When the Cincinnati Bengals take on the Pittsburgh Steelers next weekend, they may do so without starting RB Chase Brown. In one of the wildest endings to an NFL game this season, Brown suffered an ankle injury attempting to slide and avoid scoring in the final two minutes of regulation in a wild 30-24 overtime win against the Denver Broncos.
Tied at 17, Brown seemed hesitant if he should slide or score, creating an awkward landing that saw him in immediate pain.
He was able to walk off the field under his own power. At the start of overtime, the team ruled Brown out with an ankle injury.
A sparkplug in the running game, Brown has served as the Bengals’ clear-cut starter for the latter half of the season. In his first game against the Steelers this season, he rushed 12 times for 70-yards and a touchdown, including a 40-yard burst that set up his short score.
Drafted in the fifth round out of Illinois last season, Brown’s calling card is his speed. Entering Week 17, he had carried the ball 209 times for 923-yards and seven touchdowns, averaging 4.4-yards per carry. Before his injury against Denver, Brown carried the ball 20 times for 67-yards while chipping in four receptions for 24-yards.
With the Bengals’ Week 17 win, their playoff hopes remain very much alive heading into the final week of the regular season. They’ll still need help, including a Broncos’ loss to Kansas City in Week 18, but they have everything to play for against Pittsburgh.
If Brown doesn’t play, Khalil Herbert and Trayveon Williams would be next-men-up. Herbert entered the game with just four carries since being picked up the Bengals mid-season while Williams doesn’t have a carry all season, primarily playing on special teams. Herbert assumed the rest of the running back carries, rushing four times for 23-yards.
