Zac Taylor confirms suspicion about Bengals LT Orlando Brown Jr.'s rough first game back from injury
The Cincinnati Bengals appeared to get healthier along the offensive line this past week when left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. got cleared to play his first game in over a month. Brown, who originally suffered a knee/fibula injury all the way back in Week 7, had missed three full games and plenty of practice time […]
The Cincinnati Bengals appeared to get healthier along the offensive line this past week when left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. got cleared to play his first game in over a month.
Brown, who originally suffered a knee/fibula injury all the way back in Week 7, had missed three full games and plenty of practice time leading up to Sunday's matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He finally got a full practice under his belt on Friday leading up to the game, and the team started him for against a vaunted Steelers pass rush.
What ensued was one of the worst games Brown has ever played as a professional. He allowed five pressures and a strip-sack that ultimately cost the Bengals seven points and the game. It was a performance so out of character for Brown that his injury had to be the primary reason behind it, and that turned out to be the case.
Head coach Zac Taylor told reporters Monday afternoon that Brown was ultimately playing through the injury towards the later portion of the contest.
"He was struggling at the end," Taylor said of Brown. "He's fighting through it. He's a guy who wants to play. He's been trying to play. We're trying to protect him from himself as best we can. You could there at the end of the game he was really struggling with it.
"I appreciate his effort, and we'll just see where he's at as the week goes."
Brown has been an ironman for virtually his entire career before this season. He had only missed one game back in 2021, coincidentally against the Bengals when he was the left tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs. He missed what essentially amounted to four games missed over the last month.
The four-time Pro Bowler was also in the midst of one of his best years as a pro. Brown entered the week with an 82.5 pass blocking grade and just eight total pressures charged to him per Pro Football Focus.
That's the standard Cincinnati expects when Brown is out there blocking. Clearly, he was unable to uphold it this time.
Brown and other Bengals dealing with injuries at least have the good fortune of one extra rest day this week. The Bengals' next game is on Monday Night Football against the Dallas Cowboys, so the week of practice will begin Thursday instead of Wednesday.
Expect Brown to be limited at some point in the week as the coaching staff protects him from overworking leading up to game day.
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