The Bengals are the only team in the NFL without a touchdown this season. The task of getting into the end zone will not get easier, with two skilled players ruled out for Sunday’s game in Green Bay.
The Bengals will be without two of their playmakers when the team visits Lambeau Field to play the Packers on Sunday.
Rookie receiver John Ross (knee) and Pro-Bowl tight end Tyler Eifert (back) have missed practice this week and will not suit up against Green Bay (1-1).
This just adds to a shaky start for Ross in his first professional season. He was injured during the preseason finale and missed the season opener. In his first taste of NFL action, Ross fumbled his first touch away in last Thursday’s 13-9 loss to Houston and never saw the ball again.
With past injuries on his college resume, Ross will have missed more games (two) than he has touches (one) in his first season in stripes.
Eifert, however, will add Sunday to a long list of games missed over his five-year career.
Eifert ended last year on injured reserve. He’ll now miss his first contest of 2017 after a four-catch, 46-yard start to the season. Sunday will mark the 27th game he’s missed out of the last 50.
This isn’t good news for a Bengals’ offense that has yet to score a touchdown, a quarterback on the hot seat and a new offensive coordinator who will likely have to win in a shootout with Aaron Rodgers under center for the opposition.
Who’s left?
With Eifert and Ross shelved, Cincinnati’s offense may look similar to what it was in the headache-worthy primetime loss to the Texans.
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Alex Erickson will see his targets. Something that was scrutinized last Thursday when the undrafted second-year receiver was thrown to three times on the Bengals’ final drive. That included the fourth-down incompletion that sealed Cincinnati’s first 0-2 start since 2008.
Erickson caught four of six targets for 62 yards in the loss. He snagged a 37-yarder that set up the second of Randy Bullock’s three field goals.
You can expect to see Tyler Boyd back in the slot. The second-year Pittsburgh product was a healthy inactive against Houston, a bluegill among catfish in a pond that made up a second-straight agonizing home defeat.
The Bengals will also be without guard Trey Hopkins. Hopkins missed Week 2, after injuring his knee in pursuit after an interception against Baltimore. That means T.J. Johnson is set to start at right guard for a second consecutive week.
After facing two above-average AFC defenses to begin the year, the Bengals’ depleted offense will face a banged-up Green Bay defense.
Defensive tackle Mike Daniels (hip), corner Davon House (quad), safety Kentrell Brice (groin) and linebackers Nick Perry (hand) and Jake Ryan (hamstring) did not practice on Thursday.
The Packers allowed 364 total yards in a 34-23 loss to Atlanta last Sunday.