Gio Bernard, Vontaze Burfict Among Injured Bengals Ruled out vs. Bucs in Week 8

The Cincinnati Bengals will be without key players on offense and defense for Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  

Per NBC Sports' Darin Gantt, running back Giovani Bernard and linebacker Vontaze Burfict are among six Bengals players ruled out for Week 8. 

Burfict left last week's 45-10 loss against the Kansas City Chiefs in the third quarter with a hip injury. He has only played three games this season after being suspended for the first four weeks for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing drugs. 

Bernard hasn't played in each of the past three games after suffering a sprained MCL during Cincinnati's Week 4 win over the Atlanta Falcons. 

The Bengals have had a difficult time keeping their backfield intact. Joe Mixon missed two weeks after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery in September. 

Since being drafted No. 37 overall in 2013, Bernard has developed into one of Cincinnati's most valuable offensive weapons. He is primarily used as a change-of-pace runner, but he's been targeted at least 50 times in each of his first five seasons. 

Through four games in 2018, Bernard is tied for third on the team with three total touchdowns and ranks fourth on the Bengals with 233 yards from scrimmage.

With Bernard out of action, the Bengals will rely more on Mixon out of the backfield. Rookie Mark Walton should also see increased playing time as the No. 2 running back. 

Second-year linebacker Jordan Evans will likely get the start at weak-side linebacker in place of Burfict.