Updating an earlier story ahead of Week 16’s game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals, the Bengals will enter the game without at least one of their key starters. DT D.J. Reader is out for the season due to a torn quad, as tweeted by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo.
Reader suffered the injury early in the first half of Sunday’s overtime win over the Minnesota Vikings. He was quickly ruled out, a sign the injury was serious. This report only confirms it.
Reader had started all 14 games this season for the Bengals. Entering Saturday, he had recorded 34 tackles with one sack while plugging the interior of Cincinnati’s run defense. They’ll likely lean on Josh Tupou the rest of the way.
Pittsburgh and Cincinnati will square off next Saturday. Though if the Steelers can’t turn things around in the second half in Indianapolis, the game will matter much more for the Bengals than it will the Steelers.
