Already down to their backup quarterback, the Cincinnati Bengals suffered a scare when AJ McCarron was injured on the final offensive play against the Denver Broncos on Monday night.
After getting an MRI on his wrist, it appears the Bengals got lucky this time.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, there was no fracture found in McCarron’s wrist, and the quarterback is dealing with a sprain instead. There is “still a chance he plays Sunday.” That said, Rapoport was told it is a “significant” sprain, but being that it’s on his non-throwing wrist he’s intent on giving it a go.
This is good news for the suddenly reeling Bengals, who lost in dramatic fashion Monday night and lost some playoff positioning in the process. Up next is the Baltimore Ravens, who just knocked off the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.
Now at 11-4, there is a good chance Cincinnati will be forced into playing a wild card game. Currently the AFC’s No. 3 seed, the Bengals are already behind the eight ball for a first-round bye and need a win, combined with a loss by the Broncos in Week 17 to make it happen.
Making matters a bit more interesting, Andy Dalton isn’t expected to be available for the Bengals until at least the divisional round of the playoffs (read more here).
Behind McCarron is Keith Wenning, who has never before played in an NFL game. He was a sixth-round draft pick of the Baltimore Ravens last year after playing four years at Ball State. If he’s forced into action, there’s a decent chance the Bengals will lose two straight heading into the playoffs.