Tag: Ted Karras

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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Bengals leader throws public support behind Ja’Marr Chase during contract saga

One Bengals leader says there’s no issue in the locker room given the Ja’Marr Chase news.

The Cincinnati Bengals locker room, at least based on comments from one of its core leaders, is doing just fine amid the contract saga between the team and star wideout Ja’Marr Chase.

Speaking with reporters after the now-infamous practice in which Chase showed back up as inactive and in street clothes, center Ted Karras said all is well.

“I think it’s been handled fantastically,” Karras said, according to CLNS Media’s Mike Petraglia. “I understand the business aspect of it. There’s absolutely zero hard feelings among any players.”

From an outsider’s perspective, things have mostly been just fine between Chase and the Bengals while the two sides work on an extension.

Chase, minus one day, was at every training camp practice during his “hold-in” and ramped back up to practice this past week before then sitting out on Wednesday after comments from head coach Zac Taylor about his status.

The fact Chase reverted to a non-participant and the fact he’s seeking an extension with two years left on his deal caused some speculation from outsiders.

But based on Karras’ comments, everyone around the ordeal understands the back-and-forth leverage plays that happen around these top-of-market extensions.

Granted, we’ll have to see what happens when practice ramps up before Week 1 next week. But for now, these are the expected choppy waters during this type of situation.

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Bengals center Ted Karras gets his due in rankings from execs, coaches and scouts

Bengals OL Ted Karras gets a nod in notable rankings.

The Cincinnati Bengals quietly gave center Ted Karras an extension in June because of his solid play and presence within the locker room and the greater community.

Karras’s appearance on a recent rankings list also speaks to how highly he’s regarded within the team and league as a whole.

ESPN has been assembling positional rankings based on conversations with executives, coaches and scouts within the league this month (Joe Burrow, for example, charted incredibly high).

In the interior offensive linemen rankings from Jeremy Fowler, Karras doesn’t crack the top 10 — but he does show up in the “also receiving votes” section.

That might not sound like much, but we’re talking about rankings that cover both guard spots and center for all 32 teams in the league. Karras showing up at all is a big deal and confirms the team was right to lock up the 31-year-old veteran who was originally headed into the final year of his contract.

Consistency for the line is key, too, with right tackle undergoing a massive change with the combo of Trent Brown and Amarius Mims arriving to play right tackle — Karras is the heart of that consistency right in middle.

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Bengals sign center Ted Karras to contract extension

The Bengals and Ted Karras do a deal.

The Cincinnati Bengals have signed starting center and team captain Ted Karras to a one-year extension.

That extension arrived on the last day of mandatory work as the 31-year-old veteran originally headed into the final year of his contract and keeps him with the team through 2025.

Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com provided the following on Karras’ thoughts:

“I’m grateful the Karras family and the Brown family get to keep working together because we’ve both been in the league for a long time,” said Karras, on his way out to the last practice of mandatory minicamp.

“It’s the first time we’ve come together and been on the same team. I love what they’re doing. The ultimate goal is to get it done. I want to get it done for Mr. Brown and the Brown family and we have the guys to do it.”

In the wake of the extension, Karras’ deal is effectively a two-year pact worth $12 million.

Given Karras’ strong on-field play and huge presence as a leader in both the locker room and the community, this type of move between the parties felt inevitable.

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Ted Karras notices different energy around Bengals this year

The vibe has changed at Paycor Stadium.

Cincinnati Bengals offensive lineman Ted Karras says there’s a different type of energy around the team this year.

Speaking with reporters during voluntary OTAs this week , Karras said that there’s a more serious tone to the work put in at Paycor Stadium, perhaps because of how things went last season.

“I think we’re a lot more serious than we were these last two years and especially compared to last year,” Karras said, per Jeremy Rauch of Fox 19. “I think that the way guys are coming into work, the way the coaches are addressing us, and the energy and enthusiasm that everyone’s bringing every morning is very pleasing to a leader.”

Karras went on to cite the league’s what have you done nature and said the Bengals “didn’t do anything good” last season.

While a tad harsh, it’s completely unsurprising to find NFL players who feel this way after missing the playoffs when the expectation was competing for a Super Bowl.

That said, a more serious approach to even voluntary work in early June is something fans won’t exactly complain about as the team looks to get back to contending.

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Joe Burrow donated $25,000 to Village of Merici for Ted Karras to get tattoo

Joe Burrow with a huge assist, Ted Karras with some ink.

Cincinnati Bengals center Ted Karras was the team’s Walter Payton Man of the Year Charity Challenge winner after the fans voted for him. To repay them, he decided to offer free tattoos.

Jay Morrison of Pro Football Network wrote that Karras wasn’t going to get a tattoo that day, but Joe Burrow offered to donate $25,000 to the Village of Merici, which provides residential and community opportunities for adults with developmental disabilities, if Karras would get one too.

He took up Burrow on the offer and got a tattoo of the “Cincy” logo from the hats he has been selling since November 2022 to raise money for the Village of Merici.

“He (Burrow) is a man of his word, and so am I, so I’m getting this tattoo,” Karras said via Morrison. “I’m a little nervous. I see people coming up, and they’ve got the patch on, and it’s a little bit bloody, and I’m like ‘Oh, man.’”

Many fans who received free tattoos donated to the Village of Merici as well at the event where close to 500 people received tattoos from 45 local tattoo artists.

At the Sunday event branded “St. Tatt-rick’s Day,” many Bengals attended, including Trey Hendrickson who signed autographs for fans.

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Ted Karras and Ken Anderson team up to help adults with disabilities

Amazing work from Ted Karras and a Bengals legend.

Cincinnati Bengals nominee for Walter Payton Man of the Year and former Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson are teaming up this offseason for a very good cause.

Karras has partnered with the Ken Anderson Alliance to create a residential community for adults with disabilities. The project aims to build affordable housing where there will be employment opportunities, social activities and more to help ensure a good quality of life.

Anderson and Karras got together to celebrate their partnership at The Holy Grail in Cincinnati on Jan. 18, where a fundraiser was held to help with costs for the project.

It aligns well with what has made Karras the nominee for the man of the year award since the sales of his famous Cincy hat all go to the Village of Merici for developmentally disabled adults in Indianapolis, where Karras is from.

“I haven’t been this excited about a project like this in a long time,” Anderson said at the fundraiser, via Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “I know a lot of you have been disappointed we couldn’t have done something earlier, but now it will become a reality and I can’t thank Ted and Zach enough for making this all happen.”

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Ted Karras wins Walter Payton Man of the Year Charity Challenge fan vote

A big win for Bengals OL Ted Karras.

Cincinnati Bengals center Ted Karras won the Walter Payton Man of the Year Charity Challenge after a long fan voting process, becoming the first Bengals player to do so.

With the win, he will have $35,000 awarded to his charity partner, the Village of Merici, which provides opportunities for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in his hometown of Indianapolis.

Karras became the Bengals nominee because of his signature Cincy hat which he started selling in 2022. Since then he has had more than $800,000 in sales, with more than $325,000 going to the Village of Merici. Karras has also matched $100,000 in donations since then.

Karras is a finalist for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award which will be announced Feb. 8 during NFL Honors. If he wins the award, he will get an additional $250,000 donation for the charity of his choice.

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Ted Karras is Bengals nominee for Walter Payton Man of the Year Award

A huge moment for Ted Karras.

The Walter Payton Man of the Year Award nominees have been announced and the Cincinnati Bengals player nominated is Ted Karras.

The award is given to a player who not only excels on the field but also gives back to his community and has a positive impact outside of football as well.

Karras started selling his Cincy Hat in 2022 which featured Bengals colors and claw marks. In the year since the website was launched, it has raised over $800,000 in sales with all proceeds past $325,000 going to Village of Merici.

Village of Merici is based in Karras’ hometown of Indianapolis and is a non-profit living community and service provider for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, which he has been closely involved with as a donor, fundraiser and event host since 2016.

“I’m truly honored,” Karras said. “I’m so grateful to be a part of Village of Merici and grateful to everyone in the Cincinnati community. I can’t believe how this project turned into something like this. What a very humbling experience.”

When Cincy Hat started, Karras matched $100,000 in donations and hat orders, and since then it has expanded to selling shirts, visors and onesies to go along with the original hats.

“The financial support The Cincy Hat project has provided Village of Merici is incredible,” Colleen Renie, Village of Merici Executive Director said. “This project has become 10 times larger than any other fundraiser we have throughout the year. It’s given us the ability to think bigger and reach more adults in need. We have a large waitlist of adults in need of services, and we’ve been able to hire more coaches and serve more people with this new income stream.”

Each team in the NFL had a player nominated for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, and each of them will be honored in the week leading up to the Super Bowl, with the winner being announced during the NFL Honors on Feb. 8 on CBS. The winner will receive a $250,000 donation to the charity of his choice.

Fans can vote for Walter Payton Man of the Year here, or by posting on Twitter with #WPMOYChallenge included in the post along with the name of the player they would like to vote for.

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