Chance Chad Ochocinco Will Play Against Baltimore In Regular Season Finale

Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco reportedly struggled with his injured foot tightening up the point that he couldn't play through it against San Diego. Therefore he sat and watched Jerome Simpson's explosion, possibly worried that the young wide receiver was convincing the Bengals that they don't need to pick up Chad's option. One one hand, the Brown family needs to scrape pennies from underneath cushions on the couch because of free agents like Cedric Benson and Johnathan Joseph. On the other hand part two, they may figure that they need a veteran wide receiver and keeping Chad will only cost the team $2.5 million, which added to the $3.5 million that Chad gets anyway if he leaves for free agency.

Chad's uncertain future, and his inability to play the final game at Paul Brown Stadium this season, drives the speculation that the veteran receiver may have played his final game in Cincinnati as a Cincinnati Bengal, even though he wants to remain in Cincinnati.

Either way, that's all for another day.

There's still a chance that Chad could play the final game of the year against the Baltimore Ravens, according to Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis.

"He should have an opportunity to be back this week. We'll see. He practiced on Friday. He’s no worse for the wear, obviously not playing in the game on Sunday."

Even if Chad is active, you have to believe that his playing time will be limited. Against the Cleveland Browns -- during the week that he was diagnosed with bone spurs -- Ochocinco only played half of the team's 72 offensive snaps. And at the rate the Bengals need to develop their younger wide receivers, one has to expect that the Bengals won't sacrifice their youth's playing time for a sentimental send off Ochocinco, if he isn't expected to return in 2011.