CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bengals will officially be without two more of their best offensive players in Sunday’s AFC division playoff game against the Buffalo Bills.
Left tackle Jonah Williams and right guard Alex Cappa were officially ruled out, leaving Cincinnati with a total of three reserves on the offensive line. Right tackle La’el Collins has been out since week 16 with a torn cruciate ligament in his left knee.
Bengals coach Zac Taylor said the unit’s communication and level of detail are the most encouraging things as Cincinnati braces for Buffalo’s loud and vocal home field advantage.
“I thought they did a good job,” Taylor said of the group’s synergy. “I think they are ready to go and take their chances.”
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Right defender Max Scharping and left tackle Jackson Carman have been working at those respective positions all week, with Williams and Cappa both absent. Both players, who were at the team’s facilities throughout the week, were withdrawn from training as they recovered from their respective injuries.
When asked about her long-term outlook, Taylor simply said that both will continue to be evaluated weekly.
This will be the second game Cappa will miss since suffering a left ankle injury in the Week 18 win against the Baltimore Ravens. Cappa was spotted riding a scooter and had a protective boot on his left ankle earlier in the week. Williams wasn’t using mobility aids when he was spotted in the dressing room on Wednesday after suffering a dislocated kneecap in last weekend’s wildcard win against Baltimore, but Taylor maintained Williams’ diagnosis from week to week.
Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan said there are ways players and coaches can support the offensive line against a Buffalo defensive line that is measured in pass rush win rate, an ESPN metric supported by NFL Next Gen. finished 11th in the league. But if the line is required to give quarterback Joe Burrow enough time to hold the ball and make a down play, pass protection has to be adequate.
“It doesn’t really change how we approach our week and how we play,” Callahan said earlier in the week. “We just know we will have the time and place to help guys if they need it.”
Cincinnati and Buffalo meet in the playoffs for the first time since the 1989 AFC Championship Game, a matchup won by the Bengals. The two teams most recently met in the Week 17 game, which was canceled after Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest following a tackle.
Bengals running back Joe Mixon said energy had been focused all week as Cincinnati prepared for Sunday’s game in Buffalo.
“You know what’s at stake,” Mixon said. “The game in the playoffs speaks for itself. Everyone says, ‘Big game, big game.’ “But that’s automatically a big game. These are the playoffs. It’s win or go home.”