Former NFL head doctor gives more grim diagnosis on C.J. Uzomah injury

The Cincinnati Bengals lost tight end C.J. Uzomah early in the first half, and his injury could be worse than it appeared initially. Originally reported as a knee injury, video of Uzomah returning to the sideline on crutches led former NFL doctor David Chao to believe the damage was more serious than an MCL tear.

#CJUzomah @Bengals
Fear for more than MCL.
If only isolated medial collateral ligament injury, would be able to put some weight on left knee.https://t.co/OG7ajD3GJ1 pic.twitter.com/CPFUrVUvls

— David J. Chao – ProFootballDoc (@ProFootballDoc) January 30, 2022

Uzomah injury potentially significant

While it may not be a shock to Bengals fans that Uzomah was unable to return to the game, Chao points out that the video showed the tight end not putting any weight on his left leg. Chao claims that if Uzomah’s knee had an MCL tear, he would be able to put weight on it as he walks around the sideline. With the video as his only look, it appears that Uzomah has more significant damage to his leg.

The Bengals went on to rally in the second half despite the loss of Uzomah, coming back to take the lead in the fourth quarter. After a game-tying field goal as time expired, Kansas City seemed ready to win their second-straight overtime thriller after they won the coin toss.

However, Patrick Mahomes threw an interception on a deep pass to Tyreek Hill that gave the Bengals great field position and turned the overtime into a sudden death scenario. Joe Burrow and the Bengals drove down the field to set up an easy field goal, punching their ticket to the Super Bowl.

Unfortunately, if Chao’s diagnosis is any indication, it appears that they will be without a major offensive threat in Uzomah. Had the injury been minor, it still would be unlikely that he would have returned in time for the biggest game of the year. With Uzomah not putting any weight down, it could be a serious amount of time before he’s able to even return to the practice field.