Category: Latest News

NBA superstar isn’t giving up on Joe Burrow and the Bengals just yet

One major NBA star still thinks the Bengals can make the playoffs.

It says a lot about Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals that they keep being a trendy pick to still make a run despite the 4-7 record.

Adam Schefter recently suggested the Bengals are still a dangerous possible playoff team.

And now NBA superstar Kevin Durant has said something similar during an appearance on the “Up & Adams” show.

“The paper says the Bengals should be in because they got the most talent, experience,” Durant said. “If I had to take anybody, I’m taking the Bengals. I trust Joe Burrow more than anybody else.”

If the Bengals can exit the bye and take down the Pittsburgh Steelers, perhaps this can become a more serious conversation. They do get to play five AFC opponents over their final six games, yet will likely need to win all six just to have a chance at the playoffs.

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Ravens activate cornerback T.J. Tampa from injured reserve ahead of game vs. Eagles

Baltimore Ravens activate cornerback T.J. Tampa from injured reserve ahead of game vs. Philadelphia Eagles

The Ravens are getting healthier and just added more cornerback depth to the roster after activating cornerback T.J. Tampa from injured reserve.

The former Iowa State star missed four games with an ankle injury. His 21-day practice window has been opened before he must be moved to the 53-man roster to play.

The fourth-round pick out of Iowa State has played in four games this season and made one tackle. He saw eight defensive snaps but played 77% of the special teams snaps.

The Ravens’ cornerback depth has improved with the trade addition of Tre’Davious White and the return of Jalyn Armour-Davis from a knee injury.

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Joe Burrow turns heads with comment about surgically repaired wrist

Bengals QB Joe Burrow had an interesting reply when asked about his wrist in the cold weather.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is right in the middle of an MVP-like year — just ask Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.

And yet, questions remain about that surgically repaired wrist.

Questions, such as how the upcoming cold weather in Week 13 might impact his wrist and throws, something Burrow responded to on Wednesday.

“That’s a question that remains to be answered,” Burrow said. “I haven’t experienced a cold weather game with that yet. In the past when I’ve had injuries, cold weather does affect it…maybe I’ll have a heater on the sideline or something. I haven’t really thought about that yet, but we’ll see.”

Perhaps most interesting? Burrow said “could have been better” when asked how he threw in practice mid-week. But that doubles as a pretty standard Burrow reply in any temperature.

Burrow has been on the injury report all season as he continues to get treatment on the wrist, working out scar tissue and the like. But it hasn’t impacted his play all that much, given his 67.2 completion percentage with 3,028 yards and 27 touchdowns against four interceptions.

Right now, a routine, understandable question led to a routine, understandable reply that might give fans some cause for concern. But odds are Burrow will be just fine despite the temperature drop — just expect the broadcast to focus on how warm he’s keeping his wrist on the sidelines all game long.

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Ja’Marr Chase makes surprising admission about Steelers’ Minkah Fitzpatrick

Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase might surprise fans with this take about Steelers star Minkah Fitzpatrick.

Cincinnati Bengals wideout Ja’Marr Chase had a rather infamous gesture aimed at Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick not too long ago.

But fast forward to Week 13 before the Bengals play the Steelers, Chase actually had quite the admission about Fitzpatrick.

There, Chase said the following, according to WCPO’s Caleb Noe: “Minkah’s not even ranked on my ‘most hated’ list.”

But as expected, Chase wouldn’t actually name his most-hated list. Given the battles they have had over the years, it’s pretty surprising to think Fitzpatrick doesn’t crack the list. One would think he and a few guys from spots like Cleveland and Kansas City qualify for premium spots.

But who knows? Maybe as the Bengals fight for their lives on Sunday, Fitzpatrick will work his way onto it. Either way, the latest AFC North battle should be a bitter one.

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Logan Wilson surprise addition to Bengals injury report after bye week

A bad injury development for the Bengals ahead of Week 13.

It was reasonable to expect the Cincinnati Bengals wouldn’t have any major injury concerns coming out of the bye week.

Instead, at least one surprise name popped up on the first injury report of the week.

There, linebacker Logan Wilson was listed as a non-participant due to a knee injury. That threw out any idea that Wilson’s absence on Monday after the bye was merely an extra rest day.

Granted, Wilson is one of those guys who could play on Sunday with minimal practice time all week. But it’s now a major point to watch in the coming days, especially considering Sheldon Rankins in the heart of the defense is still out with an illness that cost him the game before the bye.

Overall? Two major pieces right in the middle of the defense are question marks before an AFC North battle in the cold with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

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Will Tee Higgins play this week? Injury updates for Bengals WR

Bengals WR Tee Higgins is dealing with a leg injury. Here are the latest updates.

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins is once again one of the main injury talking points around the team.

This time, Higgins is in the spotlight ahead of the team’s Week 13 AFC North battle with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

 

Tee Higgins injury update

  • Higgins was officially “limited” on the first injury report of the week, with the team listing it as a “rest” status. But he was one of the only players working the rehab field on Wednesday.
  • Speaking with reporters on Wednesday before Week 13, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said that there wasn’t any concern about Higgins’ availability for Week 13.

How long will Tee Higgins be out?

  • Higgins should play against the Steelers. That said, Bengals fans know to be cautious — his latest stint of missed games was due to an injury suffered during a Friday walkthrough, his second different soft-tissue injury of the year.

Bengals depth chart

  • Ja’Marr Chase, Andrei Iosivas, Trenton Irwin, Jermaine Burton, Charlie Jones, Isaiah Williams

If Higgins needs to play on a pitch count for some reason, some of the workload would will go to embattled rookie Jermaine Burton.

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Bengals gamble on Tee Higgins replacement in new 2025 NFL mock draft

The Bengals say goodbye to Tee Higgins in a new mock draft.

Conventional wisdom says the Cincinnati Bengals will lose Tee Higgins to free agency next offseason.

But for the most part, that same logical line of thinking has suggested that one of Andrei Iosivas or even Jermaine Burton could step into the No. 2 role across from Ja’Marr Chase.

Not all agree, though.

Gordon McGuinness of Pro Football Focus, for example, just issued a new 2025 NFL mock draft that has the Bengals going with Luther Burden III out of Missouri at No. 10 overall:

Burden has been impressive this season, averaging 2.41 yards per route run. He was even better in 2023, earning an elite 91.0 PFF receiving grade while averaging 3.29 yards per route run.

Given some of the needs across the entire defense, the Bengals going with a first-round wideout would be something of a surprise.

But then again, Iosivas has largely been a disappointment this season and Burton has had all sorts of issues dodging the problems that gave him red flags during last year’s draft.

As of this writing, the 5’11” Burden has 21 touchdowns over his last three seasons and averages nearly 12 yards per catch, so he’d be a nice possible fit in the same offense as Chase.

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WATCH: Lamar Jackson says Saquon Barkley leaped over a players head in HS All-Star game

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson says he once saw Saquon Barkley leap over a defenders head in a high school all star game

The Ravens (8-4) host the Eagles (9-2) at M&T Bank Stadium, and the biggest storyline will center around Saquon Barkley (Eagles) and Derrick Henry (Ravens), the NFL’s No. 1 and No. 2 rushers.

Both players are worthy MVP candidates who will battle for the rushing title and a chance at 2,000+ yards rushing.

Following Baltimore’s Wednesday practice, Ravens star quarterback Lamar Jackson told the media that he once saw Barkley leap over a defender’s head during a high school All-Star game.

Thanks to both teams’ explosive running backs and dual-threat quarterbacks, Sunday’s game will feature the NFL’s top two rushing teams. Philadelphia is No. 1 in the league with 193.4 yards per game, followed by Baltimore’s 180.2 yards per game. History suggests whichever team dominates on the ground will win this game.

On top of leading the league in rushing yards, Barkley leads the league in rushing yards per game (126.5), rushing average (6.2), and 100+ yard rushing games (seven, including five in the last six games). Barkley is T-4th in the NFL in rushing touchdowns (10), behind Henry (13), Jalen Hurts (11) and David Montgomery (11), while he is 1st in rushing touchdowns of 20+ yards (5), 30+ yards (4), 40+ yards (3) and 70+ yards (2).

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Saquon Barkley hype reaches new levels ahead of Eagles-Ravens matchup

You know a NFL player is really very special when they’re talking about him on both Wall Street and in Hollywood

Adrian Peterson was the last running back to win the NFL MVP award back in 2012. Saquon Barkley of the Philadelphia Eagles is considered to be one of the three front-runners for the Most Valuable Player award, alongside Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.

Sunday brings an absolutely massive game, as Barkley and the league’s number one rushing offense visit Baltimore, who boast the NFL’s number two rushing attack. It’s also a matchup between the league’s top two individual rushers Barkley, and the Ravens’ Derrick Henry.

The stats do not lie—Barkley and the Eagles have been doing things at the running back position and in the running game since the 1940s. What makes these feats all the more impressive is that back then, most teams didn’t pass a whole lot, and most offensive production for every team came on the ground.

The Ravens, who could be without one of their top defensive players, Roquan Smith, on Sunday, will have to do their best to limit Barkley’s production.

Coming off a 255-yard rushing performance on Sunday Night Football, Barkley isn’t a player you can genuinely shut down or effectively contain. You have to try to limit the damage he can do.

The Eagles running back is having such an excellent season that he’s become a pop culture sensation. It’s not just NFL journalists or sports media personalities talking about Barkley.

Actor and Philadelphia native Michael Blackson, known for Next Friday and Meet the Blacks, is a huge Eagles fan. Blackson pointed out how Barkley has extra motivation this season, as he wants to prove the New York Giants wrong in not offering him the new contract he sought.

“Of course, I mean, they (Giants) didn’t give him the money that he wanted. So he will want to prove it and show them why they are going to miss him for the rest of the season,” Blackson said in an exclusive with RG. “That’s what you do against your old team. You go all out for your new team and show them why they should have kept him.”

Signing with a division rival and then lighting them up is the best way to prove your point to them. In addition to entertainment news, Barkley is now getting featured in finance news!

Jim Cramer, host of CNBC’s “Mad Money” and the world’s foremost finance bro, raves about Barkley regularly during appearances on the network’s stock market-related programming.

On Monday, Cramer claimed that Barkley could bench press 650 pounds.

Cramer has also been extolling Barkley’s virtues on social media all season long, and he declared the running back to be in the G.O.A.T. conversation on X/Twitter after Sunday night’s performance.

You know a NFL player is really very special when they’re talking about him on both Wall Street and in Hollywood. However, Zach Orr and the Ravens defense just need to do what they do, stick to the game plan, and not get awed by the hype surrounding the stellar Eagles running back.

Bengals avoid waiver wire in Week 13 despite obvious needs

The Bengals avoided adding an upgrade on the waiver wire.

Needing to essentially win each of their next six games to have a chance at the playoffs, the Cincinnati Bengals passed up on waiver wire help in Week 13.

There, the team could have put in a claim on Carolina Panthers edge rusher Charles Harris, owner of 19.5 sacks. Instead, Harris went to the Philadelphia Eagles, a team that was lower on the waiver wire order than Cincinnati.

It’s surprising to see the Bengals say no thanks to help right now. Granted, long-term fans will say it isn’t really all that shocking — and who could blame them?

Still, Harris has more sacks (3) this season than any player on the Bengals roster not named Trey Hendrickson. Joseph Ossai has seen a small uptick play, Sam Hubbard is playing through a season-long injury and former first-rounder Myles Murphy just can’t seem to break onto the field.

Rather than add some new help to the mix, the Bengals stood still. They added a back-of-depth chart wideout on the waiver wire in early November and a cornerback last month,

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