CINCINNATI — Bengals left tackle Jonah Williams is week-to-week with a dislocated left kneecap, coach Zac Taylor said on Monday.
Williams went down in the second quarter of the team’s 24-17 victory over the Baltimore Ravens in an AFC wild-card playoff game. He was initially ruled questionable before he was downgraded to out and missed the entirety of the second half.
Taylor didn’t indicate if Williams will be available for this weekend’s divisional playoff game against the Buffalo Bills. “Hard to tell,” Taylor said.
The Bengals finished the win over their AFC North rivals with three reserve linemen in starting spots. Jackson Carman, the team’s second-round draft pick in 2021, was active on Sunday for only the fourth time this season and finished the game at left tackle.
“I thought he did a nice job, especially being thrust in there,” Taylor said. “He’s gotta practice both sides during the week. He’s practiced a lot of guard this year as well. I thought given the opportunity that he had, against a tough defensive line, I thought he handled it really well.”
Hakeem Adeniji made his second official start at right tackle in place of La’el Collins, who is on injured reserve with a torn ACL in his left knee. Max Scharping started at right guard against Baltimore after Alex Cappa suffered a left ankle injury in the team’s Week 18 victory over the Ravens.
Late Sunday night after Cincinnati’s playoff win, Cappa was spotted wearing a protective boot on his left ankle and using a push scooter to maneuver around the locker room. Taylor also said Cappa’s status for the playoff game against the Bills was week-to-week but said he saw some progress.
“I saw him curling a towel in there with his toes and he looked good,” Taylor said. “It seemed like that was progress when I walked in. That was exciting for the room.”
Cincinnati surrendered four sacks in the playoff win over the Ravens. During the Bengals’ eight-game win streak that stretched from Week 9 to the end of the regular season, Cincinnati never gave up more than two sacks. Taylor said the sacks incurred against Baltimore were for various reasons and not indicative of the offensive line’s overall performance.
“They were all a little bit different,” Taylor said. “But we feel good about it. The line certainly gave us plenty enough to win that game. We’ll keep working to improve.”
