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The Bengals will most likely be missing a key part of their offensive attack when they face the Steelers in Week 2.

Per SteelersDepot, Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin recently stated that the team expects Pro Bowl tight end Tyler Eifert to miss Cincinnati's game against the rival Steelers in Pittsburgh on September 18. Eifert, who caught 13 touchdowns in 12 games last season, suffered an ankle injury during last year's Pro Bowl.

“It’s a position group that’s in flux, and it’s a position group that’s going to have to step up -- particularly with Eifert out early in the year," Tobin said when addressing a recent question about the Bengals' receivers.

While he didn't run wild, Eifert was effective in his games against the Steelers last season. He caught four passes for 39 yards in Cincinnati's Week 8 win over Pittsburgh, and caught five passes for 58 yards in the Steelers' wild card win over the Bengals. In all, he caught 52 passes for 615 yards while emerging as one of the better tight ends in football as the 2015 season progressed.

The loss of Eifert, couple with the offseason loss of Marvin Jones, means that the Bengals will have to lean even more on A.J. Green and rookie Tyler Boyd, who thrived at the University of Pittsburgh over the past three seasons. The Steelers' secondary will also have some new faces that will get their first taste of arguably the nastiest rivalry in football in Week 2. No.1 pick Artie Burns will compete for a starting job at cornerback, while No.2 pick Sean Davis will also look to earn a starting job as the team's new strong safety.

With Eifert out, expect second year man Tyler Kroft to start at tight end for the early portions of the 2016 season. As a rookie, Kroft caught 11 passes for 129 yards and one touchdowns for the Bengals.

The Bengals will already be without Vontaze Burfict for their Week 2 matchup in Pittsburgh, as Burfict will be out for the first three games of the 2016 season for his actions during Cincinnati's wild card loss at the hands of the Steelers.