A.J. Green Injury Update: Bengals Receiver Could Miss Sunday’s Playoff Game

A.J. Green was at practice on New Year’s Day, but the Bengals wide receiver could still be at risk of missing Sunday’s wild card round playoff game against the Indianapolis Colts with lingering effects of a concussion.

Green was back with his team Thursday, but is under the NFL’s concussion protocol, meaning he still has to visit with an independent doctor and a neuropsychologist before he can be cleared to play. It also means that he is limited in practice, and can only participate in non-contact phases.

Green was injured in the team’s 27-17 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night, one that decided the AFC North. Green was hit in the head by Steelers safety Mike Mitchell, after catching a first down-pass in the fourth quarter. Green also fumbled on the play.

The Bengals could be hurt if A.J. Green cannot play. He finished the season with 69 catches for 1,041 yards and six touchdowns despite losing time to injury. He was also named to the Pro Bowl.

But Green has struggled in the playoffs in the past.

“Want to know one reason it might not be so bad for the Bengals if Green misses this game? These numbers: 13 catches, 32 targets, 161 yards, no touchdowns. That’s Green’s stat line in three postseason losses,” wrote Bengals reporter Coley Harvey in an ESPN preview. “Though the quarterback is a very big part of any team’s playoff success, he isn’t the only part. If Dalton is passing to his superstar receiver, Green has to do a better job catching passes and scoring than that.”

A.J. Green is not the only one limited this week. The entire Bengals team has been dealing with the effects of a team-wide flu epidemic, and were forced to move to a different practice facility at the University of Cincinnati.

Luckily, the Bengals have a little bit more time to see if A.J. Green can return from injury. The team is scheduled to kick off against the Colts at 1:05 p.m. on Sunday.