The Facts: The Bengals' worst fears were realized Friday when an MRI revealed that rookie running back Kenny Irons is lost for the season with a tear of his anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. The club said in a news release that a full recovery is expected and that Irons should be ready to participate in next spring's workouts.

Diehards Line:Irons, a second-rounder out of Auburn, had been one of the stars of the preseason. He was delivering what 2004 first-rounder Chris Perry hasn't been able to give them because of his own injury problems. Perry plans to start his second straight season on the physically unable to perform list. The PUP takes him out of practice for the first five games and six weeks of the regular-season. Veteran Kenny Watson becomes the most likely candidate to fill the team's needs for a change-of-pace option behind Rudi Johnson.