During the first quarter of Cincinnati's 19-17 win over the Cleveland Browns, the Bengals wide receiver Terrell Owens aggravated an already injured knee forcing him to limp to the sidelines. A few minutes later, Owens was reportedly seen taking a cart to the lockerroom, not returning to the game.
Now it appears that Owens won't return at all this season.
According to Owens (via Geoff Hobson), the wide receiver will miss the rest of the year "with a torn meniscus in his left knee." However, if he does go on IR, it will not be official until Monday. Owens finishes the season with 983 yards receiving and nine touchdowns on 72 receptions. Owens also recorded three 100-yard games, two ten-reception games and a season-highlight performance against the Cleveland Browns on October 3rd, 2010 where he finished with 222 yards receiving.
It's unknown if Owens will return to Cincinnati next year after a 3-11 season that he experienced through 14 games. And while Cincinnati benefited on his good performances (not in the way of victories though), once could argue that bringing Owens to Cincinnati turned out to be too much of a mismatch. At times it seemed like Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer locked into Owens, forcing his passes into the receiver through double, sometimes triple, coverage. Owens had a good year in Cincinnati, but ultimately, the match just didn't work with Owens often becoming the focal point in the offense.
And if Sunday's win proved anything, it's that we don't necessarily need a talent like Owens to wait 84 days between wins.