Some big late-night news ahead of Sunday afternoon’s kickoff between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals. Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Bengals LB Logan Wilson is “unlikely” to play in today’s game due to a knee injury.
Wilson was listed as questionable on the team’s final injury report. He failed to practice all week long though the team still held out hope he could get cleared over the weekend. It doesn’t appear that will happen. Perhaps Wilson will still test out his injured knee during warmups but it would be an upset if he suits up.
It’s a big blow for an already-struggling Bengals’ defense. Wilson is their Patrick Queen, an off-ball linebacker who never leaves the field and wears the green dot as the quarterback of their defense.
On the season, Logan Wilson has logged 99-percent of the defense’s snaps. He leads the team with 104 tackles (two for a loss) with four QB hits, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. As our scouting report noted and as Mike Tomlin mentioned during his weekly show with Bob Pompeani, Wilson’s role as a blitzer in sub-packages had also been growing.
Linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither should see an uptick in snaps with Wilson out. He primarily plays in the team’s base 4-3 and some sub-packages like the team’s 3-3-5 on third-and-long. Germaine Pratt will serve as the team’s top off-ball linebacker, recording 97 tackles on the season. Linebackers Maema Njongmeta or Joe Bachie, primarily special teamers, could see an increased role in base packages.
Assuming Wilson doesn’t play, the Bengals will be without several starters. DT Sheldon Rankins was previously ruled out due to an undisclosed illness while CB DJ Turner will miss the rest of the year with a fractured clavicle. That will press fifth-round rookie Josh Newton into his first start of the year.
Pittsburgh will have a prime opportunity to get their running game going against a weakened Bengals’ front already ranked average or below-average in most run defense categories.
