
As evidenced by the table, Cincinnati’s secondary has been ravaged by injuries. The only Bengals corner on the roster who isn’t on the injury report is rookie Troy Hill, who was only promoted from the practice squad a few days ago.
Safety George Iloka is also dealing with a groin injury, making Reggie Nelson the only healthy starting defensive back on Cincinnati’s roster.
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Cincinnati’s secondary is banged-up, which means that its offense could be involved in a shootout this week. The Bengals held Pittsburgh to 10 points in the earlier matchup between these two teams, but after
threw four touchdowns against the Colts last week, it’s hard to envision this Steelers offense stalling–especially given all of the injuries throughout the back end of Cincinnati’s defense.
Beating the Steelers will take one of the Bengals’ best offensive efforts of the season and a huge effort from Cincinnati’s pass rush.
Carlos Dunlap, at nine and a half sacks, is closing in on his goal of 10 sacks on the season. Geno Atkins has eight sacks, Michael Johnson has four sacks and Domata Peko has a career-high four sacks. The Bengals’ defensive line will need to wreak havoc in the Steelers’ backfield in order to give its banged-up secondary a chance to make some plays on the ball.
On the other side, Andy Dalton needs to prove that his dud of an outing in Pittsburgh was just a fluke and improve on his current progress after contributing six touchdowns in the past two weeks. A.J. Green and Marvin Jones will need to step up in the passing game, Jeremy Hill needs to have a career game and Giovani Bernard needs to make an impact as both a runner and receiver if the Bengals are going to keep up with Pittsburgh’s offense. It will also take a return to health from Clint Boling and Ryan Hewitt for the Bengals’ running game to really get going.
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Sunday’s game will be a huge test for this Bengals team. It’s time to see what Cincinnati is made of.