The Bengals and Browns renew their intrastate rivalry on Sunday and it looks like the Bengals will be doing it with less than a full complement of defensive backs.
Three members of the Bengals secondary are listed as doubtful for the game, which means the Bengals think they have, at best, a 25 percent chance of playing in the game.
Two of the three are starters when healthy. Cornerback Leon Hall did not practice at all this week because of a hamstring injury he suffered in the Week Three victory over the Packers. Safety Reggie Nelson is in a pretty similar position. Nelson also missed all of this week’s practices with a hamstring injury, which he picked up on the fumble return for a touchdown by cornerback Terence Newman that iced the game for the Bengals in the fourth quarter.
Cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick, who missed last week’s game with his own hamstring injury, is also doubtful. The injuries helped push the Bengals to re-sign Chris Crocker, who could see time at both safety and slot corner in this weekend’s Battle of Ohio.