Report: Bengals' C.J. Uzomah Has 'A Chance' to Play in Super Bowl After Knee Injury

Cincinnati Bengals tight end C.J. Uzomah reportedly has been diagnosed with an MCL sprain and "has got a chance" to play in the Super Bowl against the Los Angeles RAms.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported the news on Monday, noting Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said the MRI on Uzomah's knee was "encouraging."

Uzomah suffered the injury early in Sunday's AFC Championship win against the Kansas City Chiefs and was later carted to the locker room.

Uzomah has been a significant factor for Cincinnati this postseason. During the team's 26-19 win over the Las Vegas Raiders in the Wild Card Round, he caught six passes for 64 yards and a touchdown on six targets.

The 29-year-old followed that up with seven catches for 71 yards on eight targets in an AFC divisional-round win over the Tennessee Titans.

Uzomah also put together one of his most productive seasons in the NFL during the regular season. In 16 games, he caught 49 passes for 493 yards and five touchdowns.

The 2015 fifth-round pick has been pretty durable through his seven-year career, appearing in at least 10 games five times. However, the Auburn product appeared in just two games during the 2020 campaign before suffering a torn Achilles.

If Uzomah is unable to return for the Super Bowl, the Bengals will turn to 2019 second-round pick Drew Sample. In 17 regular-season games, he caught just 11 passes for 81 yards on 15 targets. Mitchell Wilcox is also available. He caught three passes for 16 yards in 15 games this season.

That said, Burrow will likely look more toward receivers Ja'Marr Chase, Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins to carry the load if Uzomah is out. Running back Joe Mixon is also effective in the passing game.