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Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert’s return from offseason ankle surgery hit a snag this week when he picked up a back injury that led to a Wednesday report that Eifert will miss his fifth straight game to open the season.

According to coach Marvin Lewis, that proclamation is a bit premature. Lewis was on Sirius XM NFL Radio on Thursday morning and confirmed that Eifert’s back is sore, but said that the tight end still has a chance of getting on the field against the Cowboys on Sunday afternoon.

After waiting for Eifert to work his way back from his ankle surgery, it is hard to imagine that the Bengals would push past any medical concern to get him on the field this week and risk a longer absence on the other side.

As much as they miss his presence in the red zone right now, the long view is that they’re going to need it all the way through the rest of the season if they’re going to make it back to the playoffs for a sixth straight season.