The Cincinnati Bengals are squarely focused on their Week 8 matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles. Both teams are in the midst of two-game winning streaks, and both are fighting for playoff positioning in their respective conferences.
But, while the Eagles are the current priority, it never hurts to look ahead, and a big-time injury to a key contributor for the Las Vegas Raiders will have a major impact on Cincinnati's Week 9 matchup with Las Vegas.
Raiders QB Aidan O'Connell will miss Week 9 game against Bengals with thumb injury
Raiders starting quarterback Aidan O'Connell is expected to miss four-to-six weeks with a fractured thumb that he suffered in Week 7 against the Los Angeles Rams. O'Connell was placed on injured reserve, which means that he will miss at least four games and won't be available for the matchup with the Bengals next weekend.
So far this season, O'Connell has thrown for 455 yards and two touchdowns in four games and two starts. He entered the season as the backup to Gardner Minshew, but he was named the team's starter earlier this month after an underwhelming start to the season for Minshew. However, now it looks like the Raiders will be forced to go back to Minshew, and he will likely serve as the starter for the game against Cincinnati.
In light of the injury to O'Connell, the Raiders are also signing to Desmond Ridder to bolster their quarterback depth. Barring another injury in Week 8, those are likely to be the two quarterbacks active for Las Vegas when they travel to Cincinnati, so the Bengals defense will have to plan accordingly.
For what it's worth, Minshew has a career 1-2 record against the Bengals. He won his first game against the Bengals as a member of the Jaguars in 2019, but he's lost his last two -- one with Jacksonville in 2010 and one with Indianapolis last season. Desmond Ridder has never played against the Bengals.