Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stevie Johnson is questionable for Sunday's game against the Bengals with a combination of an injured back and personal leave of absence due to a death in the family. Bills head coach Doug Marrone said on Thursday that it's going to be a "tough call" as to whether or not Johnson can return by then and also whether his back will be healthy enough to let him play.
Stevie Johnson’s status ‘a tough call’ vs. Bengals, Doug Marrone says
Johnson is missing practice this week with a combination of personal reasons and health issues, making it hard to predict whether or not he will be able to play this Sunday.
Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports
“I’ll get ready to call him here in a little bit. You know, see how he’s doing,” Marrone said. “Obviously he’s working on getting treatment out there. I really don’t know until he comes back and we’re able to talk with him and see how he feels. It’s quite a long travel for him, to Oakland and back, so I really don’t know.”
Johnson has played in 53 straight games for the Bills, having not missed a game since 2009. The former seventh-round pick out of Kentucky has 20 catches for 254 yards, second on the team behind Robert Woods. Johnson has recorded at least 1,000 yards receiving in three straight seasons.
Being without Johnson would certainly make it more difficult to absorb the absence of quarterback E.J. Manuel, but it's certainly a complicated issue that deserves some understanding.
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