Despite suffering a freak ankle injury late in Saturday’s must-win game over the Denver Broncos, Cincinnati Bengals RB Chase Brown could play against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 18.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Brown has a “chance” to play after spraining his ankle.
“My understanding is this is not considered to be a major injury, so he does, in fact, have a chance to play next week,” Rapoport said Sunday morning.
Chase Brown twisted his ankle by intentionally stopping short of the end zone in the final moments of regulation against the Denver Broncos in an attempt to use more clock and prevent Denver from getting the ball back. But he awkwardly slid as he went down and immediately grabbed his ankle. After being down for several moments, he walked off under his own power.
QB Joe Burrow snuck the ball over the goal line for the touchdown after Brown’s injury, but the Broncos tied the game in the final seconds, sending it to overtime.
Ruled out by the team, Brown didn’t play in the extra frame. Instead, backup Khalil Herbert got the nod, carrying the ball four times for 23 yards before QB Joe Burrow hit WR Tee Higgins for the game-winning touchdown.
Since mid-season, Chase Brown has essentially been the Bengals’ bellcow running back, logging at least 80 percent of the offense’s snaps every week since Week 9. An explosive runner with track speed, he flashed it against Pittsburgh in their first meeting, busting out a 40-yard run before scoring the next play. To their credit, Pittsburgh bottled him up the rest of the game.
With real playoff hopes, the Bengals have everything to play for next weekend. Brown likely would have sat instead of needlessly playing through the injury if they had been eliminated.
The Bengals will update Chase Brown’s status throughout the week with the first injury report issued on Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on if the game takes place Saturday or Sunday.
Update: Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz reports Brown suffered a high ankle sprain but is “determined” to play against Pittsburgh.
