Tag: Cincinnati Bengals

Andrew Whitworth offers interesting comment on state of the Bengals

Andrew Whitworth feels like Bengals fans about the current team, to say the least.

It turns out that franchise legend Andrew Whitworth feels the same way about the Cincinnati Bengals as most fans.

The short of it? Defense improves…anything is possible.

The Bengals technically aren’t eliminated from playoff contention, but things look terrible at 4-7 despite five AFC opponents left on the schedule.

Whitworth, commenting under a stat-ranking analysis by The Atheltic’s Paul Dehner Jr., summed things up quite well: “Said this when we were there for a preseason game. Just need defense to be middle of the road. That’s it. And they a SB contender”

Apparently, it’s just not that easy. As the numbers show, the Bengals rank 26th in points per drive and 28th in EPA per play. They even rank 31st in red zone percentage. The unit coughs up 26.9 points per game on average, a bottom-five number.

The Bengals have a bye to attempt a fix, but also just lost another starting cornerback for the season. More and more, it’s starting to look like a season of major what if? questions.

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Bengals provide key injury updates ahead of bye week

Some small Bengals injury updates for the bye week.

It isn’t all bad on the injury front for the Cincinnati Bengals during the Week 12 bye.

The team did lose an emerging defender and immediately made a roster move to help replace him.

But beyond that — good news. Speaking with reporters during the bye, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor revealed that defensive lineman BJ Hill would emerge fine on the other side of the bye.

On the subject of Tee Higgins, the franchise-tagged wideout is just fine despite the scary-looking hit to his back during the Week 11 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.

Hill had been playing through a rib injury and seemed to reaggravate that issue at some point during the loss to the Chargers, so the week off certainly comes at a good time for him.

As for Higgins, he’s had different soft-tissue issues that caused him different stretches of games this year. He seems to have avoided another setback going into the break.

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NFL insider isn’t counting Bengals out of playoff race just yet

One expert isn’t going to be the one to say the Bengals are done.

The Cincinnati Bengals might have to win out to make the playoffs now that the record sits at 4-7 during the bye week.

No easy task, to say the least — but some aren’t giving up.

When asked which team under .500 still has the best shot at the playoffs, ESPN’s Dan Graziano still took the Bengals:

I have to say the Bengals, even though I don’t think they can get there anymore. If things fall apart for some of the teams on the back end of the AFC race and Cincinnati runs the table to sneak in, it is going to be a formidable opponent because it has a championship-caliber offense. (And if the Bengals do run the table, I have to assume that means the defense is playing better).

If the Bengals could just find a way to field an even league-average defense during the bye week, making a playoff push would still be a slim possibility — assuming Joe Burrow can keep going at his MVPish level.

Out of the bye, the Bengals play the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 13, one of five AFC teams left on the schedule over their last six games.

With a little help in an AFC that has been all over the place, the Bengals could still make a run, but the inability to close out games against good teams looms large over the bye.

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Bengals’ bye week lot was almost empty except for…Joe Burrow’s car

Joe Burrow is putting in work during the Bengals bye week.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow isn’t the problem for the struggling team at the Week 12 bye — feel free to call that the understatement of the year.

Burrow would be the likely frontrunner for MVP if his team weren’t stuck in a 4-7 hole. And while the much-needed bye week likely means extra rest for players, it sounds like Burrow isn’t one of them, anyway.

When reporters pulled up a presser with Bengals head coach Zac Taylor, Burrow’s car was one of the only ones in the lot belonging to a player, according to Fox 19’s Jeremy Rauch: “Player parking lot was mostly empty when we showed up for Zac Taylor’s bye week presser today. Joe Burrow’s car was there.”

According to WLWT’s Charlie Clifford, Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher said he spent most of the morning working with Burrow.

Spotlighting this isn’t meant to suggest that the rest of the Bengals roster should be in there putting in work on the only week off to fix this season. Players are human beings and need a break from the mental and physical side of their jobs, too.

But it is meant to spotlight Burrow’s passion for the game and desire to right the ship. If that isn’t infectious in the locker room and doesn’t spur better results, well, things are truly dire in Cincinnati, indeed.

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Bengals fans aren’t alone suggesting Bill Belichick as team’s next coach

It’s not just fans suggesting the Bengals think about a change…knowing Bill Belichick is out there.

When it comes to spitballing names capable of replacing Zac Taylor as next head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals, one can’t skip over Bill Belichick.

Hence, on our top candidates to replace Taylor project, Belichick, is near the top of the list.

Unlikely? Sure. The Bengals firing Taylor at all would be a big change in the franchise’s approach. But one doesn’t have to look far on social media to see fans speculating about the Belichick idea.

And it applies to NFL analysts too. Bill Simmons of The Ringer recently proposed the idea, citing the Bengals as a possible win-now spot.

“This could be another job that’s open, and I was thinking it’s a pretty interesting [Bill] Belichick job,” Simmons said. “If you’re going for wins if you’re Belichick, if one of the reasons you’re coming back is to break the record, then Burrow is the best quarterback available. Otherwise you’re looking at [Jacksonville Jaguars QB] Trevor Lawrence, you’re looking at whatever the Giants do, you’re looking at whoever the hell the Raiders QB is going to be.”

This is something the Bengals should probably be thinking about if the train really goes off the tracks the rest of the way. If they choose to move on from Taylor, they would get the very top candidates looking their way, not guys with little head coaching experience.

Would Belichick come to town? Would the Bengals even entertain firing Taylor if they lose out the rest of the way? Maybe not, but it depends on the temperature of a locker room led by Joe Burrow that, frankly, doesn’t seem all that hot right now.

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Bengals claim CB on waivers amid wave of injuries

The Bengals add to the roster via the waiver wire.

With two of their two cornerbacks now lost for the year, the Cincinnati Bengals looked to the waiver wire for help ahead of Week 12.

There, the Bengals claimed Marco Wilson after his release by the New England Patriots, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Wilson, a fourth-round pick in 2021 by the Arizona Cardinals, joined the Patriots on waivers in December of 2023. He’s played in 54 career games with three interceptions.

The Bengals are desperate for help at corner after finding out DJ Turner suffered a season-ending injury in Week 12. Dax Hill suffered a season-ending injury earlier this season and the last remaining starter, Cam Taylor-Britt, has been massively struggling.

With the Bengals on bye, Wilson has a week to get into the system and provide some important depth.

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Bengals match cringe-worthy history with another close loss

The other teams who matched this sour mark…didn’t finish seasons very well.

After a quiet first half, the Cincinnati Bengals‘ offense woke up in the second half Sunday night against the Chargers. Down 27-6 early in the third quarter, Cincinnati rallied to tie the game 27-27 in the fourth. But special teams miscues and the Achilles heel that is the Bengals’ defense reared their ugly heads at the worst time when the Chargers scored with 18 seconds left to score a 34-27 win.

That marked Cincinnati’s fifth loss this season when they score at least 25 points. That is tied for the most in the NFL history, a feat only two other teams had accomplished — the 2018 Buccaneers and the 2020 Jaguars. There are still six games left for the Bengals, who enter their bye week this week.

The Buccaneers finished 5-11 while the Jaguars endured a nightmare 1-15 season, the season that landed them Trevor Lawrence in the following draft…but also led to the bigger nightmare season that was the Urban Meyer era.

The Bengals are now 4-7 entering their bye week. Their remaining schedule is as such: vs. Pittsburgh, at Dallas, at Tennessee, vs. Cleveland, vs. Denver, at Pittsburgh.

Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase can only do so much. One can only wonder where this team would stand if the defense didn’t completely fall apart. As it stands, they are now two games back in the Wild Card race. The Broncos hold the last spot at 6-5. Losing yet another heartbreaker dealt a major blow to their playoff hopes. And the offense is far from the ones to blame.

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WATCH: First look at HBO’s Hard Knocks In-Season with the AFC North

HBO released the initial trailer for Hard Knocks In-Season with the AFC North featuring the Ravens, Bengals, Browns and Steelers

The AFC North is the most challenging division in the NFL. The season started with four potential 2024 playoff teams and tons of storylines. As HBO’s Hard Knocks takes an inside, in-season look at this historical division, fans will now have an up-close look.

For the first time since its debut, the award-winning docuseries goes behind the scenes of an entire NFL division for the first time. Warner Brothers Discovery made the announcement back in June.

HARD KNOCKS: IN SEASON WITH THE AFC NORTH will document the battle for the AFC North crown during the final six weeks of the NFL season, as well as a playoff run for the division-winner and any AFC North Wild Card teams. The 18-time Emmy®-winning series will deliver its signature all-access coverage as it follows the Mike Tomlin-coached Pittsburgh Steelers, who have never been featured on “Hard Knocks” in the history of the series, as well as coach John Harbaugh’s Baltimore Ravens, coach Zac Taylor’s Cincinnati Bengals, and coach Kevin Stefanski’s Cleveland Browns. Quarterbacks Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, Deshaun Watson, Russell Wilson, and Justin Fields will share the “Hard Knocks” spotlight with Derrick Henry, Ja’Marr Chase, Myles Garrett, TJ Watt, and an array of other AFC North star players.

It will debut Tuesday, December 3, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and stream on Max. Subsequent Tuesdays will air through the end of the NFL regular season and continue into the NFL playoffs in January 2025. HBO released the first trailer on Tuesday, and it looks as intense as the action presents.

Baltimore was the first team featured on the original “Hard Knocks” training camp series 2001. Since then, the Bengals have appeared twice, in 2009 and 2013, and the Browns in 2018, while the Pittsburgh Steelers will be making their debut appearance. Storylines to watch will include Patrick Queen’s arrival in Pittsburgh and the renewed Steelers-Ravens rivalry.

Contract disputes in Cleveland, Deshaun Watson’s return and subsequent injury, Russell Wilson’s debut, Justin Field’s arrival, and Joe Burrow’s return are just the tip of the iceberg of storylines and interesting subplots.

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Bengals get miserable injury news on emerging defender

Yet another bad injury update for the Bengals.

The Cincinnati Bengals just can’t enjoy any sort of luck at the cornerback position this year.

During Sunday night’s loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, promising upstart cornerback DJ Turner went down with an injury while impressively defending a pass attempt and didn’t return to the game.

Now, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport has revealed that Turner will likely miss the rest of the season with a fractured clavicle.

Turner, a second-round pick in 2023, stepped up and into a starting role while Cam Taylor-Britt and others struggled. While nobody outside of Trey Hendrickson has been truly great on the defense this year, the Michigan product was showing flashes of long-term starter upside.

Now, Turner’s ascent goes on hold and the Bengals will need to search for answers at a position that already lost impressive former first-rounder Dax Hill to a season-ending injury, too.

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Ladd McConkey’s dominant rookie campaign continues: ‘He’s a baller’

Ladd McConkey has been one of the league’s top rookie wide receivers.

The Chargers and Bengals were tied at 27 apiece and 45 seconds left in the game, and Los Angeles needed someone to step up on offense, which had stalled throughout the second half.

Rookie wide receiver Ladd McConkey rose to the occasion.

McConkey reeled in two passes for 55 yards that set up J.K. Dobbins’ go-ahead touchdown run.

“When we needed an answer, Ladd made some big catches and we moved the ball,” quarterback Justin Herbert said.

The first reception went for 28 yards. McConkey was covered by Bengals cornerback Mike Hilton, and the former Georgia product climbed the ladder and made a great catch near the right sideline.

Two plays later, McConkey ran an excellent corner route to make himself open near the left sideline, and Herbert delivered a strike for a gain of 27 yards. Dobbins then sealed the deal.

McConkey finished the game with six catches for 123 yards, which is a career-high and the most by a Chargers rookie since Keenan Allen.

The connection between McConkey and Herbert has continued to strengthen week after week, and the numbers speak for themselves.

McConkey is up to a team-high 43 receptions and 615 yards, both of which are second-most among all rookie wide receivers.

“He’s a dude,” running back J.K. Dobbins said. “He’s a baller. He’s a playmaker.”

People were writing off the Chargers’ wide receiver room because of the lack of top-end talent, but McConkey has provided the much-needed boost and has grown into a role that he can be counted on in crunch time.