Thursday Night Football Injury Report: Seven Starters OUT

The Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals face off on Thursday Night Football with seven combined starters on the inactive list. That doesn’t include anyone on the IR that started early in the season (Alex Mack for example).

On a short week the players struggled to get healthy in time. Mary Kay Cabot tweeted out the list she received via email:

For the Browns Andrew Hawkins is a huge loss while Jordan Cameron continues to be plagued by his concussion. Johnson Bademosi, while not a starter, is a huge player on the Browns special teams.

The Bengals are also hit hard with five starters on their list. Giovani Bernard, the speedster running back, would have given the Browns trouble. Leon Hall is their best corner, but since the Browns continue to be down more and more receivers his absence may not be felt as much. Missing two of their three starting linebackers in Vontaze Burfict and Rey Maualuga should help the Browns try to establish some sort of run game. Right Tackle Andre Smith‘s absence will hurt the Bengals rush and pass games.

The Browns get defensive linemen Phil Taylor back and have the rest of their line healthy, except for IR’d Armonty Bryant and short term IR John Hughes, in a game where they must stop the run. Hopefully Taylor can provide a big boost for the team.

Who do you think is hurt worse by the injuries?