Vontaze Burfict cleared by Cincinnati Bengals

Well, that was fast. Not even an hour after Cincinnati Bengals official site beat writer Geoff Hobson informed us that star weak-side linebacker Vontaze Burfict was still a toss-up for today’s game against the Atlanta Falcons, ESPN’s Bob Holtzman reports that he has been cleared and will start against the Atlanta Falcons today.

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It’s usually not a good sign when a player questionable with a concussion has very few updates on his status and still hasn’t been cleared on Sunday, but I spoke too soon when I stated that Burfict was looking less likely to sit out than play after he was tentatively expected to play. Well, Burfict will be out there, and it’s always terrific news when somebody is cleared from the concussion protocol, especially when they are one of the best playmakers in the game on the defensive side of the ball.

Burfict is always an important player for the Bengals, and the 170-tackle LB will be a bit more important today against an elite Falcons offense that put up 37 on the New Orleans Saints talented defense. The Bengals have better corners and should fare out better against Matt Ryan and his WRs than the Saints did, but they are still going to need guys like Burfict to make plays up front. A real key will be the dominance of Geno Atkins, who has a soft matchup that he can readily take advantage of.