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          Cincinnati Bengals RB Joe Mixon ruled out with foot injury

          • Ben Baby, ESPN Staff WriterOct 23, 2020, 04:08 PM
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              Ben Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the company in July 2019. Prior to ESPN, he worked for various newspapers in Texas, most recently at The Dallas Morning News where he covered college sports. He provides daily coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com, while making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN's NFL shows and ESPN Radio programs. A native of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor's degree in journalism. He is an adjunct journalism professor at Southern Methodist University and a member of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).
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          CINCINNATI -- The Bengals will be without running back Joe Mixon for Sunday's game against the Cleveland Browns, coach Zac Taylor said.

          Mixon injured his right foot in the first half of last Sunday's loss to the Indianapolis Colts, and he did not participate in this week's first two practices, according to the team's injury report. He was not present during Friday's portion of practice that's available to the media.

          "He's just got a foot injury," Taylor said. "We'll see how this weekend goes. The only thing I'd rule him out for is this game."

          Mixon, who finished the game vs. the Colts, has 428 yards and three touchdowns this season and is averaging 3.6 yards per attempt. Mixon also has 138 receiving yards and a touchdown.

          Giovani Bernard, who has 12 carries for 44 yards this season, is expected to get the start in Mixon's absence. With Mixon's emergence in recent years, Bernard's rushing usage has been limited -- he hasn't had 10 or more rushing attempts since Week 4 of the 2018 season.

          Mixon is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons that helped him net a four-year, $48 million contract this offseason, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

          Taylor said Bernard, Samaje Perine and 2020 sixth-round pick Trayveon Williams are expected to be the available running backs for Sunday's game.