Category: Latest News

Tom Brady’s struggles and biggest Patriots vs. Bengals pregame storylines

Top storylines for Patriots vs. Bengals Week 15.

It’s no secret the biggest non-football storyline surrounding the New England Patriots and Cincinnati Bengals pertain to the taping incident that happened a week before their Week 15 encounter.

But other noteworthy storylines persist going into Sunday’s kickoff.

Let’s take a look at those, which range from long-term implications to the tug-of-war set to happen between the AFC squads.

 

Playoffs and drafts

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor argues with an official in the fourth quarter during a Week 14 NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2019, at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland. The Cleveland Browns won 27-19, and the Cincinnati Bengals fell to 1-12 on the season.

Cincinnati Bengals At Cleveland Browns 12 8 2019

The Bengals have much at stake Sunday — when it comes to the draft. They’re the lone one-win team in the NFL but the New York Giants continue to make things interesting by sitting as the only two-win team. Bengals players and coaches want to win, yes, but a win could do more harm than good over the long run. As for the Patriots, a two-game skid to fall to 10-3 is concerning, largely because it has come at the wrong time of year. New England would like to make it right and figure out some issues plaguing the offense. If the Patriots keep starters in even if things turn into a blowout on Sunday, it has nothing to do with the taping incident and more about fixing the team’s biggest problem…

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Titans promote DL Joey Ivie to active roster, waive CB Kareem Orr

The Tennessee Titans made roster moves a day ahead of Sunday’s matchup against the division rival Houston Texans.

The team promoted defensive lineman Joey Ivie from the practice squad to the 53-man roster, and waived cornerback Kareem Orr.

Ivie was signed to the practice squad on Nov. 26, and saw action for the Kansas City Chiefs in five games, recording two tackles.

He was originally selected in the seventh round of the 2017 NFL Draft, with stints on the practice squads of the Atlanta Falcons and Kansas City.

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The Titans and Texans are set to kick off at noon CT on Sunday.

Titans should get the passing game going vs. Texans

The Texans’ secondary was picked apart by Drew Lock last week, and it will be up against an even better quarterback on Sunday.

The Houston Texans’ secondary was picked apart by Denver Broncos quarterback Drew Lock on Sunday, and they’ll be up against a red-hot Ryan Tannehill on Sunday.

Tannehill has posted a 6-1 overall record for the Titans, in the midst of what may be the best season yet of the veteran’s career.

So far this season, he’s completed 73.4% of his passes for 1,993 yards with 15 touchdowns and five interceptions.

Tannehill also has a chance to make NFL history against a Texans team that’s allowed the sixth-most passing yards and the fifth-most passing touchdowns in the league.

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If Tannehill finishes with a passer rating of at least 130 this week, he would become the first player in league history to produce a streak of five consecutive contests with a minimum of 10 pass attempts and a passer rating of 130 or more.

That’s very possible, given Houston has allowed the fourth-best passer rating to opposing quarterbacks with an average rating of 101.7.

But Tannehill’s success compared to the Texans’ misfortune on defense isn’t the only reason the Titans should open up the passing game.

Running back Derrick Henry is still struggling with a hamstring injury, and is considered questionable after not practicing all week, despite saying he’ll be “ready to go” earlier on in the week.

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It’s very possible that Henry starts the game, but it’s just as possible that he doesn’t put on as dominant of a performance as we’re used to seeing from him.

The Titans and Texans are set to kick off at noon CT on Sunday in Nissan Stadium.

Experts largely favor Titans to top Texans on Sunday

The Titans are considered slight favorites, and that’s been reflected in analyst predictions across several networks ahead of the matchup.

The Tennessee Titans (8-5) are riding high on a four-game winning streak that they’ll look to extend to five games as they face the division rival Houston Texans for the first time of the year this week.

The Titans are considered slight favorites, and that’s been reflected in analyst predictions across several networks ahead of the matchup.

The Houston Chronicle’s John McClain sees the Titans taking a 28-23 victory.

“The Titans’ hot streak continues with a victory that elevates their record to 9-5 and gives them first place in the AFC South,” he wrote.

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Athlon Sports’ Jake Rose predicts a 24-22 Texans victory on the road.

“Just when you think the Texans are about to prove they’re one of the AFC’s premier teams by thumping the reigning Super Bowl champs, they lay a completely avoidable egg by losing to the five-win Broncos at home,” he wrote. “The Texans have been feasting on losing teams this season, going 6-3, but are just 2-2 against teams on the right side of .500. On Sunday, Deshaun Watson and Houston’s offense will have to start fast in hostile territory to match a red-hot Titans offense — but it can be done?”

ESPN’s Turron Davenport and Sarah Barshop both picked the Titans to win, with Barshop predicting a 28-24 Tennessee win and Davenport seeing the Titans coming out with a 31-24 victory.

Barshop’s bold prediction was a fifth consecutive game of over 100 rushing yards for running back Derrick Henry.

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“Titans running back Derrick Henry will show just how much the Texans miss J.J. Watt,” she wrote. “Henry has topped 100 rushing yards in four consecutive games and does so again on Sunday.”

The Titans and Texans are scheduled to kick off at noon CT in Nissan Stadium.

Renell Wren to IR is latest Bengals 2019 draft class setback

Renell Wren heads to IR.

The hits just keep coming for the Cincinnati Bengals rookie class.

Renell Wren shifting to injured reserve before Week 15 is merely the latest setback for the class. The fourth-round defensive lineman suffered a hip injury in practice on December 11.

For those keeping track, the rookie class now looks like this:

  • 11: Jonah Williams — only just cleared to resume practice after summer injury
  • 52: Drew Sample — IR
  • 72: Germaine Pratt — bigger role as season has continued
  • 104: Ryan Finley — benched after three games
  • 125: Renell Wren — IR
  • 136: Michael Jordan — Benched, then starting again
  • 182: Trayveon Williams — reserve
  • 210: Deshaun Davis — cut
  • 211: Rodney Anderson — IR
  • 223: Jordan Brown — cut

This lack of return from the rookie class wouldn’t be so bad were the Bengals not so mired in a big rebuild. This goes doubly for the fact draft classes in recent years largely haven’t held up.

On an individual level, Wren’s loss is an unfortunate one given the flashes he’d shown. Like Williams and other injured rookies, he’s missing out on key developmental time down the stretch here and starting over this offseason.

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NFL odds paint Bengals as big underdogs at home against Patriots

The Bengals are big underdogs against the Patriots in Week 15.

Though some actions by the New England Patriots have made it seem otherwise, the Cincinnati Bengals indeed play a game this weekend.

Those Bengals host the Patriots at Paul Brown Stadium, a fact about the game that doesn’t change much in the eyes of oddsmakers.

The Bengals are 9.5-point underdogs in the contest, according to BetMGM.

One could point out those Patriots have lost two in a row, though it’s not much of an argument against the line here considering those losses came against Houston and Kansas City.

Maybe Tom Brady has some issues on the road in the cold, true, but the 1-12 Bengals enter this one after a loss to Cleveland Browns. There, Andy Dalton regressed back to his 2019 form after a brief uptick in play saw him secure a win over the New York Jets.

Cincinnati might have a decent chance at playing the underdog role here in normal years. But the Patriots have evolved this season, boasting the NFL’s top defense that permits just 12.9 points per game.

The Bengals might be a smooth underdog pick in their final two games against Miami and Cleveland. But like it seemed before the season even started, this game against the Patriots is one to avoid.

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

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Bengals cap space projections after possible NFL salary cap bump

The Bengals should have this much free space after another salary cap bump.

The Cincinnati Bengals, alongside the rest of the NFL, should have some extra spending money this offseason.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the NFL has informed teams the salary cap should bump to a range of $196.8 million and $201.2 million.

That’s up from $188.2 million, which means another staggering jump from a cap that back in 2015 was only in the $143 million range. Another $8-13 million jump just shows the continued growth of the league and means free agents and extensions just got more expensive across the board to compensate for the extra cashflow.

Here’s the report in question detailing the new developments:

Cincinnati currently has about $13.6 million in free space after total cap liabilities of $182.6 million.

Including this estimated bump to about $200 million leaguewide, the Bengals project to settle around $62.8 million in free space next year, a number just outside the top 10.

It’s nice for the Bengals to have some wiggle room given the state of the rebuild. If Zac Taylor remains with the team, the front office will want to keep letting him reimagine the roster to his desires.

The obvious big potential expenditure is A.J. Green, whether it’s an extension or tag. Darqueze Dennard, Tyler Eifert, Trey Hopkins and Nick Vigil are other notable potential free agents. And though it seems unlikely, keep in mind Andy Dalton is due for an extension. So is Joe Mixon.

This extra cap space could mean something exciting or produce little in the way of change depending on how the front office reacts to a season that, as of this writing, has featured just one win.

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So Adam Rank’s 2019 Bengals predictions were perfect so far

That 3-13 prediction is looking good.

Way back in June, NFL Network’s Adam Rank predicted the Cincinnati Bengals would go 3-13.

Rank said the Bengals would start 0-11, beat the New York Jets, then win two of four to close the season.

If that sounds famialir…that’s because it is exactly how the season has unfolded so far.

When we covered the predictions at the time, it seemed unlikely — the Bengals could beat teams like Cleveland and Arizona, right?

The answer is no. Most couldn’t predict the Bengals would lose so many players to injuries or foresee the severe growing pains for this coaching staff to the point they stumbled to the worst start in franchise history.

But Rank was there from the beginning and right on the money:

Granted, Rank also suggested the 11-win 49ers would only win three games, but hey.

If we stick with Rank’s predictions the rest of the way, the Bengals will drop a game against the Patriots over the weekend before picking up wins over the Dolphins and Browns.

For Bengals fans the focus isn’t so much about whether Rank was right — it’s if the predicted three wins would dash the chances at the top overall pick.

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Titans QB Marcus Mariota continues to show support for Ryan Tannehill

Marcus Mariota may not be on the football field any longer for the Titans, but he’s been supportive of Tannehill.

The Tennessee Titans’ offense has been revolutionized since quarterback Ryan Tannehill took the reins, but the man behind him has had a hand in it.

Marcus Mariota may not be on the football field any longer for the Titans, but he’s been supportive of Tannehill.

“Marcus is huge (for me). Obviously it is a difficult situation for him. A ton of respect for Marcus and not only what he’s done in his football career, but the person that he is each and every day,” Tannehill said to the media on Wednesday.

Obviously things haven’t gone Mariota’s way in Nashville, but he’s shown good sportsmanship and has done all he can to continue to contribute to the team.

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“Like I said, tough situation for him but he’s been nothing but professional throughout the whole process – been supportive, being able to just talk through things on game day and during the week. He helps me with watching the tape. I think he does everything he can possibly do to help me and this team along, which says a lot about his character as a person being in that tough situation.”

Mariota shouldn’t be expected to be on Tennessee’s roster in 2020, given the inconsistency and rapid decline he showed in team’s 2-4 start, combined with Tannehill’s success as the starter.

Tannehill and the Titans will look to extend their four-game winning streak to five games as they face the Texans at noon CT on Sunday in Nissan Stadium.

Julian Edelman, Darqueze Dennard among those questionable for Patriots vs. Bengals

Patriots vs. Bengals features some notable names on the injury report. cin

Some big names might end up missing the Week 15 encounter between the New England Patriots and Cincinnati Bengals.

Those hosting Bengals won’t have star A.J. Green on the field. At this point, the bigger news comes in the form of starting corner Darqueze Dennard getting a questionable tag after missing Friday’s practice with an illness.

Despite the big names there, the Patriots seem to be in even rougher shape heading into the game.

Patriots star wideout Julian Edelman is questionable, as are six others. Notables there include defensive back Jason McCourty and former Bengals wideout Mohamed Sanu.

From a Bengals perspective, they’d probably like to see a little more out of Dennard before he heads to free agency again.

One could argue the stakes are much higher for a Patriots team that has lost two in a row and is right in the thick of things near the top of the AFC.

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