Bengals’ Winners and Losers vs. Falcons

Sep 14, 2014; Cincinnati, OH, USA; A Cincinnati Bengals fan looks on from the stands in the second quarter against Atlanta Falcons at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Loser: Injuries

The Bengals suffered several, potentially harmful injuries on Sunday causing fans to react like this Storm Trooper all to often.  During the contest, the Bengals saw Vontaze Burfict in and out of the lineup often after clearly feeling uneasy after a couple of plays; Burfict suffered a concussion against the Ravens last week.

Burfict also suffered a stinger after taking an inadvertent knee to his upper back later in the game.

The Bengals saw A.J. Green leave the game after reaggravating a “turf toe” injury that’s been bothering him throughout the week.  Offensive lineman Kevin Zeitler was seen using crutches following the game after hurting his calf, while Andrew Whitworth also hobbled off the field at one point.  And the fun didn’t stop there as both defensive tackle Brandon Thompson and tight end Alex Smith left the game at a point also.

This team was already dealing with injuries to tight end Tyler Eifert, running back Rex Burkhead, and wide receiver Marvin Jones prior to this game.  Luckily, the Bengals have an early bye week this year (week four), so hopefully they can pull out a win next week against the Titans at Paul Brown Stadium and use the following week to get healthy.

The Titans were thoroughly beaten by the Cowboys on Sunday, so they’ll be looking for a win that much more in week three.  It’ll be challenging for the Bengals to win the game with, potentially, a very depleted roster.  But thus far, this team has shown serious resolve in the face of adversity in its first two games.  Week three may not be much different, so a strong performance from Dalton and the running game may be necessary if the Bengals want to go into the bye week on a high note and set their record for consecutive home, regular-season wins.