Bengals vs. Chargers injury report: Riley Reiff, Chris Evans among several DNPs

Football in December oftentimes leads to wars of attrition. The healthier teams typically tend to outlast the others.

The Cincinnati Bengals have been very healthy this season, so much that their injury reports have been smaller than in years past. Wednesday’s initial report leading up to Week 13’s matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers provides an unfortunate break from that.

Starting linemen Trey Hopkins, Riley Reiff, and backup running back Chris Evans are all dealing with ankle injuries and did not practice Wednesday. Head coach Zac Taylor told reporters he expects Reiff to play Sunday, but he won’t practice until Friday. Hopkins’ injury is also not considered serious, but Evans’ ankle is something to monitor considering he didn’t leave Sunday’s game against the Steelers.

Mike Thomas and Khalid Kareem did not practice due to illness, but neither have been placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list.

Darius Phillips and Auden Tate did not practice with calf injuries. Tate has missed several weeks with a bad thigh, so this is apparently a new injury for him.

Bengals Injury Report

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As for the Chargers, starting left guard Matt Feiler (ankle) was limited Wednesday. Feiler missed his first game as a Charger on Sunday, so his return would surely be welcomed for their offense. Backup safety Trey Marshall was also limited with an ankle injury, and fellow backup safety Alohi Gilman (quad) did not practice.

Staying in the defensive backfield, cornerback Tevaughn Campbell (toe) was a full participant, which is good news because he is the replacement for rookie Asante Samuel Jr. A second-round pick in this year’s NFL Draft, Samuel is still in the concussion protocol.

Second-year linebacker Kenneth Murray went full, but is listed with an ankle injury.

Chargers Injury Report

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