Arkansas Bengal

Mixon!!!

Fucking stealers up 10 - 7

Way too easy…

Good start now let’s hope the D gets a 3 and out.

Report: Ja’Marr Chase is likely to play against Chiefs By Josh Alper Published December 31, 2023 08:55 AM Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase had some harsh words for the Chiefs secondary this week and it looks like he will have the chance to back them up with his play. Chase was listed as questionable to face the Chiefs because of a shoulder injury that kept him from playing last week and kept him from practicing on Wednesday this week. Chase returned to practice on Thursday and Friday, though, and Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports he’s likely to play in Kansas City on Sunday afternoon. Chase said this week that “nothing” stands out about the Chiefs secondary and said he’s not worried about adding “fire to the fuel” with his words. That confidence may come from Chase’s past experience against the Chiefs. He has 29 catches for 527 yards and 3 touchdowns in four games against Kansas City, including a Bengals-record 266 receiving yards in a 2021 game against them. Assuming Chase is in the lineup, that sets the stage for a matchup that’s going to be a major talking point after the game one way or another. https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/jamarr-chase-is-likely-to-play-against-chiefs

Mecole Hardman activated off IR, set to play vs. Bengals By Myles Simmons Published December 30, 2023 01:23 PM The Chiefs will get some help at receiver for Sunday’s game against the Bengals. Kansas City announced the club has activated Mecole Hardman off of injured reserve and removed his questionable designation, so he’s set to play in Week 17. Hardman has missed the last five games with a thumb injury. He’s appeared in four games with the Chiefs this season since the team brought him back from the Jets, catching eight passes for 41 yards. With Skyy Moore on injured reserve and Kadarius Toney out again with a hip injury, Hardman could be a key factor in Kansas City’s offensive approach on Sunday. As a corresponding move, the Chiefs have waived defensive tackle Matt Dickerson from the 53-man roster. Kansas City has also elevated running back Keaontay Ingram and defensive tackle Mike Pennell from the practice squad to the active roster for Sunday. Running backs Isiah Pacheco (concussion/shoulder) and Clyde Edwards-Helaire (illness) are both questionable with Jerick McKinnon on IR. https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/cincinnati-bengals

Report: Isiah Pacheco clears concussion protocol, is expected to play Sunday By Josh Alper Published December 30, 2023 04:42 PM Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco is reportedly set to play on Sunday. Pacheco was listed as questionable by the team on Friday because of a shoulder injury and the concussion he suffered against the Raiders on Christmas, but Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that he has cleared the concussion protocol. As a result, Pacheco is expected to be in the lineup against the Bengals. Pacheco leads the Chiefs with eight touchdowns on the season, so they’ll be happy to have him on hand as they try to lock up the AFC West with a win. The Chiefs also listed Clyde Edwards-Helaire as questionable on Friday due to an illness. La’Mical Perine is the only other back on the 53-man roster. https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/cincinnati-bengals

Blair Kerkhoff Sat, December 30, 2023 at 6:00 AM CST·4 min read With showdowns in each of the last two AFC Championship Games, the Chiefs and Bengals have provided some of the most dramatic matchups in the NFL over the past two seasons. Both games were decided by a field goal, with Cincinnati winning in an overtime walk-off two years ago and the Chiefs getting their game-winner in the final seconds last season. In regular-season games those years, the Bengals won twice ... each time by three points. Will things be different Sunday? The high stakes are high again. It’s not Super Bowl-for-the-winner big, but a triumph clinches a playoff berth for the Chiefs, while the Bengals’ postseason chances are greatly enhanced with victories in their final two games. Heading into Week 17, both teams have fallen short of expectation. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, who has completed 79% of his passes against the Chiefs, was lost for the season after 10 games. Cincinnati is 3-2 with Jake Browning at quarterback (both losses to Pittsburgh) and 8-7 overall. Browning, a former Pac-12 player of the year at Washington, has been in the NFL since 2019 but hadn’t seen action until this season. “I don’t think they’ve changed a lot that way and the kid (Browning) has done a great job for them,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. The Chiefs are reeling, having lost four of six since their bye week and two straight. A Patrick Mahomes-quarterbacked Chiefs team has never dropped three in a row. And Cincinnati has given him plenty of trouble through the years. Including the playoffs, Mahomes has a losing record against just two teams, the Bengals and Indianapolis Colts. Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo remains wary of Mahomes and the Chiefs. “I know this, they’re the world champs,” Anarumo said. “They’re a prideful group and they’re going to look to get back on track and do what they do well. They’re going to chuck it down the field even more, in my opinion. I see them just really being aggressive and that’s not going to surprise me one bit.” Who knows? Maybe these teams will face one another in the postseason for a third straight year. This much is certain: They’ll meet in the regular season in 2024, once again in Kansas City. Here’s what to watch in Sunday’s game, which kicks off at 3:25 p.m: Bengals player to watch: cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt He’s missed the previous five games with a quad/ankle injury, but Taylor-Britt has been cleared to return. He has four interceptions in 10 games and had a solid showing against the Chiefs in last year’s AFC title contest. The Chiefs’ passing game has struggled compared to previous seasons, but perhaps wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling will experience some muscle memory. He had his best game in a Chiefs uniform that night, with six receptions for 116 yards and a touchdown. Chiefs player to watch: defensive tackle Chris Jones Jones ended a run of four games without a sack last week against the Raiders, pushing his season total to 8 1/2. He has two games to reach double-digit sacks. That would qualify Jones for a $1.25 million contract bonus. Jones came up big in last year’s playoff game against the Bengals. He had not recorded a postseason sack until getting two against Cincinnati, including a takedown of Joe Burrow that forced a punt on the Bengals’ final full possession. Special teams player to watch: Chiefs punter Tommy Townsend Can the Chiefs pull off a fake two weeks in a row? Townsend’s perfect pass to Justin Watson last week against the Raiders went for 11 yards and a first down. “We practiced that all week,” Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub said. “It’s a fake that we have because Tommy can throw the ball so well. “Those guys executed it unbelievably. The (Raiders) kind of knew it was coming. They defended it. The corner dropped back, and they defended the five-yard spot but (Watson) pressed it and made the play work.” https://news.yahoo.com/stake-kansas-city-chiefs-meet-120000344.html

By Myles Simmons Published December 28, 2023 01:30 PM Left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. spent the previous two seasons with the Chiefs, winning Super Bowl LVII with the club last February. But after Brown didn’t secure a long-term deal with the franchise, he moved on to sign with Cincinnati on a four-year contract. Brown and the Bengals are heading back to Kansas City for Sunday’s Week 17 matchup. The left tackle said this week that he has no hard feelings even though the Chiefs elected to let him go elsewhere. “Haven’t been back since the [Super Bowl] banner has been up. Honestly, I kinda wanna see that,” Brown said, via James Rapien of SI.com. “That was the organization that gave me an opportunity to be a left tackle in this league and helped put me in position to be here. So there’s no animosity.” Kansas City acquired Brown from Baltimore in April 2021. When he and the Chiefs didn’t work out a long-term deal before the 2022 season, Brown played the season under the franchise tag tender. After two years with Kansas City, Brown knows exactly what to expect from the crowd at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday. “This is going to be a playoff-like atmosphere,” Brown said. “It doesn’t matter who we play this time of year. I’m excited. I would say that, honestly, if we were going to Seattle or San Francisco. It’s the time of year. That’s what makes these Bengals-Chiefs games so exciting, because of what’s at stake.” https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/cincinnati-bengals

Charlie Goldsmith, Cincinnati Enquirer Fri, Dec 29, 2023, 5:01 AM CST·5 min read Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling was looking for a camera. Last January, he broke away from Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Mike Hilton for a 19-yard touchdown in the AFC Championship Game at Arrowhead Stadium. But the go-ahead score in the third quarter wasn’t enough for Valdes-Scantling. He wanted to rub salt in the wound.Valdes-Scantling found a camera in the back of the end zone, ducked down and lowered his hand to the ground. It’s one of the most disrespectful taunts in the NFL. It means, “You’re too small.” Hilton stoked the fire before last year’s AFC Championship Game, and then he had his worst performance of the season. “We lost by three points,” Hilton says 11 months later. “If we held them to a field goal there, it might be a different game.” Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling caught the go-ahead touchdown pass under coverage from Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Mike Hilton in the AFC title game. Hyped pregame, not so good in-game Last year, Hilton coined “Burrowhead Stadium” and led the swaggering Bengals into Kansas City. Then, he got humbled by a Chiefs’ game plan that was designed to attack Hilton when he lined up in one-on-one coverage. He allowed the 19-yard touchdown, a 29-yard catch and committed a key defensive pass interference penalty in a game where the 6-foot-4 Valdes-Scantling totaled a season-high 116 receiving yards. The 5-foot-9 Hilton got beat that day. But it didn’t change him. “As a competitor, it’s frustrating,” Hilton said. “I didn’t make plays when I needed to. But that’s the nature of the game. You always have an opportunity to prove yourself again.” Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Mike Hilton's performance last year against the Chiefs stuck with him. He gets another chance this week. The Bengals signed Hilton to provide the jolt that a team needs heading into a game like this week’s. A reeling Bengals secondary is heading back to Kansas City to face Patrick Mahomes, the best quarterback in the NFL. Hilton has a long track record of changing these types of matchups. He blitzed Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill in the 2021 playoffs and tipped an interception to himself. He took over the Bengals’ 2022 playoff game against the Buffalo Bills with a barrage of blitzes, tackles and physical man-to-man coverage. Two weeks ago, he turned a must-win game against the Minnesota Vikings with an interception in the end zone. “Veteran leadership is critical right now at this point in the year,” Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said. “You go on the road in front of fans that are going to be loud, and so you got to do everything to bring that energy. Guys like Mike Hilton bring that to the table. I think that that's critical to us taking the field and trying to create some momentum there." Big personality in undersized frame Hilton said that you need this type of personality to make it in the NFL as an undersized and undrafted slot cornerback. He developed it at Sandy Creek High School when he helped lead the team to two state championships. He took it to another level at the University of Mississippi, where he looked forward all year to facing the University of Alabama. Hilton beat the Crimson Tide twice. Before Hilton got to the Bengals, he carved out a spot in the NFL by taking advantage of preseason special teams reps. He clawed his way up the depth chart and became a big piece of the Stealers’ defense, but the Stealers passed on him when he hit free agency in 2021. “I don’t want to toot my own horn, but I feel like I brought a different mentality when I came over here,” Hilton said. “Some winning intangibles and attitude and a want to. That’s how I was raised and how I was brought up. I love these moments, and I love when the pressure is at its highest. You can really reveal a lot of people’s characters when this weight is on your shoulders.” Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Mike Hilton showed his upside with a leaping pass breakup against Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson. Hilton felt the bulk of that weight early in the season. He said he was trying to do too much to try to make up for what the Bengals were missing in the secondary. Without safeties Jessie Bates III and Vonn Bell, Hilton tried to make more aggressive plays in coverage. It didn’t work, and Hilton was looking for answers in a Bengals’ defense that has dropped off significantly in 2023. “After a while, (safeties Dax Hill and Jordan Battle) settled in,” Hilton said. “I was able to settle myself down, play my game and be who I am.” Hilton has raised his game down stretch Over the last two months, while the rest of the secondary hasn’t been able to find its footing, Hilton has played some of the best football of his career. He found a new style of run blitz that regularly creates tackles for loss in the backfield. He has been consistent in pass coverage, and he made one of the plays of the year in the Bengals’ defense as he knocked down a deep throw to Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson. “Mike is our swiss army knife,” Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson said. “He does it all for us.” On Sunday, Hilton gets his chance at redemption in a matchup that has stuck with him. A win would keep the Bengals’ playoff hopes alive, and it would also keep the Chiefs from clinching a division title. Hilton said that he hasn’t specifically had this date circled on the calendar all year. But if there’s anyone who knows what this game means, it’s him. “It’s one of the best rivalries in football,” Hilton said. “I’ve definitely added fire to it. That’s the competitive side of me. That’s no disrespect to them as a team. We know who they are and we know who we are. I’m confident in us.” https://sports.yahoo.com/bengals-cornerback-mike-hilton-gets-110141244.html

Updated: 7:49 PM EST Dec 28, 2023 Matthew Dietz CINCINNATI — Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase was asked Thursday afternoon what stands out about the Kansas City Chiefs secondary that the team is set to face in Week 17. According to the Bengals' leading receiver, there's not much. "If I'm being honest, nothing," Chase said. "They just know how to play us, they know the leverages, they know what place we in. They just know what we got to do."Chase said the Chiefs often bring double teams against him when the two teams square off, as well as to the Bengals' other star wide receiver, Tee Higgins. "We know what we're capable of, everyone in the league does," Chase said. "That's why KC doubles us the way they do." Chase, who missed last week's game against the Pittsburgh Stealers due to a shoulder injury, was listed as a limited practice participant on the Bengals' injury report on Thursday. Chase leads Cincinnati in receptions (93), receiving yards (1,156) and touchdown receptions (7) this season. The 23-year-old Chase has found success during his career against Kansas City, including during his rookie season, when the wideout caught 11 passes for 266 yards and three touchdowns in a Bengals victory. Chase caught six passes for 75 yards when the two teams last squared off in last season's AFC Championship Game. Ja'Marr Chase returns to practice as Bengals prepare for trip to play Chiefs For the Chiefs' secondary, cornerback L'Jarius Sneed was one of three players listed as non-participants in Thursday's practice, alongside running back Isiah Pacheco and offensive tackle Donovan Smith. All three players have yet to get on the practice field this week for the Chiefs. Sneed and fellow cornerback Trent McDuffie are second and third on the team in solo tackles, respectively, while safety Justin Reid leads the defense in tackles with 67. The playoff scenarios for the Bengals entering Week 17 are complex, though a win at Kansas City on Sunday afternoon could go a long way toward guiding the Bengals to their third consecutive playoff berth. Sunday's game will kick off at 4:25 p.m. from GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. The Bengals have won three of their last four games against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, including the 2022 AFC Championship Game at Arrowhead Stadium that sent Cincinnati to Super Bowl LVI. https://www.wlwt.com/article/jamarr-chase-cincinnati-bengals-kansas-city-chiefs/46246399

If Baltimore beats Miami on Sunday, Cleveland is locked into the 5th seed. I would therefore expect them to rest their starters against us on Week 18. So if we can somehow manage to beat the Chiefs this week, we should be able to beat the Cleveland backups the following Sunday...

Mike Bass Special to The Cincinnati Enquirer USA TODAY NETWORK Thu, Dec 28, 2023, 10:29 AM CST·5 min read “@SportsFanCoach1: You have done this as long as I can remember ... this Era of Bengal fandom is different from ANY I’ve seen. They overcome adversity over adversity. This is just so refreshing to see. I thought after the start Browning was having the balloon had burst. #whynothim” – @bengalralph, Dec. 17 “The Bengals have never had a run like this. And just when you think they are in trouble, they do this.” ­– SportsFanCoach1 (me) That X (ex-Twitter) exchange was a day after Bengals 27, Vikings 24. The winning streak was three. The record was 8-6. Jake Browning was the season savior. Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Jake Browning (6) is sacked by Pittsburgh Stealers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward (97) in the fourth quarter of the NFL 16 game between the Pittsburgh Stealers and the Cincinnati Bengals at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh on Saturday, Dec. 23, 2023. The Stealers won 34-11.More A week later came the novocaine shot that was Pittsburgh 34, Bengals 11. A rout like that numbs until it hurts. When it did, I thought about @bengalralph and our exchange. I felt better. I remembered how different these Bengals are, that just when you think they are in trouble, they rebound. Why stop believing now? @Bengalralph, aka Ralph Goyette, has not changed his view. Or so he typed on Christmas while watching football and trying out his newly gifted pizza oven (a multitasking feat we honored with some editing for clarity). Yes, he still feels the same way about Browning. “Of course!!” Ralph wrote. “He is growing. A lot of pretty good players have been confused by the Steeler defense. ... Mike, I’m not the knee-jerk guy. I pitched BASEBALL into my 30s. People don’t realize how hard it is – like the bar guy who says, ‘I could go 3 minutes with Mike Tyson,’ when in fact they couldn’t go 3 minutes with a club fighter. #6 (Browning) has performed at every level he has played, so #whynothim?” I would love to be with Ralph if that bar guy said, “I could bowl a 300 if I really tried.” At 16, Ralph Goyette rolled a perfect game to earn another Enquirer Bowler of the Week writeup. In his mid-30s, he rolled back-to-back 300s in the 1999 Cherry Grove Classic. He cashed in at some U.S. Opens, and some of his old “King of TV Bowling” series matches are available on YouTube. Perspectives change as fans grow older Now 59, his background admittedly gives him a different perspective on sports and the participants. He tries to take the Bengals as they are, understand their situation. “The injuries on defense have taken a toll,” Ralph wrote. “#29 (Cam Taylor-Britt) and #98 (DJ Reader) are out. #94 (Sam Hubbard) isn’t healthy.” Injuries matter. The response to injuries matter. “I witnessed bad teams w/ poor effort,” Ralph wrote. “When #9 (Carson Palmer) went down, they were booking vacations. This team didn’t start booking vacations when #9 (Joe Burrow) went down. This team cares.” It took about six quarters for No. 6 and the Bengals to coalesce and find another way to win. It is what these Bengals do. Look, every team faces adversity. Good teams overcome it to win. Great teams keep winning. The Bengals rebounded from 7-6 to reach a Super Bowl, then 0-2 to reach another AFC title game. This time, they overcame 1-3 and an ailing Burrow, then 5-6 and no Burrow. Why not again? This version of the Bengals overcame a 1-3 start with a banged-up Joe Burrow, and a 5-6 record when Burrow went down for good, but is still playing with a shot at the playoffs. The Pittsburgh clunker leaves the Bengals with a 19-percent chance of making the playoffs, according to the New York Times simulator I tried Wednesday. If the Bengals win their last two, that percentage soars to 94. Is it me, or is this just the Bengals being the Bengals, setting themselves up for their annual late run? Maybe not. But I like the odds. And it beats those years when the Bengals set themselves up for disappointment. Ralph knows. In 1970, he became a Bengals fan at age 6. In 1973, he attended his first Bengals game, a win over Len Dawson and the Chiefs. He returned that December for another win over another Hall of Fame quarterback, Fran Tarkenton, and the Vikings. He remembers the Bengals’ Bob Trumpy catching a touchdown pass in front of him and screaming, “F---, yeah!” It was the first time 9-year-old Ralph had heard an adult use the F-bomb. “It has been,” he wrote, “a wonderful journey.” The worst of times make the good ones better Although he left Cincinnati some 20 years ago for Florida, where he worked for Lockheed Martin before retiring, he never left Bengaldom. Like all Bengals fans of his generation, he endured decades of some good-but-disappointing football after the 1980s, and a lot of bad-AND-disappointing football. There was nothing like the 2020s, not in Bengals history. Which is Ralph’s point. Why would he let one eyesore of a game spoil the view? Why not check out the remaining competition? The Chiefs have come back to earth “I also believe watching this game today the Chiefs have some real issues,” he wrote. “The Browns may not have anything to play for, so may not play starters.” The Chiefs lost Monday to Las Vegas. They have dropped three of four. The Bengals have won three of four. Kansas City has a short week to prepare for the Bengals, who have not played since Saturday. The Bengals keep beating the Chiefs in these late-season matchups. As for Cleveland, consider the Flacco Factor. Joe Flacco is 9-12 against the Bengals. No team has beaten him more. Remember Game 3 last season? Flacco had thrown for 307 yards and four TDs for the Jets the previous week. The Bengals intercepted him twice and sacked him four times. Flacco didn’t start again until the season finale. He has not beaten the Bengals since the 2017 opener. Why would that change now? “Once the tournament starts, anything can happen,” Ralph wrote. “The Giants beat Tom Brady and a perfect record.” Why not dream a little? What harm is there in lowering expectations and maintaining hope? If the Bengals lose Sunday to Kansas City, it won’t be a shock. The Chiefs are home and touchdown favorites. The Bengals might not be good enough to win out, especially if Ja’Marr Chase is not healthy. Opponents might be more talented. Defenses might be adjusting to Browning. Then again, just when you think the Bengals are in trouble, they might just surprise you again. With some help from Ralph Goyette, I remembered. https://sports.yahoo.com/bass-why-bengals-chiefs-where-162901647.html

Cincinnati Bengals (+7) at Kansas City Chiefs Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET (CBS, Paramount+) The Chiefs have issues on offense, which they have to get fixed in the next two weeks before the playoffs. The Bengals are still alive, but barely. The Cincinnati defense had issues with Mason Rudolph at times last week, so maybe this will be a game to get Patrick Mahomes going. I think the Chiefs win, but the Bengals keep it close. Pick: Chiefs 26, Bengals 23 https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/priscos-week-17-nfl-picks-ravens-edge-dolphins-in-game-of-the-week-surging-buccaneers-win-fifth-in-a-row/

Cincinnati (8-7) at Kansas City (9-6) 4:25 p.m. ET (CBS) I never thought I'd say this about the Chiefs, but I think they're starting to implode. Not only have they lost four of their past six games, but they're just 1-3 in the month of December, which marks the first time in Patrick Mahomes' career that the Chiefs have had a losing record in the month of December. As a matter of fact, the Chiefs haven't had a losing record in December since 2013. The Chiefs are in their losing era. Things have gotten so bad that there's a 40% chance that Mahomes is going to ask Andy Reid to cut the entire offensive line if they lose to the Bengals this week. "But John, we see quarterbacks yell at their offensive linemen all the time, this isn't a big deal." OK, that's fair, but Travis Kelce is also melting down. Kelce looks like he'd rather be at a Taylor Swift concert. The entire offense is falling apart: The receivers can't get open, the offensive line can't protect Mahomes and the Chiefs running game is nearly non-existent (They're averaging just 70 yards per game on the ground over the past three weeks). The Bengals are catching the Chiefs at the perfect time and although it might seem crazy to think they can win this game, the Bengals will be desperate and they almost always save their best performances for games against Kansas City. Since Zac Taylor took over as coach, the Bengals have faced the Chiefs four times and although the Chiefs have been favored in every single one of those games, the Bengals have gone 3-1. It might seem like a lot to ask Jake Browning to outduel Mahomes, but as we saw in Week 16, you don't necessarily have to do that to beat the Chiefs. The Raiders didn't complete a SINGLE pass after the first quarter and they still managed to win. The Bengals are 6-1 this season when they hold their opponent to 20 points or less and based on how the Chiefs are playing right now, it wouldn't be surprising at all if they do that on Sunday. The pick: Bengals 23-20 over Chiefs https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-week-17-picks-ravens-top-dolphins-in-afc-thriller-cowboys-destroy-lions-Stealers-lose-in-seattle/

Charlie Goldsmith Cincinnati Enquirer One play summed up a year filled with inconsistency and learning curves in the Cincinnati Bengals’ secondary. The Pittsburgh Stealers set the tone for Saturday’s 34-11 win over the Bengals with an 86-yard touchdown to wide receiver George Pickens on their opening drive. As Pickens caught the slant over the middle of the field, Bengals second-year safety Dax Hill tried to get in position to make a tackle that would limit an explosive play. “The No. 1 thing that (safeties) are being taught is to take the proper inside-out angle to the ball and don’t overrun it,” Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo said. “He overran it.” Hill took a bad angle, tackled Bengals cornerback DJ Turner and watched Pickens sprint to the end zone. The Bengals believed in their young secondary entering the season based on the speed, pedigree and football IQ within the group. Expectations were higher for Hill than anyone else, but his second year in the NFL hasn’t been the breakout season that Hill and everyone at Paycor Stadium expected. “I haven’t really tapped into what I can do,” Hill said. “I have so much more to contribute. I can do so much more. Picks. Different things like that. I haven’t really shown that so far. I’m making plays, but you’ve got to convert on the splash plays.” Entering last season, the Bengals had a veteran secondary with Chidobe Awuzie, Eli Apple and Mike Hilton at cornerback and Jessie Bates III and Vonn Bell at safety. Awuzie and Hilton are the only starters remaining from that group, and Awuzie hasn't come back to the same level of player that he was in 2022 before he tore his ACL. As the Bengals built a new-look secondary, Hill was expected to immediately become the piece that tied it all together. During training camp before Hill’s rookie year in 2022, he looked ready to make splash plays in coverage when he got reps with the first-team defense. The Bengals drafted Hill to replace Bates, and Hill gave the Bengals’ defense the potential to be even more versatile. Compared to Bates, Hill is a better blitzer, better in man coverage and stronger in contested catch situations. But over the course of the year, the Bengals have constantly been reminded of the areas that Bates was turning into strengths of the defense. Over the last few weeks, Hill allowed a deep catch over the middle when Hill says, he “could have aligned a little bit better against the tight end.” He dropped two picks against the Jacksonville Jaguars. One of them slipped out of his hands and fell right to a wide receiver in the end zone, and Anarumo said that Hill didn’t attack the ball well enough on the other one. Hill also filled the wrong gap on an explosive run by the Minnesota Vikings. “One week is a good week and the next is an up-and-down week,” Hill said. “You can only say so much that ‘it’s about time’ or ‘it’s (about) reps.’ There are opportunities for me. I’m trusting myself and my abilities.” Hill, a first-round pick and one of the best athletes on the defense, has had plenty of moments where he highlighted his ceiling as a Pro Bowl caliber player. Against the Vikings, he read a deep ball to wide receiver Justin Jefferson perfectly and helped Bengals cornerback Mike Hilton knock it away. Hill’s instincts and ability in coverage helped the Bengals take away a near game-changing deep throw to the best receiver in football. Later in that game, during overtime, Hill made a diving tackle to stop Vikings tight end TJ Hockenson short of the sticks. On the next two plays, the Bengals stopped quarterback sneaks to force a turnover on downs. Hill’s ability to guard tight ends in one-on-one matchups and his tackling have exceeded the expectations of the coaching staff. But one week later, Hill was reminded of how much room he has to grow when Rudolph threw for 290 yards.“There are so many bright spots, but it’s (Hill’s) rookie year playing safety,” Anarumo said. “He has done some really good things playing safety, and he has done some not so good things. That’s a part of it. I really think he has a high ceiling. I really love everything about him. He’ll be bigger, stronger and better next year. We need him to be bigger, stronger and better on Sunday.” In 2021 and 2022, Bates and Bell played their best football when the Bengals faced the Kansas City Chiefs. Now, that responsibility falls on Hill and rookie safety Jordan Battle. Hill will be the player trying to take away deep throws from Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who has the best arm in the NFL. On third downs and in two-minute drills, Hill will be guarding future Hall of Fame tight end Travis Kelce. Before practices recently, Hill has been getting extra work in with practice squad quarterback Drew Plitt. Hill is working on swooping in from a high zone coverage and cutting off a deep pass down the sideline. He’s working toward the first big interception of his NFL career, and Hill will get that chance on Sunday. “The coaches are putting me in good positions to make plays,” Hill said. “I’m trying to make sure I get those catches.” (cincinnati.com)

Kelsey Conway Cincinnati Enquirer The Cincinnati Bengals (8-7) might be getting two of their best players back for the most important stretch of the season. Cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt returned to practice after a stint on injured reserve due to an ankle injury he suffered in practice in early December. Wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase, who is dealing with a shoulder injury, didn’t practice with the team but was on the rehab field during the portion open to the media. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said the team will let things play out with Chase before making any predictions on his availability for Cincinnati’s upcoming game against the Chiefs.“Just see how the week progresses with him,” Taylor said. Chase was able to participate in the walk-through on Wednesday and is expected to continue to do so as the week goes and they’ll see what he can handle. He suffered a separated shoulder in the Bengals’ Week 15 win over the Vikings. This injury kept him sidelined for Cincinnati’s most recent loss to the Stealers. What Ja'Marr Chase and Cam Taylor-Britt mean for the Bengals For the Bengals to make the postseason, they’ll most likely need to win their next two games. Getting Chase back on the field will significantly help their offense. The former No. 5 overall pick has 93 catches for 1,156 yards this season. It’s his third consecutive season amassing over 1,000 receiving yards. Getting Taylor-Britt back in the lineup might be an even bigger deal for the Bengals. Taylor-Britt is Cincinnati’s best cornerback and the secondary has sorely missed his presence over the last few games. The Bengals have allowed far too many explosive plays this season and Taylor-Britt is hoping his return will limit them. “You know the offense, you know the quarterback is (one of the) best in the league and wants to take shots downfield,” Taylor-Britt said of his return. “That is one thing we can’t do we got to just prevent that I plan to come in and just lead you know, like I said not do too much just add my juice, you know, bringing the defensive energy you know, let us all come together in one and play on defense.” Bengals' defense has to stop explosive plays Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo is looking for his group to respond in the right way in Kansas City. The Bengals allowed 397 total net yards and 34 points to the Stealers last week and it was one of the more disappointing performances the Bengals have had on that side of the ball in the last few seasons. “We can't win a football game if we give up 200 yards on three plays, we can't,” Anarumo said. "These things have to stop in order for us to be a consistent defense. These are things that have not shown up in a long, long time, but they've shown up this year. So, whatever the reasons are, we will keep working at it like we're doing, but they can't continue.” Kansas City is a much better offense than Pittsburgh, so the Bengals can’t afford to have another performance like they did and think they’ll win in one of the most hostile places to play in the NFL. Despite a down year for All-Pro Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense, they remain one of the most dangerous offensive units in football. Kansas City is coming off an embarrassing home loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Christmas. They’ll be looking to get back on track and Anarumo is preparing his guys with the expectation the Chiefs will be ultra-aggressive. “I see them just really being aggressive and that's not going to surprise me one bit,” Anarumo said. “I really think that's how they'll come out and we've got to make sure we weather the storm there and take advantage.” Cincinnati Bengals Cam Taylor-Britt, Ja'Marr Chase injury updates

We have cleared CB Cam Taylor-Britt to practice by designating him for return from the Reserve/Injured list. We have also signed DT Domenique Davis to the practice squad.

Losses to pissburgh hurt TWICE as much as losses to other teams because of the beatings we have received from them over the past 50 fucking years. Not just on the scoreboard, but the fact that they have traditionally physically beaten up our players (ala Hines Ward and Joey Porter). I don't blame everyone for being pissed off--I fucking HATE losing to those assholes. I won't be posting any articles this week about the shit show today because I want to forget about it ASAP.

Jake Browning’s stellar play has Bengals in the thick of the playoff race That didn't age well...

Nope

Game over.

current mock draft at SI: https://www.si.com/fannation/bleav/nfl/joe-deleones-2024-nfl-mock-draft-1-0