Injuries: Eifert’s status unclear, Green on track for Bengals

The Broncos will face Bengals backup quarterback AJ McCarron, who has replaced the injured Andy Dalton. He’s not going to completely disappear – he will be on the sideline wearing a stocking cap and appearing in numerous commercials – but will he quarterback another game for the Denver Broncos? Eifert did not play in Week 15’s victory over the San Francisco 49ers and may not play again until the AFC Playoffs are underway.

Eifert already has been ruled out of Cincinnati’s Monday night matchup with the Broncos, as he remains in the league’s concussion protocol, NFL.com reports.

People seem to forget that the Denver Broncos are 10-4. McCarron did well in his fill-in role and then won his first game under center the next week.

New England Patriots (12-2) at New York Jets (9-5): A win for Tom Brady and the Pats gives them home-field advantage throughout the play-offs. In the example above, one of the biggest factors in keeping the defensive linemen from blowing up the field is making them honoring the run fake. “That is what our sights are set on”.

It was McCarron’s second pass of the game against Pittsburgh that he hit A.J. Green perfectly in stride for a 66-yard touchdown pass.

This time, he didn’t turn the ball over.

“We’ve got a long week this week”, Kubiak noted.

Emmanuel Sanders, who had a tremendous game in Pittsburgh, echoed his teammates statements Wednesday saying, “We just have to get back in the lab and work”. It’s go time. The closer you get to the end of the year, the closer you get to the tournament, the deeper you get in the tournament, it’s more pressure.

The Bengals’ defense has also vowed to help McCarron get through the fire, until Dalton is able to return.

Out of nowhere, the Carolina Panthers had turned a 35-7 lead over the New York Giants late in the third quarter into the kind of Sunday that could permanently destroy a serious contender, never mind put an end to an undefeated season.

The biggest disappointment was the running game, which has struggled at times all season. Cincinnati finished with a season-low 242 net yards. The line missed blocks as well.

While it is in Cincinnati’s best interest to sit their starting wide receiver, this decision does have a significant implications with regards to fantasy football playoffs.

Earlier this month, fans at Cincinnati and Denver felt good about having the top two teams in the conference, in position for first-round byes in the post-season. Clearly the Bengals know they need to win the game, as many players are calling this the start of the playoffs. “That’s the fun part about where are”.

“All great quarterbacks – I’m not calling myself a great quarterback – just saying all the great quarterbacks in the history of the National Football League have been a game manager of some sort, whether it’s knowing the clock, knowing the situation, when to take a sack, when to throw the ball away, when you can take a little more risk, when not to”, McCarron said.