A Battle for Ohio is going to be more like a crawl to the finish line for the Cincinnati Bengals and the Cleveland Browns, as Week 16 is bringing injuries and tight postseason windows to the forefront for both teams.
For the Bengals, Tee Higgins was apparently limited in practice ahead of the contest, while linebacker Logan Wilson was placed on the IR recently. Sam Hubbard, one of the Bengals' best defensive players, is also expected to be out of the Week 16 game with a PCL injury.
On the flip side, the Browns are dealing with a second straight week of uncertainty surrounding David Njoku, who was out in Week 15 with a hamstring injury. He, along with Cedric Tillman, is a huge part to the offense's success and second year quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson's comfortability in the field.
Latest injury report ahead of Week 16 gives to defense, takes from offense
The latest practice news from the Browns ahead of Week 16 courtesy Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com shows that Martin Emerson was able to return to practice. Emerson would be a huge get back for Cleveland with Greg Newsome II already out for the year on the IR. But, there's no guarantee that he'll actually be able to play as he still needs to clear concussion protocols.
Read more: 3 bold predictions for Browns against Bengals in Week 16
Another Browns player that needs to clear that protocol is Tillman, who has also been practicing this week. He practiced for most of the week prior to Week 15 but still did not clear concussion protocol, so hopefully he'll be able to see the field for the first time in a month in Week 16. Njoku appears to be headed towards another gametime decision, though, with no practice as of Thursday.
Other notable Cleveland players reportedly out of practice on Thursday included Myles Garrett and Shelby Harris, who both are anticipated to play. Harris and Garrett both sustained injuries in Week 15 against the Kansas City Chiefs - Harris to his elbow and Garrett to his eye. Hopefully, the league's best pass rusher in Garrett can suit up.
For Cincinnati, Kris Jenkins and Sheldon Rankins are the only other Bengals in addition to Hubbard and Higgins with limited or no practice ahead of the game. As long as Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase are healthy and playing, though, the Bengals have a good shot at winning the contest. And, they need to win - their postseason chances rely on going 3-0 for the rest of the season.