Waiting for answers on injured Bengals

With injuries, it's always a careful procedure to slice through the unknown... especially when there's an obsession for knowing what the injury is, the severity of the injury and how long the player will be out (literally minutes after they occur). The most important time for determining the severity of an injury is during the few hours following the injury, during Monday's press conference and with Wednesday's practice report. So be patient. No one is holding out on you.

That said, here's what we know:

A.J. Green: There are a lot of variables at play. Initial reports said turf toe. Then they said no turf toe. The hilarity of being the first to report something is popcorn-worthy. There is no structural damage, nothing is torn, there are no crutches, and Green could be dealing with a simple strain. He feels confident that he'll play against the Titans this weekend but a more likely scenario is that he'll sit next week, rest during the bye week and return in New England on week five. There is one unnamed and unconfirmed report that Green could have a lisfranc injury and should get checked out for it, but that needless (and idle) speculation seemed inflammatory, more than anything.

Vontaze Burfict: Cleared Sunday morning of a concussion that he suffered against the Baltimore Ravens, Burfict started against the Atlanta Falcons. Burfict was dinged twice against Atlanta and in both instances, it appeared related to the head. On the first, he was forced out of the game by an official after he struggled to stand up -- needing a little help from Emmanuel Lamur. On the second, he laid momentarily on the turf, holding his head. The team eventually ruled him out with a stinger and a concussion -- if the concussion is an extension of the original concussion against the Ravens, then someone has some explaining to do.

With 12:53 remaining in the first quarter:

Then with 3:33 remaining in the third quarter:

Burfict got up and rather than fighting to stay in the game, he immediately walked to the sidelines. That should tell you something is off. There was no argument. He wouldn't return.

Kevin Zeitler: As running back Giovani Bernard scampered into the endzone to give Cincinnati a 10-3 lead with two minutes remaining in the second quarter, Zeitler suffered a calf injury. According to reports, he was on crutches in the locker room. About all that's been said about Zeitler, aside from the crutches, is that his injury isn't a "season-ender".

Brandon Thompson: Played six snaps on Sunday and was ruled out after a second quarter knee injury. Waiting on a status update.

Alex Smith: Played six snaps on Sunday and was ruled out after a first quarter bicep injury. Waiting on a status update.

Andrew Whitworth: Was in a seven-point stance with 13:23 remaining in the fourth quarter. He came back in to play a few snaps, but clearly was hobbled. He walked out of the locker room after Sunday's game and appeared fine.