2 Offensive Linemen to Miss Divisional Round for Cincinnati Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals could have a huge problem along their offensive line for their Divisional Round matchup with the Buffalo Bills. Head coach Zac Taylor has ruled out starting left tackle Jonah Williams and right guard Alex Cappa for Sunday's game.

#Bengals coach Zac Taylor rules out LT Jonah Williams (knee) and G Alex Cappa (ankle) for their game against the #Bills.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 20, 2023

Williams suffered a knee injury in the Bengals' Wildcard Round 24-17 win over the Baltimore Ravens. Cappa injured his ankle in Week 18's regular-season finale against the Ravens. The team also lost right tackle La'el Collins to a torn ACL in a Week 16 22-18 win over the New England Patriots.

Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow absorbed a league-high 51 sacks in the regular season in 2021, and the team's inability to pass protect eventually undid them in the playoffs: Burrow was dropped 19 times in four playoff games, including seven times in a 23-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LVI. The Bengals appeared to have turned a corner in that department, decreasing Burrow's sack rate from 8.9% in 2021 to 6.3% in 2022.

However, without Williams, Cappa, and Collins, the Bengals could suffer an untimely regression: Burrow was sacked four times on 36 dropbacks (11.1% sack rate) against the Ravens in the Wildcard Round.