Category: Latest News

Joe Mixon wants another 1,000 yards

Joe Mixon has his eyes on a big goal.

A year ago, Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon quietly led the AFC in rushing despite the struggles of his team and lack of national attention.

Mixon might not hit that same accomplishment again for a team that waited until December to get its first win.

But he sure wouldn’t mind hitting the 1,000-yard mark again.

“I don’t think it will mean a lot to outside people. It’s more of an individual thing at this point to get that,” Mixon said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “That makes everything a lot better for me what I accomplished this year. I think it will be great a thing (for) people who claim our line is so terrible. So just imagine if we would have had a great line what we would have done. I’m just going off what everybody else says.”

Count Mixon among those who don’t care for what has been said about his offensive line.

Mixon currently stands at 643 yards and two scores on a 3.5 average with four games left. The running game has improved in recent weeks, partially due to the return of Andy Dalton, largely due to subtle changes to the approach in blocking up front.

It’s still a far cry from the 1,168 yards and eight scores on a 4.9 average Mixon put up last year. But the goal remains within reach and the Bengals offense — as well as fans — will take every little win they can get this season.

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Sam Hubbard is a notable addition to Bengals injury report

Sam Hubbard is a new face on the injury report.

Normally the Wednesday injury report for the Cincinnati Bengals isn’t terribly interesting.

There, veterans like Geno Atkins and Tyler Eifert get rest days in a form of load management, especially this late in the season. Otherwise, it wasn’t a surprise to hear A.J. Green was once again out.

But that changed this particular Wednesday with defensive end Sam Hubbard popping up on the report.

Hubbard was one of those who didn’t practice, with head coach Zac Taylor telling the media the following: “From an injury standpoint, Sam Hubbard and Brandon Wilson, we’ll take care of them these next two days to get them through the week and expect them to play.”

The pass rush is just getting back to playing well and the ripple effect on the entire unit has been gigantic, so losing an element of that now would be problematic for the Bengals defense.

Hubbard has enjoyed a solid five-sack season while doing some interesting things in the new approach, such as dropping back into coverage. With the Green situation already resolved for at least another week, he’s now one of the biggest points to watch over the next two days.

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Titans QB Ryan Tannehill credits supporting cast for team’s success

According to the signal-caller, the Titans’ latest success isn’t all on him.

The Tennessee Titans have looked like an entirely different team since Ryan Tannehill took over at quarterback in Week 6, and he’s posted just one loss as a starter for the two-toned blue.

But according to the signal-caller, the Titans’ latest success isn’t all on him — even though his solid play at the position has made a great amount of difference in getting the offense rolling.

“I just think it speaks to the guys around me, they’re playing well,” he said in a report by the team’s Jim Wyatt. “The offensive line giving me time, and guys are catching the ball and getting open downfield. I think it all kind of works together – putting the ball in a catchable spot, and then guys making a play on it. I have a lot of confidence that if I throw a ball, that our guys are going to go get it right now. We just need to keep on that track, building that confidence out here on the practice field and carrying it over to games.”

Since taking the reins in the Titans’ shutout loss to the Denver Broncos, Tannehill has completed 128-of-176 pass attempts for 1,602 yards with 12 touchdowns and four interceptions, while posting an overall rating of 113.9.

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In Tennessee’s latest 31-17 victory over the division rival Indianapolis Colts, Tannehill was 17-of-22 passing for 182 yards and two touchdowns without an interception.

Tannehill and the Titans will look to stay hot as they face a struggling Oakland Raiders team in yet another road game at 3:25 p.m. CT on Sunday in Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

Freddie Kitchens says Bengals’ confidence is at ‘all-time high’

The Browns coach thinks the Bengals are dangerous.

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The Cincinnati Bengals appear to have positive momentum for the first time this season coming out of Zac Taylor’s first win, ending the worst start in franchise history quickly after setting the mark.

And that’s cause for concern for Cleveland Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens, who told reporters Wednesday that the Bengals enter Week 14 with “their confidence at an all-time high,” according to Daryl Ruiter of 92.3 The Fan.

An “all-time” sort of high might be a bit of an exaggeration for a team that hadn’t won a game in almost a full calendar year. But the point remains the same — the Bengals had seemed close to a win over the last few weeks before taking down the Jets.

Moving forward, one has to wonder just how much momentum, if any, the Bengals have established. But to Taylor’s credit, the team clearly hasn’t stopped fighting despite what could be described as meaningless games.

Kitchens’ Browns aren’t doing too shabby lately either, not after winning three of their last four and still boasting what — on paper — looks like an incredibly talented roster.

While Sunday’s first of two in-state games this season won’t feature bigger implications than draft order, something will have to give and Kitchens is trying to make sure his guys are ready for an upset-minded Bengals team.

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Report: Patrick Ricard’s contract extension worth $7.3 million

Ravens two-way player Patrick Ricard went from undrafted free agent to the second-highest-paid fullback in the league with his extension

From undrafted to a multi-millionaire, Baltimore Ravens fullback/defensive lineman Patrick Ricard has played himself to better and better situations. The Ravens announced they inked Ricard to a two-year contract extension that will keep him signed through the 2021 season. But now we know how much it’ll cost Baltimore to keep the key two-way player.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Ricard’s two-year contract extension is worth $7.3 million.

While the Ravens were likely to retain Ricard this offseason thanks to being a restricted free agent, they get an extra year and potentially at a steal. It’s unclear exactly how the contract will be split up, but $7.3 million for two years could be considered cheap for a player as important as Ricard.

The last time Baltimore had a fullback hit free agency, Kyle Juszczyk signed a record-setting four-year deal worth $21 million. Though Juszczyk was used far more in the Ravens’ passing attack than Ricard currently is, Juszczyk also didn’t play defense as well.

Don’t rule out an increased role for Ricard in the passing game either, as he has eight receptions for 47 yards and a touchdown this season. It took until Juszczyk’s third season with the Ravens before he became an impact receiver out of the backfield. Given Ricard is well known as “project Pat” for being developed into his current two-way role, he might take an extra year to reach the same level of productivity as Juszczyk had.

Regardless of if his role is ever increased, $3.65 million per year for a guy that plays offense, defense and special teams seems like a bargain.

Ravens are heavy favorites over Bills for Week 14

The Baltimore Ravens have blown so many teams out this season that they’re early heavy NFL odds favorites over the Buffalo Bills for Week 14

The Baltimore Ravens have steamrolled quite a lot of opponents this season en route to a 10-2 record and a top seed in the AFC playoff picture. By beating quality teams by large margins, Baltimore has announced itself as the best team in the league. So when they’re going up against the Buffalo Bills in Week 14, oddsmakers are giving them quite the spread.

According to BetMGM, the Ravens are 5.5-point favorites over the Bills this week. While only tied for the fifth-largest spread of Week 14, 5.5 points is nothing to sneeze at for an away team. Considering oddsmakers typically gift the home team three points due to the effects the crowd and familiar field can mean to a game, it makes Baltimore’s odds even greater in theory.

But this is a tough bet to make this week. While the Ravens have absolutely obliterated good teams in recent weeks, beating their opponents by a combined score of 222-79 since Week 7, Buffalo has the third-ranked defense. With the struggles Baltimore had last week against the San Francisco 49ers’ defense, it’s unclear how that will translate to yet another stout front like the Bills.

On the flip side, Buffalo hasn’t exactly faced a bunch of tough teams. They could very well have an inflated defensive ranking thanks to playing against New York Giants, Washington Redskins, Miami Dolphins (twice) and Tennessee Titans. And with a mediocre offense that relies far too much on quarterback Josh Allen picking up the slack, they should struggle to keep up with the Ravens’ offense. As we’ve seen often this season, that could lead to a blowout win.

If you’re the betting type, use the link for BetMGM but you’d probably be best served to find a better matchup that offers a little more certainty than Buffalo vs. Baltimore in Week 14.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

Zac Taylor effectively rules out A.J. Green after another missed practice

The A.J. Green return wait continues.

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Barring a dramatic change, the Cincinnati Bengals won’t have star wideout A.J. Green on the field during Sunday’s Week 14 game against the Cleveland Browns.

Green didn’t have a jersey for Wednesday’s practice. Like last week, Green missed the first day of practice and ultimately didn’t come close to suiting up during his team’s win over the New York Jets.

Another missed practice means Green still hasn’t been full-go for a Wednesday. As Taylor has said in recent weeks, it might take more than two days of full-go practice before he puts Green out there — so Wednesday continues to be the day to watch.

Green is a few weeks removed from suffering a swelling setback in his ankle that caused and perhaps continues to cause discomfort when he plants and cuts. This all stems from an ankle injury suffered during the first day of training camp over the summer.

The Andy Dalton-led offense will get John Ross back this week against the Browns. But the bigger storyline once again centers on Green, who is scheduled to be a free agent this offseason.

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Titans claim former Cardinals DB Tramaine Brock off waivers

Brock was released by Arizona on Monday.

The Tennessee Titans made roster moves on Tuesday, claiming former Arizona Cardinals defensive back Tramaine Brock off waivers.

To make room for the addition, the Titans also waived offensive lineman Hroniss Grasu.

Brock was released by Arizona on Monday.

The 10-year veteran posted 37 tackles and three passes defensed in 10 games, with seven starts, with the Cardinals in 2019.

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He also saw time with the Denver Broncos last year, and the Minnesota Vikings in 2017 after a six-year stint with the San Francisco 49ers.

On his career, Brock totals  246 tackles, 53 passes defensed and 11 interceptions.

The Titans are set to face the Oakland Raiders at 3:25 p.m. CT on Sunday in Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

Carlos Dunlap named AFC Defensive Player of the Week

The Bengals DE put on a show in his team’s first win.

It isn’t often the Cincinnati Bengals get the national spotlight these days.

Carlos Dunlap’s Week 13 performance in his team’s first win of the season was hard to ignore, though. For his efforts, the NFL named him a Week 13 Defensive Player of the Week, as seen in the graphic above.

Not hard to see why. Dunlap was a force, totaling seven tackles and three sacks with two hurries and eight pressures in the win over the New York Jets.

Dunlap had missed a few games this year and seemingly had a slow start. But his continued upswing and hard play again serves as the embodiment of the culture the Bengals want to build throughout the locker room.

Win No. 1 on the season probably feels better, but it sure doesn’t hurt for the Bengals to see one of their best guys receive an individual honor as this struggle of a season winds down.

The award places Dunlap in some rare company:

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6 things to know about Bengals-Browns Week 14 showdown

Here are some quick details to know about the in-state game.

Fresh off win No. 1 of the season the Cincinnati Bengals hit the road to take on the Cleveland Browns in Week 14.

Neither team has lived up to expectations, though the Browns had more entering the season given the arrivals of players like Odell Beckham Jr.

This particular Battle of Ohio doesn’t feature big stakes besides draft positioning, but it’ll be one players want to grab with only four games left.

 

Baker Mayfield’s injury

Jun 12, 2018; Berea, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) walks off the field with quarterbacks coach Ken Zampese after minicamp at the Cleveland Browns training facility. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Mayfield enters this one hurt after suffering a hand injury last week after hitting it on a helmet. Coaches say Mayfield “should be fine” but hand injuries are a tricky thing for quarterbacks. He’s regressed this year as it is, completing 60 percent of his passes with 15 touchdowns and 14 inspections.

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