In just a handful of plays to start Week 14 against the Cleveland Browns, the Cincinnati Bengals lost two key players.
On the team’s first offensive drive, wide receiver Tyler Boyd appeared to suffer a finger or hand injury on an incompletion. He quickly left the field, slamming his gloves and helmet down and going to the locker room.
On the team’s first defensive drive, slot corner Mike Hilton suffered a leg injury on a blitz. He tried to make it off the field before going down, then needed assistance from trainers to leave the field.
That’s a star wideout and cornerback down for the Bengals before the halfway mark of the first quarter. Trenton Irwin will step in at receiver and an already-thin cornerback room will see names like Jalen Davis and potentially first-round safety Dax Hill get reps in the slot.
We’ll update with more as the Bengals make statuses official.
Update: Hilton ended up returning, while Boyd got a “questionable” tag and didn’t see the field again before halftime. Boyd’s status was later downgraded to out.