Bengals Get Bad News With Joe Mixon Injury Update

The Cincinnati Bengals have been one of the bigger surprises this year, kicking off the 2021 NFL season with a 3-1 record. Unfortunately, things are set to be tougher now that their leading rusher could miss some time.

Fifth-year running back Joe Mixon is now week-to-week with a low-grade ankle sprain, according to sources close to ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter. Mixon suffered the injury during Week 4's 24-21 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars and did not return to the contest.

Joe Mixon Injury Update

Losing Mixon — even if it's only for a few weeks — will be a blow for Cincinnati. The 25-year-old had already racked up 353 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns on 83 attempts this season.

What's also worrying is that Mixon missed all but six games last season due to a foot injury. The last thing Bengals fans want to deal with is another saga where the running back's return timetable is up in the air every week.

Fifth-year RB Samaje Perine will likely lead the backfield in Mixon's absence. While he's seen limited action in 2021 (12 total touches for 58 yards from scrimmage), Perine does have 299 total touches for 1,263 yards and 5 touchdowns over his career.

The Bengals will face a tough test in a home game against the Green Bay Packers this Sunday. FanDuel Sportsbook currently has the Bengals as the +162 underdogs while the Packers are favored at -194 odds.

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Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.