The theme of ‘Bengals suffer injury to player they can’t afford to be injured’ continued on Thursday, as running back Joe Mixon was absent for the start of practice.

Mixon was listed as a limited participant with a knee injury during Thursday’s practice. That would suggest the injury happened at some point in Wednesday’s practice, which caused him to miss part of Thursday’s practice.

On Friday, Mixon was back at practice and participated in the walkthrough. Friday practices aren’t too hands on or difficult, but it’s a great sign that Mixon was out there with the team.

Joe Mixon out there fully participating in the walkthrough. He looks like all systems go. — Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) November 16, 2018

Mixon may have aggravated a knee injury he suffered earlier this year that led to minor surgery and a brief absence, though he’s looked healthy since returning to the starting lineup. Mixon missed Weeks 3 and 4 but returned in Week 5 against the Dolphins and has started ever since.

Midweek injuries suffered during practice are always concerning. Just last week, Josh Malone and Alex Redmond popped up late in the week with hamstring injuries, then went on to be declared out for the Week 10 loss to the Saints. Cedric Ogbuehi also suffered an injury at practice a few weeks ago, but he hasn’t played at all this season.

Hopefully, Mixon is able to play this week and the team is just being precautious with his knee. Cincinnati needs him to get a full workload to have a shot at beating the Ravens, a team Mixon has had good success against. With A.J. Green out of the lineup, the Bengals absolutely need Mixon to play.

Here’s a look at the Bengals’ full Thursday injury report.

We will update this story as any additional details on Mixon’s injury come out...