A.J. Green to Return vs. Broncos After Being Removed from Bengals' Injury Report
November 30, 2018
The Cincinnati Bengals will be without quarterback Andy Dalton (thumb) for the rest of the season, but the offense got some good news ahead of Week 13's tilt against the Denver Broncos, as receiver A.J. Green did not appear on Friday's injury report, according to The Athletic's Jay Morrison.
Green has been out since Oct. 28 due to a toe injury.
Prior to getting hurt in Week 8, Green was having yet another outstanding season. The 30-year-old has 45 catches for 687 yards and six touchdowns in eight games in 2018, averaging 97.5 yards over his last four contests.
The seven-time Pro Bowler was well on his way to his seventh 1,000-yard campaign in his eight-year career. The only year he didn't reach that mark, 2016, he had 964 yards while being limited to just 10 games due to a hamstring injury.
With a healthy Green, Cincinnati entered its Week 9 bye at 5-3, firmly in the AFC playoff picture. However, the Bengals have gone 0-3 without Green and are now on the outside looking in at 5-6.
The Bengals have averaged 27.6 points with Green this season and 18.3 without him.
It's been an injury-riddled season for Cincinnati. As ESPN's Katherine Terrell noted Thursday, the Bengals currently have 14 players on injured reserve—and that wasn't even mentioning all of the players on the 53-man roster dealing with various ailments.
Cincinnati's playoff hopes were dealt a blow last weekend as Dalton had to leave the Bengals game against the Cleveland Browns due to a thumb injury. He ultimately required season-ending surgery and landed on IR. As a result, Green will now be catching passes from former sixth-round pick Jeff Driskel, who is set to make his first career start in Week 13.