Category: Latest News

Everything Zac Taylor said about going back to Andy Dalton over Ryan Finley

Zac Taylor talked at length about the decision to go back to Andy Dalton.

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Zac Taylor shocked the NFL world Monday by announcing Andy Dalton would once again be the starting quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals, pushing aside rookie Ryan Finley.

Finley got to start three games. He struggled, but everything from Taylor and the coaching staff prior to Monday had reinforced the idea the rookie would be the starter the rest of the way.

Taylor met with the media and kept the explanation for the move simple: “Yeah, we just want to win. That veteran presence he has will certainly be helpful through all the things we’ve been experiencing so far on offense.”

Taylor wouldn’t commit to whether Dalton would finish the season and also said he’s not thinking about how it impacts things like the upcoming draft.

On his relationship with Dalton, Taylor offered the following:

“Andy and I have had many, many, many conversations since all that happened, before and after. We’ve been on the same page. Andy has handled it as well as you could hope any veteran would.”

Perhaps most interesting was Taylor commenting on whether this move had anything to do with possibly losing his locker room:

“The team has understood everything we’ve done up to this point. I always have an open door for those guys to come up and talk. There have been times throughout the season where players have felt like they needed to, they have, and they know that I’m going to be open with them. I feel like we’re in a good place with the locker room, and we have been throughout the whole season.”

After briefly attempting to evaluate Finley to get a better idea of the offseason plan — as well as looking for a spark — Taylor and his staff now have a focus on wins.

As Taylor pointed out during his chat Monday though, so many moving pieces have made it hard for either quarterback to excel. Dalton’s second chance this year starts with a visit from the New York Jets on Sunday.

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Jalen Ramsey, Marcus Peters have to be physically separated after game

Former Rams cornerback Marcus Peters clearly took exception to being traded to the Ravens, earning beef with Jalen Ramsey after the game

Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marcus Peters clearly carried a big chip on his shoulder heading into this game. Going against the team that got rid of him and ultimately replaced him by trading for Jalen Ramsey in Week 7, Peters was bottled lightning all game long. But when the final whistle blew in Baltimore’s 45-6 route of Los Angeles, Peters and Ramsey had to be physically restrained from one another, according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic.

Video from the pair meeting on the field shows both players barking at one another and Ramsey needing to be pushed back by staff members and coaches.

Peters had spent all game egging on his former teammates. He was trash-talking after every play, including when the Ravens’ offense was on the field. At one point, he was spotted jeering Ramsey from the sideline, calling for him and sticking out his tongue.

But Peters certainly backed up his talk on the field. Not only did Baltimore’s offense hold the Rams to just six points — their lowest total since Week 14 of last season — Peters snagged an interception of quarterback Jared Goff.

Peters is having an All-Pro season, notching five interceptions, including three returned for touchdowns over 11 games. He currently leads all cornerbacks in the NFL in Pro Bowl votes from fans and his new team is sitting at 9-2 and looking at one of the top seeds in the AFC playoff picture. Peters certainly seems to have a right to be bragging right now.

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Lamar Jackson threads the needle to RB Mark Ingram for another TD vs. Rams

A quick TD pass to running back Mark Ingram gives Lamar Jackson his third game with at least 4 touchdown passes.

Lamar Jackson and the Ravens offense is continuing to put in the work. After scoring touchdowns on each of their drives during the first half, the Ravens just opened up the second half with a drive that ended with yet another touchdown to bring the score to 35-6.

Mark Ingram ran outside before making a quick cut in to catch a pass that Jackson squeezed in between two defenders and running it in for Jackson’s fourth touchdown pass of the night and Ingram’s second total touchdown.

This the third game this season where Jackson has thrown at least four touchdown passes, with his other efforts coming against the Miami Dolphins in Week 1 and the Houston Texans in Week 11.

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Lamar Jackson dazzles again with a 29-yard run on botched play

Lamar Jackson continues to dazzle, as he broke off a 29 yard run but couldn’t get out of his own way down to the one yard line

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has dazzled time and time again throughout his early NFL career. Seemingly every week, Jackson has been adding highlight-reel runs and throws. Week 12 against the Los Angeles Rams is definitely no exception.

Jackson initially dropped the snap on the ground. When he picked it up, he felt pressure and took off running with open field ahead of him. Weaving in and out of defenders down the field, Jackson got tripped up by the turf and rolled to the goal line.

This shows just how electric Jackson is and how he affects the defenses. The Rams came into this game trying to contain Jackson from running around them. But with the running backs picking up yards inside and Jackson starting the game perfect through the air, Los Angeles backed off to try and stop getting beat by Jackson’s arm. It left the middle of the field wide open and a huge hole for Jackson to run through. Once in the open field, Jackson is nearly unstoppable.

It didn’t matter that Jackson couldn’t finish the job himself, as Mark Ingram pounded the ball into the end zone on the very next play.

As Jackson continues to rack up highlight plays, Baltimore’s offense continues to rack up points. The Ravens are dominating the Rams in every facet of the game, and if this continues, we might see Jackson resting on the sideline for another fourth quarter.

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Lamar Jackson once again makes NFL history as dual-threat QB

With his performance as a runner and a passer, Lamar Jackson now has his own spot in the NFL record books in just his second season.

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has been a nightmare for defenses this season. If he’s not burning them with his legs, he’s lighting them up with his arm. His dual-threat ability has made him the front-runner for MVP and in the lead among Pro Bowl voting. As if all of Jackson’s highlights aren’t enough to impress even the most ardent of deniers, he’s once again done something no NFL player has done before.

Jackson is the first player to have 3,000-plus passing yards and 1,500-plus rushing yards in his first two seasons. And to think . . . Jackson only started seven games last year and we’re only in Week 12 of his second season.

The Ravens have allowed Jackson to thrive by building an entire offense around him and the results have been evident since he made his very first start as a rookie. Baltimore was running all over opponents last year and this year they paired it up with a potent passing game now that he’s had an entire summer to work on his throwing mechanics. He’s not the traditional NFL quarterback but he’s getting the job done and more every week. If the defenders that he’s humiliated week after week aren’t proof enough, now the fact that he’s got a place in the NFL record books can.

And Jackson still isn’t done. He could very well set another NFL record by topping Michael Vick’s record of 1,039 rushing yards in a single season, as well as becoming the first quarterback to have 3,000-plus passing yards and 1,00-plus rushing yards in the same season.

Jackson has been every bit the player that the Ravens were hoping for when they traded back into the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft to select him. He’s been making every defense he’s played look foolish and now that he’s earned himself a place in NFL history, he’s making his doubters look foolish as well.

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Cordy Glenn speaks out after making his unexpected Bengals return

Cordy Glenn met with the media after getting back on the field for the Bengals.

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Cordy Glenn unexpectedly got back on the field for the Cincinnati Bengals during the Week 12 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

After all the drama, Glenn was out there for every notable snap and then took another step in the unexpected department by making himself available to media after the game.

Glenn spoke with the media and said “I am trying to help the team. That’s all I can worry about.”

He noted where his focus is now:

“Yes. It’s been like that for a while. As soon as the incident happened, I let it go then. I try to press forward every day. I don’t try to hold on to things for long. I try to help the team. That’s all I think about, not so much worrying about things that happened and drag it on. I try to move forward and let it go.”

Glenn also addressed his future:

“I see a lot of different scenarios. I’m trying to play as hard as I can these last couple of games. Whatever happens, happens. I can’t control that.”

Getting Glenn back on the field didn’t overly do much for the Bengals offense but it was helpful for the team to see he’s back in game shape.

As odd as it seemed to have Glenn play at all, it’s still hard to imagine he’s back with the team next season after prior events. But given how unpredictable this upcoming offseason seems after the way this year has unfolded, it isn’t a good move to entirely rule anything out.

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Lamar Jackson hits Hollywood Brown in Hollywood for their 2nd TD vs. Rams

The Baltimore Ravens are out to a 14-0 lead against the Los Angeles Rams due to the second touchdown connection between Jackson and Brown

One play after center Matt Skura went down with an apparent leg injury, quarterback Lamar Jackson came back and delivered a play that lifted everyone’s spirits against the Los Angeles Rams.

Jackson found receiver Marquise Brown for an 18-yard touchdown strike. Brown was sent right down the middle of the field, splitting the secondary. It left him wide open for one of the easier touchdown catches he’ll get. It helped put Baltimore out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter.

The Ravens have been pounding the ball down the Rams’ throats to start this game. It’s forced Los Angeles to keep an eye in the backfield. But with Jackson being perfect through the air, looking off defenders to open up passing lanes, this touchdown pass showed Baltimore’s offense can beat teams in multiple ways.

The Jackson-to-Brown connection has been strong throughout the season. Brown now has his second multi-touchdown game in his rookie campaign. It highlights the youthful offensive connection that looks to be a dominant force in the NFL.

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Watch: Ravens strike first with Lamar Jackson TD pass

A quick throw to Marquise “Hollywood” Brown has the Baltimore Ravens up early against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 12

The Baltimore Ravens have been kings of starting fast this season, scoring a touchdown on their opening drive more often than not in the 10 games this season. So it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise they’ve done it against this week against the Los Angeles Rams.

Quarterback Lamar Jackson capped off a 55-yard drive with an easy five-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Marquise Brown on a quick slant.

The Ravens started out with excellent field position after De’Anthony Thomas returned a Rams punt to the 45-yard line. A few big runs from Mark Ingram and Jackson got the Ravens down into the red zone, where Brown was able to get wide open for an easy score.

The Baltimore Ravens offense has been red hot this season, in large part because of the dynamic trio of Jackson at quarterback, Ingram at running back, and Brown at wide receiver.

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Ravens C Matt Skura carted off vs. Rams after apparent leg injury

The Baltimore Ravens saw center Matt Skura carted off the field after his fellow offensive linemen rolled up on his legs vs. the Rams.

The Baltimore Ravens have been very lucky this season when it’s come to injuries. But in the first quarter against the Los Angeles Rams, they got bit on the offensive line as center Matt Skura was carted off the field.

The injury occurred on a 4th-and-1 run by quarterback Lamar Jackson. It appeared as though Skura had his legs rolled up on by another offensive lineman. Skura was replaced with undrafted rookie free agent Patrick Mekari. On the very next play, Jackson found wide receiver Marquise Brown on an 18-yard touchdown pass.

Baltimore had gotten off to a strong start against Los Angeles. They’d been able to dominate the line of scrimmage thanks to the offensive line, ramming the ball down the Rams’ throats to the tune of 97 rushing yards on just 12 attempts, including multiple runs of 10-plus yards. It’ll be interesting to see how well Mekari can make up for the loss of Skura and if it affects either guards Marshal Yanda or Bradley Bozeman.

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Titans looking for continued success ahead of matchup vs. Colts

Tennessee has struggled against the team in recent history, but isn’t concerned with that track record.

The Tennessee Titans recorded a 19-17 loss in a close game the last time they faced the Indianapolis Colts.

Tennessee has struggled against the team in recent history, but isn’t concerned with that track record.

Titans head coach Mike Vrabel believes tackling will be a factor in ultimately pulling off the win this time around.

“When you look back, we have to be able to tackle (better),” he said in a presser on Monday. “We played the run well up until late in the game, and they busted one.”

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But Vrabel isn’t too concerned about the past heading into Sunday’s matchup, and just wants to see his team continue trending upward in the right direction that it has been.

“I don’t think whatever we have done against them before I was here or while I have been here is going to have much bearing on the game on Sunday,” he added. “The focus is going to be on this Colts team, our team here trying to go on the road against a division opponent. And the chance to get to 7 and 5 is really the most important thing.”

The Titans come off a dominant performance against another division opponent in the Jacksonville Jaguars, particularly from quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who was 14-of-18 passes for 259 yards with two passing and two rushing touchdowns on the 42-20 home victory.

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The Titans will face the Colts at noon CT on Sunday in Lucas Oil Stadium as they prepare for two-game stretch of road contests.