Tag: Geno Stone

Bengals urged to bench starter to save season

One analyst wants to see a Bengals starter take a seat.

It’s no secret the Cincinnati Bengals still have an issue at the safety position years after losing Jessie Bates.

So far this season, one of the biggest talking points around the team has been the refusal to let Jordan Battle be on the field in more in place of either Geno Stone or Vonn Bell.

In fact, it’s hit a point where articles suggesting win-now moves teams could make via free agency actually instead opt to list this big change, such as a recent effort from Bleacher Report:

Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo is infamously against rotating his defensive backs, but his job security could be called into question if Cincinnati continues to be this bad at defending the pass. That means giving the younger Jordan Battle a chance to play over free-agent acquisition Geno Stone.

From a scheme and ability standpoint, Battle would probably need to take more snaps from Bell than Stone.

But the overarching point about poor safety play is a sound one — Stone has struggled since his arrival and so far has a 46.6 PFF grade. Bell, meanwhile, has clearly lost a step.

Poor corner play from the likes of Cam Taylor-Britt hasn’t helped. But the Bengals will probably be looking for upgrades at both safety spots next offseason.

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Bengals coach details how Jordan Battle can earn more playing time

Here’s how coaches see things working for Jordan Battle.

The Cincinnati Bengals defense had a rough start to the 2024 season during the team’s 0-3 start, but has rebounded since then and is starting to become more consistent.

One player who has been a part of that effort in the past two weeks is safety Jordan Battle, who has been rotating with Geno Stone against the Browns and Giants in the last two wins.

The Bengals used a third-round pick on Battle in the 2023 NFL draft, and he has played in 24 games to this point, with 80 tackles, four for loss, six passes defended, and an interception in his young career. He hasn’t been as involved in the defense so far this year, but defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo thinks that could change moving forward if he can continue playing the way he has been.

“He’s becoming more consistent and that’s the good news,” Anarumo said. “He’s just got to stay there. That’s the key.”

Stone was carted off the field against Cleveland in Week 7, but will return for the game against the Eagles on Sunday. But if Stone isn’t able to suit up, Battle is going to have to be ready to play a big role against what can be a high-powered Philadelphia Eagles offense.

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Bengals get surprising injury update after win vs. Browns

The Bengals get some good injury news after a bad-looking mishap.

(This story was updated to add new information.)

Things looked really, really bad for the Cincinnati Bengals during the Week 7 win over the Cleveland Browns after a collision between defenders Vonn Bell and Geno Stone.

Stone suffered the worst of it, eventually leaving on a cart with his leg in a cast, which seemed to say it all. There is always the chance of precaution around injury treatments on the field, yes, but this one seemed pretty cut and dry.

Until the updates started to go public.

According to Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic, Stone was walking around the locker room without assistance after the game: “Geno Stone was in the locker room walking around on his own power. Still walking gingerly, obviously, but a good sign for him to not need any help/brace/etc getting out.”

Then, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler followed up on the injury: “X-rays were negative on #Bengals safety Geno Stone’s shin injury, per source. Positive news for the starter safety.”

It’s a huge boon for team and player. Stone seemed to finally turn a corner in the secondary on Sunday, recording what looked like his best game with the Bengals while picking off a pass.

If Stone has to miss time, names like Jordan Battle and Daijahn Anthony can work into the rotation with Bell in the secondary. But based on the initial reactions, the Bengals won’t be without their new starting safety for nearly as long as it seemed.

Update: Bengals head coach Zac Taylor told reporters that he likes Stone’s chances to play in Week 8.

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Ravens vs. Bengals: Top photos from Baltimore’s 41-38 win in overtime at Paycor Stadium

We’re looking at the top photos from the Baltimore Ravens 41-38 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in overtime at Paycor Stadium in Week 5

Lamar Jackson and company rallied from a late fourth-quarter deficit to force overtime with a 56-yard field goal from Justin Tucker. In overtime, the Bengals recovered a Jackson fumble but could not win it after Evan McPherson missed a 56-yard field goal of his win.

At one point in the fourth quarter, Joe Burrow was 27-for-34 for 353 yards and five touchdown passes, while former college teammate Ja’Marr Chase had nine catches for 174 yards and two scores.

Burrow finished 30-39 passing for 392 yards, five touchdowns, and one costly interception. His MVP counterpart, Lamar Jackson, was 26-42 passing for 348 yards and four touchdowns. Jackson also had 12 carries for 56 yards on the day.

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Joe Burrow dominates early, but Ravens rally for a 41-38 win over Bengals in overtime

Joe Burrow dominates early, but Ravens rally for a 41-38 win over Bengals in overtime

After a week of pundits and experts questioning Joe Burrow’s demise, the former LSU star put the NFL back on notice with a dominant, five-touchdown performance against the Baltimore Ravens at Paycor Stadium.

Still, it wasn’t enough, as Lamar Jackson and company rallied from a late fourth-quarter deficit to force overtime with a 56-yard field goal from Justin Tucker. In overtime, the Bengals recovered a Lamar Jackosn fumble but were unable to win it after Evan McPherson missed a 56-yard field goal of his win.

Baltimore used a big Derrick Henry run to get into field goal position, and Justin Tucker’s 24 field goals gave the Ravens their third straight win.

At one point in the fourth quarter, Burrow was 27-for-34 for 353 yards and five touchdown passes, while former college teammate Ja’Marr Chase had nine catches for 174 yards and two scores against a Ravens secondary full of first-round picks and high-paid defenders.

Burrow finished 30-39 passing for 392 yards, five touchdowns, and one costly interception. His MVP counterpart, Lamar Jackson, was 26-42 passing for 348 yards and four touchdowns. Jackson also had 12 carries for 56 yards on the day.

After a slow start, Derrick Henry finished things with a bang, rushing for 91 yards on 15 carries, with one rushing touchdown.

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Geno Stone has blunt take on Bengals’ winless start

Bengals safety Geno Stone is leading by example.

Cincinnati Bengals safety Geno Stone recently made headlines for a post on social media after the team’s 0-3 start.

Now, he’s following up in the media.

Speaking ahead of the Week 4 showdown with the Carolina Panthers, Stone tackled questions about his demeanor.

“I’m walking around with a pissed off attitude,” Stone said, according to Caleb Noe of WCPO. “People keep asking me why I look like this. I hate losing. I’ve never been 0-3 in my whole life. Me, I just want to win, that’s all it is. That’s why I came here.”

While some team leaders like Joe Burrow have made plans to change things up, there hasn’t been a lot of this public-facing anger about the winless start so far.

It is, in a word, a start. Fans probably like to see the emotion — and especially from the defensive side of the ball. After all, the miserable start for the unit makes it worth asking if the man in charge might be on the hot seat.

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Geno Stone has interesting message for Bengals fans after loss

What did Geno Stone mean by this as the Bengals dropped to 0-3?

New Cincinnati Bengals safety Geno Stone took to social media after his team’s loss to the Washington Commanders that dropped them to 0-3 on the season.

There, Stone threw out the following: “Yall really don’t be knowing anything that goes on and it shows.”

It’s an interesting comment for a player to throw out coming out of a game where rookie Jayden Daniels walked into Paycor Stadium and fired just two incompletions over 23 attempts, drumming up 38 points of offense and letting his punter have the night off.

From the perspective of fans, is Stone talking about some of the criticisms lobbed at the players? Heat on coordinator Lou Anarumo? Misunderstanding of the x’s and o’s?

At this point, it doesn’t really matter, as the extra stuff is starting to skew the narratives. There was Cam Taylor-Britt’s pregame comments that, while clipped and misconstrued, drummed up controversy. And then there was the strange Joe Burrow-Zac Taylor meeting after the game.

Meanwhile, the Bengals face historically long odds to make the playoffs this year.

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Rookie DB Nate Wiggins is exactly what the Ravens needed

Baltimore Ravens DB Nate Wiggins produced a game changing play to help his team outlast the Dallas Cowboys in week 3.

Baltimore Ravens defensive back Nate Wiggins forced a timely fumble on Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb in the team’s week three win.



Wiggins, who missed week two, can and will help teammate Marlon Humphrey get rest on defensive possessions. Defensive coordinator Zach Orr should be mindful of Humphrey’s attrition and continue to delegate his reps covering the top opposing wide receiver with Wiggins.

The Dallas Cowboys scored 19 fourth-quarter points before running out of time in regulation. Ranking At No. 32 in the NFL in opponent’s passing yards, the Ravens’ secondary still allowed a laughable 379 pass yards in week 3.

Nevertheless, the Ravens will take this three-point victory and strategize on ways to improve the pass defense as the season continues. Lastly, having Wiggins back in the lineup didn’t just help; it rendered the turnover very well, saving the game.

Bengals free-agency signings boast stunning impact on win-share projections

A few specific Bengals signings swung the win projections in a big way.

With the NFL season officially beginning, there is still a lot of uncertainty about what lies ahead for the Cincinnati Bengals, but Cynthia Frelund, an analytics expert at NFL.com used data from the past 12 NFL seasons to try to make that picture a little more clear.

Using a model that went through 1,000,000 simulations of every single regular season game, Frelund projected win totals for every AFC team in the 2024 season, while also vetting those totals with “real football people” like coaches and front office members.

Here’s what Frelund had to say about the Bengals, noting that their free agency efforts this offseason seem to have been a very big success.

I told you earlier that Cincinnati’s fourth-place schedule drove value in what I calculate to be the most challenging division in the NFL. Ahead of the preseason, the Bengals were my model’s pick to win the division. This tells you how much Ja’Marr Chase’s hold-in impacts this team.

One of my favorite notes on the Bengals is that adding DT Sheldon Rankins and safeties Vonn Bell and Geno Stone this offseason drove the win-share projection for the whole defense up three games.

The average win total for Cincinnati over all of those projections was 10.4 wins, which wouldn’t be a bad record in what should be a strong AFC North yet again. She also included the ceiling for the Bengals (12.6 wins) and the floor (7.5 wins).

Their ceiling was higher than every other team in the division, although the Baltimore Ravens average total (10.5) and floor (8.5) were slightly higher. However, if everything goes right for Cincinnati, the model seems to think they can get back on top of the division after a disappointing fourth-place finish last year.

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Bengals defenders brutally trolled Anthony Richardson after dominating a joint practice against the Colts

The Bengals kicked Anthony Richardson while he was down.

If there’s one thing I know about the NFL, it’s never to make sweeping conclusions about a team’s season (hey, Keenan Allen) based on August training camp practices and preseason exhibitions. Still, there’s nothing stopping professional athletes from trash-talking their opponents at every opportunity they get.

Even if it is just practice.

On Tuesday, the Cincinnati Bengals and Indianapolis Colts met up for a joint practice in the Queen City. While it means nothing for the Colts’ offense from a macro perspective, it was apparently a rough day for second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson against a smart and fast Bengals defense.

Rather than move on and accept their “win” graciously, some Bengals defenders decided to kick Richardson — who is working his way back from a shoulder injury that ended his rookie season in 2023 — while he was down.

Who are we kidding? Of course the Bengals — often known to puff their chests in public as much as possible — would talk like this over a practice:

Oh, man. That is brutal to read on its face.

The Bengals are basically rattling off lazy stereotypes and narratives for a talented quarterback still learning the nuances of the professional game. It’s like they’re just trying to plant seeds of doubt in Richardson’s head over thoughts that he probably tries to block out while ideally coming into his own.

I can’t say I blame them for trying.

Unfortunately for us, the only scheduled matchup between the Colts and Bengals this season is in their preseason finale this Thursday. Barring a playoff matchup in January, we won’t get to see Richardson exact any revenge or try to put the Bengals in their place any time soon.

Ugh, what a bummer.

At the very least, I now REALLY want to see Richardson against this Colts defense in the winter. Store this little August practice incident for later. It might come in really handy.