Category: Latest News

Chad Johnson has some sage advice for Bengals fans during these trying times

The former Bengals star has a good take about the current situation.

Leave it to Chad Johnson to save the day for Cincinnati Bengals fans.

The former star Bengals wideout sees what everyone else does — the team is awful right now. Things have gone awry and the Zac Taylor-led squad is the last winless one standing.

That has its benefits from a 2020 draft perspective but the Bengals clearly went into this season with much bigger ambitions. Now, a quick glance at the schedule doesn’t reveal too many wins and the coaching staff is starting to purge the roster, first by benching Andy Dalton and by then cutting veteran linebacker Preston Brown.

But don’t fret — Chad has some much-needed good perspective:

And he’s certainly not wrong. Taylor and his staff have had a ton of growing pains. But A.J. Green and Jonah Willaims haven’t seen the field at all, just to name a few.

For fans of a winless team in November, it sure doesn’t hurt to switch gears and start thinking along these positive vibes normally only seen in the offseason.

As always, fans might benefit from letting Chad set the tone.

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Ravens promote CB Iman Marshall from injured reserve

Rookie cornerback Iman Marshall was added to the Baltimore Ravens’ 53-man roster after spending the last 10 weeks on injured reserve

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The Baltimore Ravens have activated rookie cornerback Iman Marshall from injured reserve to the 53-man roster, according to the team’s Twitter.

Marshall had missed the final three preseason games with an undisclosed injury and was placed on injured reserve shortly after the Ravens finalized their 53-man roster in early September. Marshall returned to practice on Oct. 28 as one of Baltimore’s two designated-to-return spots and can officially play in Week 11 against the Houston Texans.

It’s unclear how big of a role Marshall will have on defense moving forward. With the trade for cornerback Marcus Peters, the Ravens have four starting-caliber cornerbacks in Marlon Humphrey, Brandon Carr, Jimmy Smith and Peters they’re already trying to shuffle into the lineup. The defense has drastically improved from earlier in the season and given Marshall’s inexperience, it seems unlikely he’d be much more than extra depth if he actually plays at all on defense.

Even if Marshall doesn’t contribute much for the remainder of this season, any playing time will be valuable experience towards his development. The Ravens have liked to slowly develop cornerbacks in-house as they’ve done with guys like Maurice Canady, Humphrey, Smith and Tavon Young. It’s a strategy that emphasizes patience but has worked out well for Baltimore over the years.

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Ravens sign DTs Domata Peko, Justin Ellis; punt returner Cyrus Jones waived

The Baltimore Ravens beefed up the center of their defensive line with defensive tackle Michael Pierce expected to miss time with an injury.

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With defensive tackle Michael Pierce having suffered an ankle injury in the first quarter of Week 10’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Baltimore Ravens brought in reinforcements.

The Ravens announced they signed defensive tackle Justin Ellis, a five-year veteran who had been with the Oakland Raiders. Over his time in the league, Ellis (6-2, 350 pounds) has accounted for 119 tackles and a half-sack.

In addition, Baltimore added former Bengals defensive tackle Domata Peko. Initially reported by The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec and confirmed by his agent, Peko adds a wealth of experience to the defensive line. Peko played 11 years with Cincinnati and the last two with the Denver Broncos, amassing 589 combined tackles, 20 sacks, three forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries and 50 quarterback hits.

To make room for Ellis and Peko, the Ravens announced they have waived punt returner Cyrus Jones and defensive end Ufomba Kamalu. A Baltimore native, Jones became dispensable after Baltimore signed return specialist De’Anthony Thomas last week and made him a healthy scratch for Week 10. Kamalu had been signed off New England’s practice squad but had not been active in a game this season for the Ravens.

While Pierce’s injury is considered day-to-day, according to coach John Harbaugh, the Ravens have been thin on the defensive line. They initially entered the season with just five defensive linemen on the 53-man roster, a departure from the usually stacked units Baltimore carried in previous years.

With no clear timetable set for Pierce’s return from injury and rookie Daylon Mack only being active for one game this season, the Ravens needed some beef in the middle of their defensive line. Peko and Ellis give them exactly that right at a time when they’ll go up against two of the best rushing teams in the league: the Houston Texans and San Francisco 49ers.

Baltimore has found quite a bit of success with signing free-agent defenders this season. The Ravens added linebackers L.J. Fort and Josh Bynes earlier in the year, and both have provided a major impact for the defense. So there’s plenty of hope both Ellis and Peko could do the same in the second half of the season.

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Titans pick at No. 15 overall in latest 2020 NFL Draft order

With their record now evened out, the Titans sit at roughly the middle of the pack in the Draft Wire’s latest 2020 NFL Draft order.

The Tennessee Titans (5-5) have had plenty of struggles this season, but appear to be far from tanking after a win over one of the NFL’s best teams.

The Titans defeated the visiting Kansas City Chiefs, 35-32 in Nissan Stadium on Sunday, appearing much more energized on offense and coming up with game-changing plays on both sides of the ball.

With their record now evened out, the Titans sit at roughly the middle of the pack in the Draft Wire’s latest 2020 NFL Draft order, which has them picking at No. 15 overall.

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Here’s a look at the complete order:

1. Cincinnati Bengals

2. Washington Redskins

3. New York Giants

4. Miami Dolphins

5. New York Jets

6. Atlanta Falcons

7. Cleveland Browns

8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

9. Denver Broncos

10. Arizona Cardinals

11. Detroit Lions

12. Los Angeles Chargers

13. Jacksonville Jaguars

14. Oakland Raiders

15. Tennessee Titans

16. Philadelphia Eagles

17. Oakland Raiders

18. Indianapolis Colts

19. Carolina Panthers

20. Jacksonville Jaguars

21. Dallas Cowboys

22. Miami Dolphins

23. Kansas City Chiefs

24. Minnesota Vikings

25. Buffalo Bills

26. Miami Dolphins

27. New Orleans Saints

28. Seattle Seahawks

29. Baltimore Ravens

30. Green Bay Packers

31. New England Patriots

32. San Francisco 49ers

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It will be interesting to see where the Titans ultimately end up picking in the first round in April, considering there’s still a lot of football left to played this year.

The quarterback position has been and continues to be one the Titans could use their first selection on next year, but if the team continues to perform as well as it did Sunday, it’s going to take a lot of wheeling and dealing for Tennessee to acquire a prospect like Joe Burrow or Tua Tagovailoa.

The Titans face the Jacksonville Jaguars next after the bye week on Nov. 24 at 3:05 p.m. CT on Sunday.

Zac Taylor says Bengals facing toughest stretch of next 20 years

The head coach didn’t hold back when asked about the reality of his team’s situation.

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Zac Taylor isn’t exactly pulling punches when talking about his team publicly.

The Cincinnati Bengals head coach said one of his linebackers needed to step up and be a leader. A day later, the Bengals cut Preston Brown.

Asked about the overall trajectory of this 0-9 campaign coming off a 49-13 loss, Taylor was blunt. The comments are eyebrow-raising.

Here’s what he told the media:

“This league is hard. It’s very unforgiving sometimes, and we’re facing that right now. What we do know is that this is the toughest stretch we’re going to go through in our next 20 years here. This is going to be the toughest one. We find out a lot about the character of the people in this building and what the approach is going to be so we can look back on this and say that it made us stronger, because we faced the hardest it was ever going to be — the most adversity we ever face. These people stuck through it and did it the right way, and we’ll build on that. There’ll be a time — I can’t wait to look back on it — and say, ‘Remember when all that stuff happened?’ You guys will laugh with me, I promise (laughter). We’ll get there.”

Bengals fans have been through a lot, which is putting it nicely. The 1990s were a brutal stretch too, and this sure reeks of familiarity. This is as nice as Taylor can be while sticking to his guns about the long-term build here, with this terrible stretch serving as the foundation for a culture overhaul.

By all accounts, Taylor has been the voice of the organization as a whole just as coaches before him were. The front office won’t say anything. Judging by this, it sure sounds like Taylor isn’t in any job danger regardless of season results.

And if Taylor comes out of the other side of this and indeed can look back and smile, Bengals fans won’t complain too much. But in the heat of the moment, it’s understandable if fans shrug the talk off.

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Titans make jump in NFL power rankings after 35-32 win over Chiefs

The Tennessee Titans (5-5) shocked many analysts with a thrilling 35-32 win over the Kansas City Chiefs (6-4) last week in Nissan Stadium.

The Tennessee Titans (5-5) shocked many analysts with a thrilling 35-32 win over the Kansas City Chiefs (6-4) last week in Nissan Stadium.

The team had answers on offense, and came up with the big plays they needed in all three phases of the game to secure the victory and even out their record against one of the NFL’s best teams.

Because of this, it’s not a surprise the team jumped significantly in the NFL power rankings of multiple networks.

The Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar ranked the Titans at No. 16 in this week’s edition — ahead of the Pittsburgh Steelers and behind the Philadelphia Eagles.

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Here’s what he had to say about his placement of the team on the list.

“Don’t look now, but the Titans, once left at death’s door for the 2019 season, are starting to look a little frisky,” he wrote. “They certainly were in their 35-32 win over the Chiefs, which included a four-play, 61-yard winning drive that took less than a minute off the clock and continued to redefine Ryan Tannehill’s legacy as an NFL quarterback. Tannehill started the drive with a 18-yard scramble, nearly hit A.J. Brown on a deep throw down the left side, and then hit on a tight-window deep throw to tight end Anthony Firkser and the game-winner to receiver Adam Humphries.”

Farrar also made note of the stellar performances of running back Derrick Henry and quarterback Ryan Tannehill.

“Running back Derrick Henry was the real star of the day with his 188 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries, but this is a team that has not had a functional quarterback since Marcus Mariota became a shell of his former self over the past couple seasons,” he wrote. “Perhaps Mariota can experience a Tannehill-like rebirth with another team in 2020. Right now, it’s Tannehill’s story that’s one of the most surprising of this season.”

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The Titans will face the division rival Jacksonville Jaguars next at 3:05 p.m. CT in Nissan Stadium on Nov. 24 after the bye week.

Ravens extend lead for No. 2 seed in AFC playoff race

The Baltimore Ravens inched closer to the top seed in the 2019 AFC playoff picture and are even closer to locking up a first-round bye.

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The Baltimore Ravens took care of what could have been a trap game, beating the Cincinnati Bengals 49-13 to improve to 7-2. They moved a little closer to the top seed in the 2019 AFC playoff picture, while improving their lead on a first-round bye, thanks to help from other teams in Week 10.

Let’s take a closer look at the seeding in the AFC playoff picture and how things changed this week.

2019 AFC playoff picture:

Seed Team Overall record Conference record
1 New England Patriots 8-1 6-1
2 Baltimore Ravens 7-2 5-2
3 Houston Texans 6-3 5-1
4 Kansas City Chiefs 6-4 4-3
5 Buffalo Bills 6-3 4-2
6 Pittsburgh Steelers 5-4 4-2

The Bills, Colts and Chiefs all lost on Sunday. Buffalo fell to the Cleveland Browns and dropped to 6-3 on the season, a full game below Baltimore. Kansas City lost to the Tennessee Titans and is now 6-4, which is important considering they hold the head-to-head tiebreaker with Baltimore after beating the Ravens in Week 3. Indianapolis fell to the Miami Dolphins and to 5-4, which knocks them out of the AFC playoff picture for the time being because they lost to Pittsburgh.

With the Patriots having a Week 10 bye, they sit tight in the top spot but remain vulnerable to being supplanted. If New England were to lose in Week 11 to the Philadelphia Eagles and the Ravens beat the Houston Texans, Baltimore would jump to the No. 1 seed. Even without a Patriots loss, if Baltimore were to beat Houston next week, they would effectively have a three-game lead on one the top-two seeds in the 2019 AFC playoff picture.

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Report: Bengals cut LB Preston Brown

The Bengals cut a veteran leader at LB.

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A day removed from Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor challenging his linebackers to step up and be leaders, the team has cut veteran Preston Brown.

The Bengals made the move Tuesday, according to Tyler Dragon of the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Brown was a feel-good story for coming over via free agency last season thanks to his hometown status. But he’s increasingly seen his playing time cut over the past few games, culminating in rookie Germaine Pratt out-snapping him in the 49-13 loss to Baltimore in Week 10.

Brown had two years left on his deal through the 2021 season after signing a three-year deal in March.

While Taylor continues to search for help at linebacker, the new roster spot might go to an IR-returning player soon such as John Ross or Darius Phillips. But an outside move for a linebacker wouldn’t be unexpected either.

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Zac Taylor issues challenge to LBs, asks one to step up and lead

The Bengals head coach issued a challenge to one of his biggest problem areas.

There aren’t many applicable words to describe Cincinnati Bengals linebackers right now.

Most land in the “horrendous” category and only get nastier from there. The Bengals have searched for an answer all year to this problem to no avail, the most recent catastrophe a 49-13 loss to Baltimore where Lamar Jackson put up some highlights fans will see for the rest of their lives while running for 65 yards and a score on a 9.3 average.

And it sounds like Taylor has seen enough. He told the media the following:

“One area where we need to step up is at linebacker. Someone needs to step up and be a leader there. We’ve been waiting on that and shuffling the lineup around waiting on someone to step up and be consistent and be a leader in that room. We’re still waiting on that.

He added some more potent thoughts later:

“That’s the challenge for those guys in that room right now. From the consistency, you can become a leader. It’s not one or the other. You can’t say things and then not do them. You need to be able to do them, and then guys will respect that and follow you. We just need some consistency from those guys at that position.”

This is a “yikes” for the players in that room but there isn’t much else Taylor can do. Besides the addition of LaRoy Reynolds, who has played minimally, the front office isn’t exactly ushering new talent in the door to help.

In the loss to the Ravens, Taylor even tried to give different faces a chance to step up. Rookie Germaine Pratt got 49 percent of the snaps while Preston Brown saw just 36 percent. The results speak for themselves. Taylor specifically talked about linebackers being the reason for some of the game’s biggest plays thanks to poor positioning and effort.

When specifically talking about the linebackers, some might make the suggestion this is a Lamar Jackson thing. But the struggles have been a constant all year but given something of a pass thanks to the blatant problems for the offensive line.

It is hard to say what happens next if the unit doesn’t respond, but one would think some of this will reflect on coordinator Lou Anarumo, too.

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Ravens reach top spot in USA TODAY Sports’ power rankings after Week 10

The Baltimore Ravens dismantled the Cincinnati Bengals 49-13, putting them into the top spot on USA TODAY Sports’ power rankings.

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The Baltimore Ravens are officially the best team in the league. At least if you’re to believe USA TODAY Sports’ latest power rankings, which place them in the No. 1 spot.

“NFL’s most explosive offense deserves its accolades. But ascending defense is first to record TDs of 65-plus yards in three straight games since 1970 merger.”

As I noted elsewhere, the offense has gotten a lot of credit for where Baltimore sits, but it has been the ascension of the defense in recent weeks that has put them over the edge. While the defense still sits near the middle of the pack after nine games in both yards and points allowed, they’re creating big plays from even the best quarterbacks and helping out an offense that was already on fire.

Considering how they took down the Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots and now the Cincinnati Bengals; the Ravens might be the most complete team in the NFL right now. That’s a scary proposition considering this team is really built for the cold-weather football we’re just starting to get into.

Baltimore has a tough few more games on the schedule. In the next three weeks, the Ravens will play the Houston Texans, San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams. For as well as they’ve played, all three of those games will be tough sledding for Baltimore and will either prove them to be the best team in the league or muddy the waters a little bit. Regardless, it seems like the Ravens are destined to get their way into the postseason once again, where they can wreak havoc in the AFC.

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