Tag: Cincinnati Bengals

Bengals LB adds more fire to Week 13 rivalry game against Steelers

Germaine Pratt guarantees a Bengals win in Week 13, but can the Steelers use his bold words as fuel to secure a crucial AFC North victory?

Be careful what you wish for, Cincinnati. It appears that Bengals LB Germaine Pratt is having a pretty boring, and obviously insecure, Week 12 bye week, as the AFC North linebacker is guaranteeing a Week 13 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Recently, Pratt and the Bengals have fallen under scrutiny for their awful performance through 11 games, sitting just one game away from last place in the AFC North standings, with a record of four wins and seven losses.

With the Bengals’ playoff hopes seemingly nonexistent, Pratt is holding on to the faint hope of a miracle finish in the final six weeks of the season.

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Can the Steelers silence Pratt and the Bengals, further contributing to Cincinnati’s potential three-game losing streak with a Pittsburgh victory? Only time will tell, but it’s clear the Steelers have extra motivation to bounce back from their Week 12 loss to the Cleveland Browns. Fans can look forward to watching a Russell Wilson-led offense take on Pratt and the Bengals defense in Week 13 on December 1 at 1:00 PM EST.

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One year ago today, the Steelers offense changed forever

One year ago, the Steelers fired OC Matt Canada, starting a journey to rebuild their offense and achieve success under OC Arthur Smith.

One year ago today, fans of the Black and Gold danced in the streets of Pittsburgh, and excitement could be seen on the face of every member of the Steelers organization. On November 21, 2023, the Pittsburgh Steelers fired OC Matt Canada.

Under Canada’s 2023 offensive scheme, through his eleven games that season, the Steelers’ offense posted five games with 17 points or less. His last game as offensive coordinator came in Week 11, following a mere 10 points scored against the Cleveland Browns.

While it took some time, the Steelers would score 34 points against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 16 and 30 points against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 17.

While fans were forced to play the blame game between then-starting QB Kenny Pickett, backup QB Mitchell Trubisky, and former OC Matt Canada, the offense improved to 19.7 points per game without Canada calling the plays.

Ultimately, one year ago today marked the beginning of the journey to solving the Steelers’ offensive issues and resulted in an impressive offense led by OC Arthur Smith and QB Russell Wilson.

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Skip Bayless is sick of Bengals failing Joe Burrow

Bengals fans will like this one from Skip Bayless.

The Cincinnati Bengals have been underperforming with a 4-7 record, and many people have their own opinions about why they haven’t been playing like they were expected to.

But Skip Bayless, who is known for having some very strong opinions, knows one thing: Joe Burrow is being let down. Bayless made sure to make that clear on Twitter after the Bengals’ most recent loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.

“Joe Burrow is still the best quarterback in football,” the tweet read, although the entire thing was in all caps, “and as tough as they come. What punishment he absorbed tonight, and just kept jumping back up and completing another pass.”

It’s high praise from the long-time TV host, and he is certainly right that none of this can be blamed on Burrow. In 11 games this season, he has thrown for a 67.2 completion percentage, 3,028 yards and 27 touchdowns with just four interceptions.

Because of the Bengals’ record this far into the season, it would be tough to imagine Burrow gets any recognition for the award, but he is playing near – if not at – an MVP level, and Bayless is another person who has recognized that.

 

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Will Bengals get cheap with Ja’Marr Chase? An NFL insider weighs in

One insider considers the upcoming standoff between the Bengals and Ja’Marr Chase.

The Cincinnati Bengals and Ja’Marr Chase aren’t talking a contract extension during the season after the recent, awkward standoff between the two sides.

That impasse that bled into the regular season ended with Chase apparently feeling like the Bengals misled him in talks.

And now insiders such as ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler have gone back and forth on how things might play out between the Bengals and Chase next offseason:

The belief leaguewide is, yes, the Bengals did get close to extending Chase’s contract leading up to Week 1, but while the per-year annual average on that contract offer was sufficient, the structure of the deal (guarantees) was not what he wanted. Now Chase is well-positioned to clear Jefferson’s four-year, $140 million bar and then some. Will the Bengals oblige? It seems like a no-brainer, but that’s still a hefty price tag for a team considered fiscally responsible. The feeling here is Cincinnati lets Tee Higgins walk in free agency and allocates resources for Chase, a 2026 free agent. If not, expect Chase to stay far away from the team for a while.

Here’s the problem for the Bengals: Chase’s price was always going to go up next offseason due to the nature of the market. They knew that. But it doesn’t help that he’s flirting with a Triple Crown and his agent is openly celebrating how easy he’s making the job for his reps.

So yes, things could get messy between the Bengals and Chase after the season. The team could technically stand firm in how it wants to structure the contract, citing the fifth year of Chase’s rookie deal, then a franchise tag, and perhaps even another after that.

But…Chase could use his leverage too. It’s uncomfortable, but a conversation that is understandably making the rounds right now.

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Bengals star guarantees win over Steelers in Week 13

A bold move from a Bengals star before a big AFC North game.

The Cincinnati Bengals might be on a bye week, but linebacker Germaine Pratt isn’t taking a break from trying to motivate his guys. 

How so? Pratt took to social media and guaranteed a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Week 13 AFC North encounter.

Pratt wrote the following: “We will win next week. Believe that 🩸 Work to win.”

A central figure in a sideline outburst while attempting to motivate his teammates during the Week 11 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, Pratt has been one of the most vocal leaders on the Bengals this season.

The Bengals and Pratt have a bye week to get right, see that message and apply it. Earlier in the week, it seemed like Joe Burrow was one of the only guys at Paycor Stadium during the bye.

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NFL poll says teams fear Ja’Marr Chase over Vikings’ Justin Jefferson

Justin Jefferson is one of the most feared wide receivers in the NFL, but coaches reportedly fear one player even more than the Vikings star

It’s undeniable that Minnesota Vikings‘ wide receiver Justin Jefferson is one of the best in the position in the NFL- and is on the path to becoming one of the best wide receivers in NFL history. Last week, he broke both the team record and the league record for most receiving yards in a player’s first five seasons. Last season, even though he only played nine games due to injury, he still broke the 1,000-yard mark. His talent is inarguable.

What is arguable, it seems, is just how highly he ranks among his peers and who at the position strikes the most fear in opposing coaches. According to ESPN NFL Insider Jeremy Fowler, “Many scouts and coaches believe (Ja’Marr) Chase strikes more fear in opponents because of his big-play ability. He’s validating that belief, which means the price tag only goes up.”

That line was in reference to whether or not the Cincinnati Bengals are going to be willing to give Chase a large contract in the offseason as the Vikings did with Jefferson this previous offseason. On the surface, there’s some merit to that stance, as Chase is in the running for the “Triple Crown” this season, leading the league in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns.

However, when you look at it a little deeper, the claim of “better big-play ability” doesn’t necessarily hold water — at least with regards to this season. Though Jefferson is trailing Chase in the counting stats, it is Jefferson, and not Chase, who has the edge in yards per reception — 15.5 to 14.5. Jefferson also has the longer longest reception this season, 97 yards to 70, and has more “big play” receptions (receptions of 20+ yards) this season than Chase.

Regardless of whether or not the anonymous scouts and coaches are right, Chase and Jefferson are neck-and-neck for the best receiver in the NFL, and Chase is likely in line for a Jefferson-like payday this offseason, though the team could opt to have Chase play on his fifth-year option and kick the can down the road for another year.

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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