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Zac Taylor’s debut season is now the worst start in franchise history

The Bengals head coach has surpassed even Dave Shula.

It wasn’t supposed to be this bad.

The Cincinnati Bengals were never going to contend in 2019. There were too many holes on the roster, summer injuries and pending coaching growing pains.

But nobody thought it would be the worst start in Bengals history.

That’s what Zac Taylor secured with Sunday’s 16-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Those Steelers had a bevy of notables inactive and switched to a third-string passer in the middle of the game.

Yet, Taylor’s Andy Dalton replacement, Ryan Finley, completed just 12 passes and fumbled late. The defense coughed up 190 yards on the ground.

After the game, Taylor brushed aside the history his team made.

“It’s just defeating to lose. Period. I don’t really care about the stats or the records. When you’re competitive, and you’ve put everything you’ve got into it, to lose is the worst feeling there is.”

He also shared a brief message for fans:

“Trust me, I understand the frustration. We have to win games and have a good product on the field. I continue to believe in the guys we’ve got and that we’re going to get things turned around and get things headed in a positive direction.”

That’s 10 losses in a row to Pittsburgh, two this season. The Steelers were exploitable but the Bengals remain seemingly rudderless. The defense still has big lapses and the offense can hardly move the ball.

After setting this bit of history and even surpassing Dave Shula’s 0-10 mark, Taylor has an even bigger problem to worry about — 0-16. It’s a legitimate concern and one that isn’t going to just go away.

Over the final five games, the Bengals have to deal with two games against Cleveland, one against the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins, and a notable against New England.

The magnitude of an 0-16 season is such that this 0-11, worst-ever Bengals start feels tiny by comparison.

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Observations from Titans’ 42-20 win over Jaguars

Here are a few quick observations we made throughout the game.

It’s not Week 3 anymore.

The Tennessee Titans looked like a much different team as they blew the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars away, 42-20 in Nissan Stadium on Sunday.

Here are a few quick observations we made throughout the game.

– The Titans won the toss and chose to defer, allowing the Jaguars the first go on offense.

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– Outside linebacker Harold Landry recorded his eight sack with a takedown on Nick Foles.

– Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill continues to be a quiet threat on the ground, picking up the first Titans touchdown of the day with a 21-yard scramble.

– Rookie Amani Hooker got looks as he nearly picked off Foles early in the game.

– Dennis Kelly scored yet another Tennessee touchdown on a tricky play call from offensive coordinator Arthur Smith to make it 14-3.

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– Running back Derrick Henry was more than efficient, adding another touchdown run complete with a stiff-arm to the score board.

– Henry tacked on another scoring play to bring the score to 28-3, Titans.

– Tannehill found wide receiver A.J. Brown on a 65-yard pass to bring the Titans to a solid lead of 35-3.

– The Jaguars were able to find some life, generating a Leonard Fournette touchdown and a two-point conversion to bring the score to 35-11 by the end of the third quarter.

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– Fournette got to the end-zone again, but failed on the two-point attempt to leave them trailing 35-17.

– Tannehill ran in another touchdown on his own, making it 42-17.

– The Jags were able to slightly trim the Titans’ lead with a field goal, bringing the game to its final score of 42-20.

Winners and losers after Bengals lose again to Steelers en route to 0-11

Here are the winners and losers coming out of Week 12’s Steelers vs. Bengals game.

The Cincinnati Bengals don’t have many positives to take out of Sunday’s 16-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

A new era has gone up in flames as Sunday’s loss cements the worst start in franchise history. Of the many problems displayed in the latest loss, there were a few bright spots. Let’s highlight those and the biggest negatives.

 

Winner: Tyler Boyd

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd (83) gets set to the field before kickoff of a Week 10 NFL game against the Baltimore Ravens, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019, at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati.

Baltimore Ravens At Cincinnati Bengals Nov 10 Nfl Week 10

Boyd had some complaints last week after his one-catch performance and they were certainly understandable — there’s no excuse to not spam him with targets. Ryan Finley seemed to learn this, as Sunday Boyd saw nine targets, which he turned into five catches for 101 yards and a score. He had a fumble in the fourth quarter, but this is what happens when stars on bad teams try to do too much.

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Zac Taylor isn’t ready to talk going back to Andy Dalton over Ryan Finley

The Bengals head coach won’t talk about benching Ryan Finley for Andy Dalton yet.

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor isn’t ready to declare Ryan Finley benched for Andy Dalton coming out of Sunday’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Taylor’s Bengals are 0-11 for the first time in team history and the rookie Finley just put up another putrid performance, completing 12 of his 26 passes for 192 yards while fumbling twice, losing one late at a key moment in the game.

Finley has started three games now after the surprise benching of Dalton. His second start in the loss to Oakland last week saw him complete 13 of 31 attempts for 115 yards with a pick.

In his postgame presser after Sunday’s loss, Taylor made it clear he won’t talk about a change yet, per Laurel Pfahler of WCPO:

This falls in line with what Taylor had said earlier in the week coming out of the Raiders loss. But Finley’s fumbling issues, inaccuracy and the lack of strength behind passes look like problems another five games might not resolve.

If the Bengals don’t want to revert back to Dalton for a handful of obvious reasons, they could also throw rookie Jake Dolegala out there for an evaluation period too.

But for now, Taylor isn’t announcing any sort of change.

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Instant analysis after Bengals lose to Steelers and hit 0-11

Some quick notes and game balls from Steelers vs. Bengals in Week 12.

The Cincinnati Bengals are 0-11 for the first time in team history.

Sunday’s 16-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t offer much in the way of fireworks. Those Steelers went down to a third-string quarterback and still won in Paul Brown Stadium while the Cincinnati offense bumbled through another miserable showing.

Some notes and thoughts from the loss below.

 

It was over when …

…the Bengals came out late in the fourth quarter down three points and had a drive last 12 seconds after three pass attempts from a five-wide set. That summed up the game nicely.

 

Quick Hits

— MVP of the early game was Kevin Huber for helping the Bengals win the battle of field position. He ended the day with an average of 46.4 yards over nine punts, sitting four of them inside the 20.

— Two early offensive drives featured little in the way of gains and another Ryan Finley fumble. After two drives, he was four of five for 39 yards but nothing to show for it. That was a sign of things to come. The final tally? Just 12 completions on 26 attempts for 192 yards and the game-clinching fumble.

— The Steelers didn’t have James Conner on the field but a relative unknown by the name of Kerrith Whyte didn’t have problems with this Bengals defense early. After two drives, he had diced up the unit for 42 yards on four carries. It was a sign of things to come, as the Steelers went on to finish with 160 rushing yards on a 4.2 average.

— Turnovers and key returns were going to decide if the Bengals could compete Sunday. Shawn Williams threw his name into the fray in the first quarter with an interception. But that ended up being the only forced turnover.

— Tyler Boyd with a 47-yard grab, then a touchdown on tough catches a week removed from noting he wasn’t being targeted enough by Finley. That was always going to change Sunday. Boyd wasn’t done there — he ended up with 101 yards on five catches.

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— Steelers benched Mason Rudolph for poor play and the Bengals immediately gave up a touchdown to his replacement, Devlin Hodges. That shakeup proved problematic for the Bengals as he went on to tally 118 yards.

— Near the start of the fourth quarter the Bengals were 0-for-9 on third downs consecutively. It was a game-long problem and the final frame didn’t change things as the mark ended at two of 12.

 

Key Stat

2 of 12: Surprised to see third downs spotlighted again? The Bengals just can’t do it. The first two or so drives of the game looked promising before the wheels fell off.

 

Game Ball: Tyler Boyd

Boyd hammered the Steelers all day when targets actually went his way. That wasn’t often, yet he still managed to lead the team in receiving by catching nine of his targets for 101 yards and a score.

 

Up next: The Bengals stay home and get a visit from the New York Jets, a team that is suddenly riding high on a three-game tear.

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Titans announces inactives vs. Jaguars

Here’s a look at the complete list.

The lineup looked as expected when the Tennessee Titans announced their list of inactives ahead of Sunday’s matchup against the Jaguars.

Teams have to list seven inactive players to get to the required 46 active players on game day.

Tennessee will most notably be without tight end Delanie Walker, among others.

Here’s a look at the team’s complete inactives list.

The two teams are set to kick off at 3:05 p.m. CT on Sunday in Nissan Stadium.

Watch: Tyler Boyd’s two big plays give Bengals lead over Steelers

Tyler Boyd put up two highlight grabs to help the Bengals take the lead.

A week removed from catching jsut one pass in a loss, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd decided to put on a show against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Boyd, who wasn’t happy with his lack of targets during last week’s loss to the Oakland Raiders, had a bunch of early looks from rookie quarterback Ryan Finley on Sunday during the first half against the Steelers.

The first of two major gains for Boyd in the second quarter was of the 47-yard variety, where the No. 1 wideout didn’t give up on a route despite great coverage.

From the team’s official twitter account:

Boyd was hardly done there. Right after, he beat coverage for a score, then lept into the stands:

It’s a gigantic bounce back for Tate, who wants to help the Bengals avoid an 0-11 start.

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Ravens QB Lamar Jackson leads all NFL players in Pro Bowl voting

Lamar Jackson is just one of six Ravens players to lead fan Pro Bowl voting at their respective positions, though Jackson leads all players

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has been electric this season. Seemingly every week, Jackson is adding yet another amazing run or perfectly placed pass to his highlight reel. So it’s no wonder Jackson leads all players in voting for the 2020 Pro Bowl.

According to NFL.com, Jackson has 146,171 fan votes. In second place is Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes with 116,325 fan votes. While fan votes are just one portion of the total process for determining who gets a Pro Bowl nomination, they show just how interesting NFL fans find Jackson and Baltimore’s offense this season.

Through 10 games, Jackson has thrown for 2,258 yards, 19 touchdown passes and just five interceptions for a 106.3 quarterback rating (ranks fourth in the NFL entering Week 12). But Jackson has also put up 781 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns so far this season as well. He’s well on his way to breaking Michael Vick’s single-season rushing record for quarterbacks, which would just be one of the records Jackson has shattered since coming into the NFL.

Jackson isn’t the only Ravens player impressing the fans this season, however. Fullback Patrick Ricard, cornerback Marcus Peters, tackle Orlando Brown, guard Marshal Yanda and kicker Justin Tucker lead their respective positions in voting as well.

Considering cornerback Marlon Humphrey, tackle Ronnie Stanley and safety Earl Thomas will likely receive quite a lot of player votes, Baltimore could reasonably put nine players into the Pro Bowl this season. But Ravens fans would ideally love it if Baltimore’s players had to skip the event in order to prepare for Super Bowl LIV.

NFL odds: Ravens odds favorites over Rams for Week 12

The Baltimore Ravens are once again NFL odds favorites this week as they’re set to take on the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football

The Baltimore Ravens have been playing phenomenal football over the last few weeks. Dominating playoff-caliber teams, the Ravens are currently considered to be the best team in the league. In spite of getting another tough test in the Los Angeles Rams — Super Bowl LIII losers — oddsmakers are still backing Baltimore pretty hard in Week 12.

According to BetMGM, the Ravens are 3.5-point favorites over the Rams. Home teams are typically automatically given three points to compensate for the effect travel and the crowd can play on a game, meaning oddsmakers actually expect Baltimore to win by even more if played in a neutral stadium. That’s for good reason as well.

The Ravens hold the No. 1 offense under quarterback Lamar Jackson and their unique, pick-your-poison scheme. And since Week 7, when they traded for Rams cornerback Marcus Peters, Baltimore has had the No. 1 defense in DVOA. They’ve been scoring points, seemingly at will, on both sides of the football en route to big wins over some of the best teams in the league. The Ravens have won by at least six points in their last five games, with four having a margin of victory of at least 14 points.

While Los Angeles is a very talented team in their own right — holding the No. 13 offense and No. 10 defense entering Week 12 — they seem to just be another in the way of the Ravens’ great season.

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Can Zac Taylor avoid worst Bengals start with upset of Steelers?

Can Zac Taylor and the Bengals avoid 0-11 vs. Steelers?

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It’s only fitting given the history between the two teams that the Pittsburgh Steelers stand between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Zac Taylor era starting off with the worst stretch in franchise history.

With last week’s loss to the Oakland Raiders, Taylor has matched Dave Shula for the worst start in team history. A loss to the Steelers would put him alone in first place with the dubious honor.

The good news? The Bengals have shown some signs of life in recent weeks. During the loss to Oakland, the ground game got going as Joe Mixon rattled off 86 yards on 15 carries (5.7 average) with his first rushing score of the season. That could only improve with left tackle Cordy Glenn unexpectedly returning to the field. Don’t forget the defensive line suddenly waking up and registering three sacks, too.

Perhaps the biggest question mark of all is rookie passer Ryan Finley. After coughing up 14 points off turnovers in his debut, he completed just 13 of 31 attempts in the seven-point loss to Oakland. If he can’t take the proverbial next step at home against the Steelers, the Bengals are all but assured a loss.

Fittingly, the 5-5 Steelers are something of a mess too. Maurkice Pouncey will remain suspended after appeals in the aftermath of his fight with Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns. That story has been the biggest one in the NFL for the entire week and all Steelers players have really heard about.

The Steelers will also miss playmakers like JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Conner due to injury, which isn’t a good sign for Mason Rudolph. He’s struggled, completing just 62.3 percent of his passes with 12 touchdowns against eight interceptions.

The wealth of injuries for the Steelers means the ball will go to predictable places like the backs out of the backfield. But the Bengals haven’t been able to slow predictable attacks for most of the season.

It’s simply too hard to ignore the history here. Never mind the longstanding history — these Bengals coughed up a 24 of 28 line and two touchdowns to Rudolph earlier this season in a 27-3 Steelers win.

Unless the Finley-led offense can carry this game against a Steelers defense only allowing 20.2 points per game, it’s hard to see the Bengals escaping some rough history. If the Steelers pull ahead, Finley hasn’t shown enough to inspire confidence he can lead a comeback while running a one-dimensional attack.

Prediction: Steelers 24, Bengals 13

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