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When it comes to players who have tormented the Pittsburgh Steelers within the confines of the AFC North, Cincinnati Bengals WR AJ Green would be on the list. Green has always been a prolific player for the Bengals, but his inability to stay healthy has been the one true hindrance from reaching super stardom.
The Bengals were dealt a tough hand, again, when Green was carted off the practice field during training camp Tuesday with an ankle injury. However, while the team originally thought Green would be back for the team’s season opener against the Seattle Seahawks, the prognosis has changed for the worse.
It is now expected Green could miss multiple regular season games, and that would include the Week 4 Monday Night Football game vs. the Steelers at Heinz Field. This per Jeremy Bergman of NFL.com:
“I hate to put weeks on it,” Taylor told reporters, per Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic, “but we are ready for him to come back when he feels healthy and ready to go and hopefully it’s not more than a couple games.”
Green underwent surgery on Tuesday morning to clean out his sprained left ankle that he injured in practice on Saturday. It was understood before the surgery that Green still had a shot to play in Cincinnati’s Week 1 opener against the Seattle Seahawks. But following further examination, Green is now expected to miss not just the opener but the first part of the Bengals’ 2019 campaign, however long that is.
Cincinnati follows its opening trip to Seattle with games against the San Francisco 49ers, Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers. The Bengals will start the Taylor era with Tyler Boyd and John Ross as likely starters at receiver, though it should be noted Ross (hamstring) has had durability issues of his own in the past and this summer.
In 2019 it doesn’t look like there will be any ‘gimme’ games in the AFC North, but if you have to play the Bengals without AJ Green, your chances of winning just increased dramatically.
Stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding Steelers Training Camp, all four teams who call the AFC North home and other NFL news!