The Bengals' sputtering offence took another hit Monday when left tackle Levi Jones learned he likely will need arthroscopic knee surgery, sidelining him for a rough stretch of Cincinnati's schedule.
Jones hurt his left knee during the first half of a 14-13 loss in Tampa that stripped the lustre off of the defending AFC North champions. The offence hasn't played to expectations since centre Rich Braham suffered a significant knee injury during the second game of the season.
Now, the player who protects Carson Palmer's blind side will be out for several weeks, with some of the league's top defences lined up to take their best shot.
``It is going to be a tough month,'' Jones said.
Rookie Andrew Whitworth, a second-round pick who ended the game at left tackle, is expected to fill in while Jones recovers. Cincinnati has second-year centre Eric Ghiaciuc filling in for Braham, who will be sidelined for several more weeks.
``A lot of weight is going to be put on their shoulders in the next few weeks,'' Jones said.
In the next four weeks, the Bengals play Carolina, Atlanta, Baltimore and San Diego, which rank in the top half of the NFL in defence.
All of the off-season arrests left the Bengals (3-2) with less margin for error. The injuries have pushed them over the edge, taking the bite out of one of the league's top offences last season.
No. 2 receiver Chris Henry will miss one more game as part of a two-game suspension for violating the league's conduct and substance abuse policies. Henry has been arrested four times since last December, and has two criminal cases pending.
Backup receiver Tab Perry is sidelined with a hip injury, and Kelley Washington left Sunday's game with a hamstring injury. The Bengals aren't sure how long Washington will be out.
Add the rust that Palmer is working off from his knee rehabilitation, and the offence has a lot to try to overcome. Cincinnati has scored 13 points in each of its last two games.
``We just don't have that consistency that we had last year,'' said Eric Steinbach, who started at centre but moved back to left guard during the loss to Tampa Bay. ``If anyone knows about football X's and O's, you know you need to be able to play together week-in and week-out. If you don't have that, it's tough to get into that rhythm.''
The biggest problems are up front.
The Bengals have spent a lot of money to keep their offensive line intact for the last three years. The line is anchored by Braham, who has been with the Bengals since 1994, and features one of the league's top tackle tandems with Jones and Pro Bowler Willie Anderson.
Braham went down during a 34-17 win over Cleveland on Sept. 17, and Jones has been playing despite a severely sprained right ankle. His latest injury occurred when he planted awkwardly on the other leg.
``With all the stuff I was playing with on my right leg, something was bound to happen,'' Jones said. ``And it did.''
Jones stayed in the game for a few more plays, but the knee started feeling worse, forcing the Bengals to make changes at three spots on the line.
``It seems like every week somebody goes down and we're shuffling the offensive line left and right,'' Palmer said. ``It's tough on those guys.''
It showed in the running game. The Bengals managed only three yards on the ground in the first half _ Rudi Johnson had all of them on seven carries _ against a defence that had been giving up long runs all season.
When the Bengals had a chance to close it out in the fourth quarter with a 13-7 lead, they couldn't even get a first down. Johnson had a pair of one-yard runs, and Kenny Watson was dropped for a two-yard loss on a shovel pass, forcing a punt that set up Tampa Bay's winning touchdown drive.
The Bengals had a chance to pull it out with 35 seconds left, but Palmer was sacked for an eight-yard loss, forcing Shayne Graham to make a 62-yard field goal try on the final play. The kick was short and wide.
``If we protect the quarterback, get the ball off there, that's a different game and we have a chance to make a field goal,'' Lewis said.
© The Canadian Press, 2007
