Tag: Cincinnati Bengals

Lamar Jackson wins second straight AFC Offensive Player of the Week award

Lamar Jackson’s perfect passer rating and spectacular rushing won the Ravens quarterback his third weekly award of the 2019 season.

For his work in Week 10 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson earned another AFC Offensive Player of the Week award. It’s his second consecutive week winning the honor and his third of the season through just nine games.

Jackson completed 15-of-17 passes for 223 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, marking his second perfect 158.3 passer rating this season. Jackson also dazzled on the ground, adding 65 rushing yards and a touchdown on seven attempts, including a highlight-reel 47-yard scamper.

Jackson continues to pile up AFC Player of the Week awards, which has him in the mix for the NFL’s MVP award this season. With Baltimore sitting atop the AFC North standings and holding the No. 2 overall seed in the AFC playoff picture at 7-2, Jackson has helped put the Ravens at the top of the league. If he continues to play like he did in Week 10 against the Bengals, this won’t be Jackson’s last award this season, though he might have to miss the NFL Honors ceremony to prepare for Super Bowl LIV.

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Draft heat check: Is it Tua Tagovailoa or Joe Burrow for the Bengals?

Is it Tua or Burrow for the Bengals? Vote in our poll.

The Cincinnati Bengals remain on pace to hold the top pick in the 2020 NFL draft — which means it is Tua Tagovailoa or Joe Burrow time.

While Ryan Finley still has plenty of time to show he can be the player of the future for the Bengals under center, it has always seemed like he wouldn’t do enough to nudge the front office toward a Chase Young on draft day.

So for right now, the question is simple — which one?

Do the Bengals prefer Tagovailoa, the Alabama passer with a 70.9 completion percentage with 31 touchdowns and three interceptions? Do they like his leadership, playing experience and ability to move in the pocket? Does the recent ankle injury scare them?

Or what about Burrow? Does his 78.9 completion percentage with 33 touchdowns and four picks outweigh the fact he’s only just now emerging as a top prospect?

What about age and locale? Will Tagovailoa survive the draft process’ look at his just being another Alabama quarterback surrounded by elite prospects? Will Burrow’s leap go under the microscope? Burrow was born in December of 1996, Tagovailoa March of 1998, which is another factor to keep in mind given the developmental track of young quarterbacks that is well established (Finley, December 1994).

Heck, the questions don’t stop there. Does Burrow’s head-to-head win over Tagovailoa mean much, or does the Alabama product get the benefit of the doubt for playing through injury?

No easy answer exists right now. But for fans, it sure beats the tar out of solely focusing on a winless team with no end to the struggles in sight. Vote below to determine who should lead the quarterback race for the Bengals right now.

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Former Longhorn Malik Jefferson waived by Cleveland Browns

Former Texas Longhorns linebacker Malik Jefferson was waived by the Cleveland Browns on Tuesday

On Tuesday, former Texas Longhorns linebacker Malik Jefferson was waived by the Cleveland Browns.

Jefferson is in just his second year as a pro. He was drafted in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals.

With the Browns in 2019, Jefferson only made an appearance in one game, and that game came in week one against the Titans. In that game, Jefferson recorded just one tackle.

Hopefully, we see Malik find a new home soon. After all, he was a third-round pick last year for a reason.

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NFL rooting guide: Who Jaguars fans should root for Week 11

As the No. 10 seed in the playoff picture, the Jags need some help to make the postseason and a loss for the Steelers would be a huge help.

With it being Week 11, the NFL playoffs will be here before fans know it. Of course, at 4-5 the Jacksonville Jaguars are one of the teams who are currently in the hunt, however, if they are to make the postseason they will need some help in addition to handling their own business. That said, here’s a recap on how the AFC playoff picture looks after Week 10 and a rooting guide on who Jags fans should watch on Week 11:

1. New England Patriots (8-1)
2. Baltimore Ravens (7-2)
3. Houston Texans (6-3)
4. Kansas City Chiefs (6-4)
5. Buffalo Bills (6-3)
6. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-4)

7. Oakland Raiders (5-4)
8. Indianapolis Colts (5-4)
9. Tennessee Titans (5-5)
10. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-5)

Rooting guide

(Thursday Night Football) Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cleveland Browns – root for the Browns

Hardly ever will you catch Jags fans rooting for the Steelers and they will especially have a reason to root against them this week. After starting 1-3 during the first quarter of the season, Pittsburgh has clawed their way back to a 5-4 record by winning their last four games and have found themselves with the last wild-card spot. Needless to say, the Jags would gladly take some help from the Browns, who aren’t in the playoff picture currently but could spoil things for their divisional rival.

Sunday, 1 p.m. games

Houston Texans vs. Baltimore Ravens – root for the Ravens

The Texans are the AFC South’s divisional leader with a 6-3 record and it would take a miracle for the Jags to catch them because they own the tiebreaker over them. However, Sunday’s game against the Ravens is the start of a tough stretch for Houston as they also play the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts afterward. That said, a skid can begin here for them as the Ravens are playing solid football as the No. 2 seed.

Buffalo Bills vs. Miami Dolphins – root for the Dolphins

The Jags have a rivalry with Buffalo (6-3) as it is, however, they will really have a reason to root against them Week 11 as the Bills have the first wild-card spot. That said, they would gladly take some help from their Florida rivals Sunday. With the Dolphins being a divisional rival of the Bills, this could be a close one as they are on a two-game win streak currently and have some momentum.

Sunday, 4 p.m. games

Cincinnati Bengals vs. Oakland Raiders – root for the Bengals

The Raiders (5-4) are knocking on the door of getting a wild-card seed as they are the No. 7 ranked team in the playoff race. However, with the Bengals (0-9) being the league’s only winless team, Jags fans would unfortunately be asking for a lot here. Still, as we witnessed Week 10, upsets can happen and teams need to bring it week in and week out.

AFC North Week 11 preview: Big AFC North battle behind Ravens

The Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cleveland Browns on Thursday Night Football is the game to watch as it sets up second place behind the Ravens.

The Baltimore Ravens ride high atop the AFC North standings, maintaining their lead in Week 10 by beating the Cincinnati Bengals.

All four teams inside the AFC North have had their bye weeks, meaning we’ll get a chance to see football from the entire division for the final seven weeks of the season.

With a tough schedule ahead for Baltimore, the coming weeks are an opportunity for the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers to make up some ground on the Ravens. It’ll start this week as those two square off in the national spotlight.

Pittsburgh Steelers (5-4) at Cleveland Browns (3-6)

Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images

First up on Week 11’s schedule is an AFC North rivalry on Thursday night. It’s the first time the Steelers and Browns have met and only the second division game Cleveland has played this season.

Pittsburgh has been heating up after their trade for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, putting together solid defensive performances en route to a four-game winning streak. The Steelers have come alive in spite of an offense that has been downright dreadful, ranking 28th in yards and 19th in points scored.

The Browns would love nothing more than to beat their division rival and put themselves back in the hunt for a playoff spot in front of a national audience. With a fairly easy remaining schedule, Cleveland could very well get to 9-7 and put themselves in the running for a wild-card berth. A loss here would all but eliminate them from contention.

This is a pivotal game for the division behind Baltimore and one worth watching.

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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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WATCH: Quandre Diggs gets first interception with Seahawks

Watch as Seattle Seahawks defensive back Quandre Diggs gets his first interception with his new team

A few weeks ago, former Texas Longhorn defensive back Quandre Diggs was traded from the Detroit Lions to the Seattle Seahawks. Last night, Diggs saw his first action with Seattle in a clash between the San Francisco 49ers.

The 49ers went into this Monday Night Football matchup as the only remaining undefeated team in the NFL. The Seahawks were able to stun the 49ers in San Francisco, winning in overtime by a score of 27-24.

About midway through the 3rd quarter, Diggs was able to intercept 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo with the score being 10-7 in favor of San Francisco. This interception led to a Seahawks touchdown, giving them the lead.

On the night, Diggs was able to tally two tackles, one of which was solo, a pass defense, and this interception.

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‘Tank for Tua’ Week 10

Week 10 of the NFL regular season not only shook football fans, but the ‘Tank for Tua’ rankings as well. The Dolphins are on a win streak, the Bengals are still winless, the Patriots haven’t won a game in November and the 49ers lost their first game …

Week 10 of the NFL regular season not only shook football fans, but the ‘Tank for Tua’ rankings as well.

The Dolphins are on a win streak, the Bengals are still winless, the Patriots haven’t won a game in November and the 49ers lost their first game of the season.

All of the aforementioned events have changed the overall landscape of the NFL, let’s dive in and see how this crazy week affected the worst of the worst and if their chances of landing Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa have been hindered.

3. New York Jets

Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Jets in Week 10 were able to capture yet another win, this time over their in-state rival, the New York Football Giants.

They are tied for last place in the AFC East, tied with the Miami Dolphins at 2-7, and it seems as if the win column may stay stuck at two for the remainder of the regular season.

The NFL Power Rankings currently has them listed at No. 29, one of the worst teams in the league.

With an inconsistent quarterback, such as Sam Darnold, that ranking may fluctuate higher or lower.

In the Jets’ win over the Giants, Darnold had an impressive outing. He amassed 230 yards, one passing touchdown and a lone rushing touchdown.

While a win must feel nice for the team, it’s still clear a winning culture has not been spread throughout the locker room.

With a team full of talent, there’s only one position on the field to turn to and potentially point the finger. The quarterback.

Whether Darnold is the future of the franchise is still to be determined, but with a lot of elite collegiate talent at the quarterback position in this draft class, it would be hard to believe that the Jets’ front office hasn’t thought about the possibility of bringing in a fresh, and even younger, face, such as Tagovailoa.

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Irish in the NFL: Tyler Eifert records first TD catch since Week 2

Cincinnati Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert, a former Notre Dame Fighting Irish, hauled in his second touchdown of the season on Sunday.

Former Notre Dame Fighting Irish tight end Tyler Eifert recorded his second touchdown of the season on Sunday – and his first since Week 2 – in Cincinnati’s 49-13 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

It was the first career touchdown pass for Bengals rookie quarterback Ryan Finley, a fourth round pick out of North Carolina State in 2019.

It’s been an ugly season for the Bengals, who replaced veteran Andy Dalton with Finley officially on Sunday.

Finley was able to connect on a six-yard touchdown pass with Eifert, a long-time reliable target for Dalton, giving Finley the first of what Cincinnati hopes will be many touchdowns for the young gunslinger.

The Bengals are barreling toward an early pick in 2020 however, making Finley’s time as a starter potentially short-lived.

Regardless, expect Eifert – who had 140 receptions and 11 touchdowns while at Notre Dame – to be a go-to target for Finley while he gets his NFL legs under him.

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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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