Bengals lose Bernard; Green could be back in weeks

The journey they have embarked on is an arduous one, to say the least: If they want to make the National Football League playoffs this season, they have to win at least six of their final seven games, maybe all seven, and that meant they could not stub their toe against the spiraling Bengals.

Jacksonville has lost five games in a row while Buffalo snapped a three-game losing streak on Sunday, defeating the Cincinnati Bengals 16-12. In the 2014 opener his juggling 77-yard catch and then zig-zag run after he secured it gave him 131 yards on the day and brought the Bengals back from a 16-15 deficit with 4:58 left.

In 2014 Dalton went to the playoffs while Green was hurt and the result was spectacularly bad. When they lost both McCoy and top receiver Robert Woods in the first half, things looked bleak. Green and running back Giovani Bernard suffered majors injuries in the loss. But because the AFC North is so feeble, the Bengals are obligated to play for this year. It was a great performance by the Bills defense, and with turnover prone Blake Bortles next on the schedule, they should be able to keep the momentum rolling.

Bengals wideout A.J. Green has a strained hamstring, but the prognosis is much better than what was believed as recently as Sunday night. In 2016, Green has totaled 66 receptions, 964 receiving yards, and four receiving touchdowns. Outside of fellow 2011 draft classmate Julio Jones and Odell Beckham Jr., no other contemporary receiver combines Green’s poetry-in-motion grace and mountain-carving physicality. Gio Bernard was next with five catches, but he tore his ACL and will not be available again this season. Furthermore, with co-lead back Jeremy hill prone to bouts of inconsistency, Bernard’s presence allowed for Cincinnati to adjust on the fly without overhauling the game plan.

Unfortunately, that new-look offense would have included a heavy dose of Bernard as a pass-catcher out of the backfield, but it now seems as if the “next man up” mantra will be in full effect instead. But it would take a monumental effort to reach the playoffs without Green or Bernard, who’ve amassed more than 1,700 yards of offense. Unfortunately, Bernard’s injury is a bit more serious than Green’s.

“You never want to lose a guy like that”, said quarterback Andy Dalton on Sunday. Furthermore, it will be interesting to see how Dalton plays with lack of weapon. Up until yesterday, the Bengals were in good physical shape. Without Green lining up at wide receiver, stopping Eifert will become easier. But we’ll see. We’ll line up and play them.

The division victor will largely be affected by the Bengals’ matchup with the Steelers in Week 15.