CINCINNATI -- Cincinnati Bengals starting left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. will return to the field for the first time in weeks.
Brown, who has been out for the past three games and six of the past seven with a right leg injury, is expected to play on Saturday against the Denver Broncos.
For Cincinnati to make the playoffs, the Bengals (7-8) need to win their final two games and also receive help from other teams, including Denver (9-6) losing its final two games.
The stakes are one of the reasons that Brown is eager to be playing this weekend.
"Obviously, it's been a long season," Brown told ESPN after Thursday's practice. "But we've got a lot on the line as a team. I'm just excited to go out there and be a part of it."
Early in the season, the four-time Pro Bowl selection was playing arguably the best football of his career. Through the first seven weeks of the season, he led all players in pass block win rate as a tackle (ESPN stat powered by Next Gen Stats).
In Week 7, he suffered a lower leg injury that knocked him out of the team's win against the Cleveland Browns. He started the following week, a loss against the Philadelphia Eagles, but couldn't finish the game. He missed the next three contests and played against the Pittsburgh Steelers before being out for the next three games. Before that, he had missed just one game in the previous six seasons.
Initially, it was a right knee injury, Brown said. But a later diagnosis revealed it to be a much more significant injury involving the fibula, though it won't require surgery.
"Obviously the injury is still there," Brown said. "It's something that'll continue to linger for the rest of the season, but man, we fought hard to kind of get to this point."
Brown isn't the only key Bengals lineman dealing with an issue. Right tackle Amarius Mims is expected to play despite having a broken hand.
Mims told ESPN he suffered the injury in last weekend's win over the Browns. It's unclear when it occurred, since he didn't realize the extent of the injury until after the game.
At Thursday's practice, Mims sported a club during the portion of practice open to the media. Taylor said he feels Mims can still be effective given the injury.
"We're counting on him," Taylor said. "It's a key game and he's been a good player for us."