Ravens Game Post Game Notes, Part Deux

[Bengals1181]

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[b]New Year's Eve Bengals Line Monday[/b]
It's a special New Year's Eve edition of Bengals Line on Monday.
Join us [b]3pm-6pm[/b] for food, fun, football, prizes, autographs and more.
Our broadcast [b]will actually begin[/b] following the UC-Pitt basketball game, [b]probably around 2:30.[/b][/size][/font][/color][color=#000000][font=Arial, sans-serif][size=3]
[img]http://content.clearchannel.com/cc-common/mlib/4977/12/4977_1356203558.jpg[/img][/size][/font][/color][color=#000000][font=Arial, sans-serif][size=3]
***
[b]Bengals
Opening observations[/b]
54 days ago the Bengals had dropped four straight and stood 3-5. They won 7 of final 8.
Back to back wins over Steelers and Ravens.
10 wins, 3rd time for Marvin...most in franchise history.
Prior to Marvin's arrival, Bengals had at least 10 wins in 6 of 35 seasons, Marvin has at least 10 wins in 3 of last 8 seasons.
6-2 on road....11-5 last two years on road...best of any team on road in playoffs.
61-12-1 under Marvin when leading after three quarters.
Hopefully, BJGE and Crocker are ok.
Got to think Bengals play first game on Saturday, around 4:30.
[b]Offense[/b]
How about Grabdowski leading 3 scoring drives in his first action?
Bengals went 20 possessions between offensive TD's, from 4th QT vs Philly to Marvin Jones TD vs Ravens.
[b]Defense[/b]
4 more sacks, 51 for year.
Michael Johnson 10.5 and Atkins 12.5 1st Bengals duo with double digit sacks since Reggie Williams and Eddie Edwards in 1981.
How 'bout Dunlap, tip, pick, TD.
3rd straight week defense has scored[b].[/b]
Think defense spent any time preparing for Tyrod Taylor and option read?
Burfict just made another tackle...18 for game[b].[/b]
Did not allow opening drive TD all season[b]. [/b]Only team to do that.
Have allowed +17 points once last eight games.
[b]Special Teams[/b]
What a pickup Josh Brown has been.
Huber a stud again...Pro Bowl season.
[b]Where's the O?[/b]
Sunday the Bengals ended a streak of 20 straight possessions without a TD.
The offense has 1 TD over last 27 offensive possessions....from 4th quarter TD Dalton to Green vs Eagles to 2nd quarter TD Dalton to Jones vs Ravens.
Defense has 2 TD's in that span.
Results of last 27 offensive possessions:
13 punts, 5 field goals, 2 ended on downs, 2 took a knee, 2 interceptions, 1 TD
1 missed FG, 1 fumble
[b]What they are saying
[url="http://espn.go.com/blog/afcnorth/post/_/id/62221/wrap-up-bengals-23-ravens-14"]ESPN:[/url] What it means[/b]: In a game when both teams played their backups for most of the game, the Bengals (10-6) won for the seventh time in eight games and ended their four-game losing streak to the Ravens. Cincinnati had already clinched a postseason spot a week ago and was locked into the No. 6 seed.
[b][url="http://www.csnbaltimore.com/blog/ravens-talk/ravens-bengals-instant-analysis-0"]CSNBaltimore:[/url][/b] True to coach John Harbaugh’s words, the Ravens played to win Sunday’s regular-season finale. They just tried it without most of their starters on both sides of the ball as a late interception doomed their chances of finishing the season on a winning streak.
[b][url="http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/FBN_RAVENS_BENGALS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-12-30-18-07-08"]Associated Press:[/url][/b] Andy Dalton, A.J. Green and the rest of the Bengals playmakers watched from the sideline as their backups pulled another victory out - with the defense leading the way, of course. It's been their way during one breakthrough win after another.
[b][url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/blog/nfl-rapidreports/21474441/postgame-analysis-bengals-23-ravens-17"]Paul Dehner Jr, CBS Sports:[/url][/b] The temperature may have been buried below freezing, but Sunday in Cincinnati felt more like an August preseason game than the season finale.
[b][url="http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/ravens-insider/bal-bengals-vontaze-burfict-gets-under-ravens-skin-leading-to-personal-fouls-on-ray-rice-bobbie-williams-20121230,0,64835.story"]Baltimore Sun:[/url][/b]Cincinnati Bengals rookie middle linebacker Vontaze Burfict displayed a knack for annoying the Ravens' offensive players, getting under their skin at least twice Sunday.[/size][/font][/color]


[color=#000000][font=Arial, sans-serif][size=3]Read more: [url="http://www.espn1530.com/pages/lancesBlog.html#ixzz2GdzZiCzj"]http://www.espn1530.com/pages/lancesBlog.html#ixzz2GdzZiCzj[/url][/size][/font][/color]

[Bengals1181]

[color=#333333][font=verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif][size=3]My thoughts on the [/size][/font][/color][url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/team/_/name/cin/cincinnati-bengals"]Cincinnati Bengals[/url][color=#333333][font=verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif][size=3]' [/size][/font][/color][url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=321230004"]23-17 victory[/url][color=#333333][font=verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif][size=3] over the visiting [/size][/font][/color][url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/team/_/name/bal/baltimore-ravens"]Baltimore Ravens[/url][color=#333333][font=verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif][size=3]: [/size][/font][/color]

[img]http://a.espncdn.com/i/teamlogos/nfl/med/trans/cin.gif[/img][img]http://a.espncdn.com/i/teamlogos/nfl/med/trans/bal.gif[/img][b]What it means[/b][color=#333333][font=verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif][size=3]: In a game when both teams played their backups for most of the game, the Bengals (10-6) won for the seventh time in eight games and ended their four-game losing streak to the Ravens. Cincinnati had already clinched a postseason spot a week ago and was locked into the No. 6 seed. The loss makes Baltimore (10-6) the fourth seed in the AFC. The Ravens will host the [/size][/font][/color][url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/team/_/name/ind/indianapolis-colts"]Indianapolis Colts[/url][color=#333333][font=verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif][size=3]. [/size][/font][/color]

[b]Thumbs up[/b][color=#333333][font=verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif][size=3]: Bengals defensive end [/size][/font][/color][url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13274/carlos-dunlap"]Carlos Dunlap[/url][color=#333333][font=verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif][size=3]. He intercepted backup quarterback[/size][/font][/color][url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/14163/tyrod-taylor"]Tyrod Taylor[/url][color=#333333][font=verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif][size=3] in the fourth quarter and returned it 14 yards for a touchdown. It was the third straight game that the Bengals' defense has scored a touchdown and the second in a row that the Bengals have brought back an interception for a score. This is a dangerous group. [/size][/font][/color]

[b]Injury concerns[/b][color=#333333][font=verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif][size=3]: The Ravens rested six starters, but they didn't come out unscathed. Pro Bowl fullback [/size][/font][/color][url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/6301/vonta-leach"]Vonta Leach[/url][color=#333333][font=verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif][size=3] was injured on the second play, and right tackle Kelechi Osemele was also injured. There were no updates on either player during the game. Bengals running back [/size][/font][/color][url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/11754/benjarvus-green-ellis"]BenJarvus Green-Ellis[/url][color=#333333][font=verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif][size=3] hurt his hamstring in pregame warmups and didn't play. Safety [/size][/font][/color][url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/4542/chris-crocker"]Chris Crocker[/url][color=#333333][font=verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif][size=3] injured his quadriceps and didn't return. [/size][/font][/color]

[b]What's next[/b][color=#333333][font=verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif][size=3]: The Ravens know they will host the Colts next weekend in the first round of the playoffs. The Bengals will play at the No. 3 seed next weekend. Who's the No. 3? If the[/size][/font][/color][url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/team/_/name/den/denver-broncos"]Denver Broncos[/url][color=#333333][font=verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif][size=3] and [/size][/font][/color][url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/team/_/name/ne/new-england-patriots"]New England Patriots[/url][color=#333333][font=verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif][size=3] win this afternoon, Cincinnati is at the [/size][/font][/color][url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/team/_/name/hou/houston-texans"]Houston Texans[/url][color=#333333][font=verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif][size=3]. If the Broncos lose and the Patriots win, the Bengals are at Denver. If the Patriots lose, the Bengals are at New England.[/size][/font][/color]

http://espn.go.com/blog/afcnorth/post/_/id/62221/wrap-up-bengals-23-ravens-14

[Bengals1181]

[b] Postgame analysis: Bengals 23, Ravens 17[/b]

[color=#444444][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][size=4][color=#082046][font=Ubuntu, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]By [/font][/color][color=#082046][font=Ubuntu, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Paul [i]Dehner Jr.[/i][/font][/color][color=#082046][font=Ubuntu, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] | CBSSports.com[/font][/color][/size][/font][/color]

[color=#ff0000][font=Ubuntu, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]video in the link[/font][/color]

[color=#444444][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][size=4][color=#082046][font=Ubuntu, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]T[/font][/color]he temperature may have been buried below freezing, but Sunday in Cincinnati felt more like an August preseason game than the season finale.[/size][/font][/color]
[color=#444444][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][size=4]With both teams clinched in the postseason, most major starters watched the second half from the sideline at Paul Brown Stadium as the Bengals beat Baltimore 23-17.[/size][/font][/color]
[color=#444444][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][size=4][url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/teams/page/BAL/baltimore-ravens"]Ravens[/url] coach John Harbaugh pulled QB [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/1250697/joe-flacco"]Joe Flacco[/url] and RB [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/1243206/ray-rice"]Ray Rice[/url] after two series, and Bengals coach Marvin Lewis allowed QB [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/1125961/andy-dalton"]Andy Dalton[/url], WR [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/1673207/aj-green"]A.J. Green[/url] and LT [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/423579/andrew-whitworth"]Andrew Whitworth[/url] to only play the first half.[/size][/font][/color]
[color=#444444][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][size=4]"I'm glad that's over," Lewis said. "That's a difficult situation to be in. I thought our guys handled it about as well as you can handle it."[/size][/font][/color]
[color=#444444][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][size=4]The relatively meaningless win marked the third double-digit victory season in Lewis' 10 years, and the Bengals (10-6) are looking at a first-round rematch at Houston.[/size][/font][/color]
[color=#444444][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][size=4]Having won only once in the last five games, Baltimore (10-6) will host No. 5 seed Indianapolis.[/size][/font][/color]
[color=#444444][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][size=4]"I don't like that, but they're on the record," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said of the negative momentum. "We're looking forward to playing (Indianapolis). They are obviously a very good team and have a great, young quarterback. They won today so you can tell what they're all about."[/size][/font][/color]
[color=#444444][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][size=4]Cincinnati enters on a different roll. They've won seven of eight, and the defense continued their dominant roll -- and the majority of the defensive starters played throughout the game. They've allowed more than 17 points only once in the last eight games and own the top-ranked defense in the league during the second half of the season.[/size][/font][/color]
[color=#444444][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][size=4]"This group is pretty salty right now," defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer said. "I'm going to take my guys against anybody."[/size][/font][/color]
[color=#444444][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][size=4][b]When the game turned: [/b]When Joe Flacco exited in the first quarter. The first sign of waving the white flag from the Ravens came quick. Some suspense existed late in the week as to how much these two teams would play to win. Giving Flacco and Rice the day off after two series answered those questions and sapped any drama.[/size][/font][/color]

[color=#444444][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][size=4][b]Highlight moment:[/b] DE [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/1273172/carlos-dunlap"]Carlos Dunlap[/url] put together the highlight play of his budding career. The Bengals DE managed to tip a [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/1243338/tyrod-taylor"]Tyrod Taylor[/url] pass into the air, caught it himself, ran five yards before juking Taylor's attempted tackle, then ran into the end zone for a pick-6. For good measure, he trampolined off the camera stand and catapulted into the first row of the stands to celebrate.
"I tipped it straight up like that for a reason, I tried to tip it up and then catch it," Dunlap said. "Last year (returning a fumble for score against Indianapolis) I didn't have enough energy to get up (into the stands), so this time I had to make sure I got up there because I wanted it to be a highlight to remember. I jumped too high, I almost flipped over, I adjusted on the fly and made a highlight that I always dreamed of."
[b]Highlight moment stat:[/b] This was the third consecutive game the Bengals scored a defensive touchdown. Wallace Gilberry returned a fumble for a score against Philadelphia,[url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/412010/leon-hall"]Leon Hall[/url] intercepted a pass for a TD against Pittsburgh and Dunlap took it to the house against Baltimore.
Over the last three weeks, the Bengals have given up only four TDs and scored three.
[b]Top-shelf performances:[/b][/size][/font][/color][list]
[*]Bengals [b]LB [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/1691353/vontaze-burfict"]Vontaze Burfict[/url] [/b]-- 18 tackles, team high for the season
[/list][list]
[*]Bengals [b]DE [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/584099/michael-johnson"]Michael Johnson[/url] [/b]-- two sacks, two TFL, two QB hits
[*]Ravens [b]QB Tyrod Taylor [/b]-- 15 of 25 for 149 yards, nine rushes for 65 yards.
[/list]
[b]What they said about expectations for the playoffs:[/b][list]
[*]Bengals [b]OL Andrew Whitworth[/b] -- “This young team is finding ways to win games. Last year we were predicted to be 1-15 and we went 9-7 and made the playoffs. This year we were predicted to make the playoffs, we did it. The next progression is to go win a playoff game. There's no doubt about it, that's our goal. Anything short of that is not a good season.”
[*]Ravens [b]coach Harbaugh[/b] -- “The goal today was two-fold. First, put ourselves in the best position possible going forward in playoffs -- and to win the game. We obviously did not win the game and we are disappointed with that, but we feel like we are in the best position going forward into the playoffs, and that is all that matters."
[*]Bengals [b]coach Lewis[/b] -- “No doubt (the bar has been raised). Our guys realize just being in the playoffs is not what we're here for. We want to go win the championship.”
[/list]
[color=#444444][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][size=4][b]Numbers you should know:[/b] With four sacks Sunday, the Bengals set a franchise record for sacks in a season (51). The previous mark of 48 was set in 2001. Also, [b]Michael Johnson[/b] (11.5) and [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/1114813/geno-atkins"]Geno Atkins[/url] (13.0) became the first Bengals tandem since 1981 to both record double-digit sacks.

[b]Chasing records:[/b] Since [b]A.J. Green[/b] only played a half, he fell short of his quest to set the Bengals' single-season receiving record. He caught two passes for 26 yards before being pulled. [b]Chad Johnson[/b] holds on to the record at 1,440 yards in 2007.[/size][/font][/color]
[color=#444444][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][size=4]Green finished the regular season with 97 receptions for 1,350 yards and 11 touchdowns.[/size][/font][/color]
[color=#444444][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][size=4][b]Injury update: Bengals --[/b] RB [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/1616291/benjarvus-greenellis"]BenJarvus Green-Ellis[/url] did not play after tweaking his hamstring in pregame warmups. Lewis said Green-Ellis was tight before game and didn't feel right, so they held him out. ... S [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/395940/chris-crocker"]Chris Crocker[/url] suffered a quad injury in the first half and did not return, but he told Zimmer he was "good to go" after the game. [b]Ravens --[/b] Baltimore rested banged up starters DT [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/417708/haloti-ngata"]Haloti Ngata[/url], LB [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/396177/terrell-suggs"]Terrell Suggs[/url], OL [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/563064/marshal-yanda"]Marshal Yanda[/url] and WR [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/395928/anquan-boldin"]Anquan Boldin[/url]. RB [b]Ray Rice[/b] played but two series, then took the day off. ... FB [b]Vonta Leach[/b] and OL [b]Kelechi Osemele[/b] both went off injured, but Harbaugh confirmed after the game they should be fine for next week.

[b]Going forward: Bengals[/b] -- Cincinnati will travel in the first round of the playoffs as the No. 6 seed. They will travel for a first-round game in Houston for the second consecutive year.[b]Ravens[/b] -- As winners of the AFC North, the Ravens end up as the No. 5 seed and will host Indianapolis next week in the first round of the playoffs.

[i]Follow Paul Dehner Jr. for Bengals updates on [url="http://www.twitter.com/CBSBengals"]Twitter at @CBSBengals.[/url][/i][/size][/font][/color]
[color=#444444][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][size=4][i]Follow Jason Butt for Ravens updates on [url="http://www.twitter.com/CBSRavens"]Twitter at @CBSRavens.[/url][/i][/size][/font][/color]

[color=#444444][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][size=4][url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/blog/nfl-rapidreports/21474441/postgame-analysis-bengals-23-ravens-17"]http://www.cbssports...ls-23-ravens-17[/url][/size][/font][/color]

[Bengals1181]

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CINCINNATI (AP) -- Andy Dalton, A.J. Green and the rest of the Bengals playmakers watched from the sideline as their backups pulled another victory out - with the defense leading the way, of course.[/font][/color]
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It's been their way during one breakthrough win after another.[/font][/color][color=#363636][font='Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', serif]
Carlos Dunlap returned an interception 14 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter Sunday, sending Cincinnati to a 23-17 victory over the Baltimore Ravens in a regular-season finale that had more of a preseason feel.[/font][/color][color=#363636][font='Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', serif]
"It's definitely different," said left tackle Andrew Whitworth, who also sat out the second half.[/font][/color][color=#363636][font='Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', serif]
"It's a situation where both teams have gotten in the playoffs and you really want to look forward to next week having people fresh and ready and not have any injuries."[/font][/color][color=#363636][font='Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', serif]
The Ravens (10-6) had already clinched their second straight AFC North title and decided to use the final game to get healthier. They had several stars inactive and pulled quarterback Joe Flacco and running back Ray Rice after only two series.[/font][/color][color=#363636][font='Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', serif]
They'll host Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts at 1 p.m. EST next Sunday, reuniting them with former defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano. The Colts head coach has returned from three rounds of chemotherapy.[/font][/color][color=#363636][font='Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', serif]
"Chuck's like a dad to me," Ravens safety Ed Reed said. "He means a lot to me. I would have much rather seen them in the AFC championship game than the first game."[/font][/color][color=#363636][font='Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', serif]
The Bengals (10-6) are locked into the sixth seed as the final wild-card team. They'll open next Saturday at 4:30 p.m. in Houston, where they lost 31-10 in the first round of the playoffs last season.[/font][/color][color=#363636][font='Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', serif]
"I think it will be good," said Dalton, who grew up in suburban Houston. "We played there last year and know the atmosphere and what it's going to be like. The experience last year will definitely help us."[/font][/color][color=#363636][font='Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', serif]
With hardly anything at stake, the Bengals went into preseason mode on a 26-degree afternoon with a wind chill of 16. They got their seventh win in the last eight games.[/font][/color][color=#363636][font='Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', serif]
"I'm glad that's over," coach Marvin Lewis said. "That's a difficult situation to be in. I thought our guys handled it about as well as you can handle it."[/font][/color][color=#363636][font='Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', serif]
Josh Brown kicked three field goals in the second half. Dunlap tipped one of Tyrod Taylor's passes to himself and returned it for a clinching touchdown with 6:06 left, jumping into the stands and sitting there for several seconds while fans smacked his back.[/font][/color][color=#363636][font='Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', serif]
"I wanted it to be a highlight to remember," Dunlap said.[/font][/color][color=#363636][font='Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', serif]
The Bengals headed into the playoffs for the second straight season after beating rivals Pittsburgh and Baltimore in back-to-back weeks - a breakthrough for a franchise that had been 0-6 against those top rivals the past two seasons.[/font][/color][color=#363636][font='Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', serif]
The defense has led the way, scoring more touchdowns than the offense over the past two weeks. Cornerback Leon Hall returned an interception for the only touchdown against Pittsburgh, and Dunlap clinched the win on Sunday with his return.[/font][/color][color=#363636][font='Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', serif]
"I think we've found ways to win games, and that's the thing we needed to learn as a young team," Whitworth said. "This young team has learned how to win games."[/font][/color][color=#363636][font='Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', serif]
The Bengals wanted to get their running game tuned up for the playoffs, but BenJarvus Green-Ellis had a hamstring tighten up during pre-game warm-ups and was held out of the game. Lewis didn't know how it would affect him in the playoffs.[/font][/color][color=#363636][font='Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', serif]
The Ravens sat some of their banged-up playmakers and started pulling others from the game after only two series. Receiver Anquan Boldin, defensive tackle Haloti Ngata and linebacker Terrell Suggs were inactive, giving them a week to rest.[/font][/color][color=#363636][font='Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', serif]
The Bengals went with a conservative approach. Dalton didn't even throw toward Green until the final drive of the first half, keeping the Pro Bowl receiver out of harm's way. Bruce Gradkowski took over in the second half for Dalton, who was 10 of 15 for 78 yards with a pair of sacks.[/font][/color][color=#363636][font='Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', serif]
Brown kicked field goals of 47, 32 and 38 yards in the second half. Brown will be the Bengals' kicker in the playoffs with Mike Nugent sidelined by a calf injury. Brown is 11 for 12 on field goal tries since he signed as a free agent, the only miss on a 56-yard attempt in Pittsburgh.[/font][/color][color=#363636][font='Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', serif]
Taylor, who had thrown only four passes all season, replaced Flacco and led a pair of touchdown drives by running away from defenders. Anthony Allen ran 2 yards for a touchdown, and Taylor scored on a 1-yard run.[/font][/color][color=#363636][font='Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', serif]
Notes: The crowd of 61,565 gave Cincinnati six sellouts in eight home games. The Bengals sold out only two games last season on their way to the playoffs. ... Baltimore's Justin Tucker missed a 45-yard field goal try and made one from 49 yards, leaving him 30 of 33 for the season. His 90.9 percent success rate set an NFL record for a rookie. ... The Bengals had four sacks, giving them a franchise-record 51 for the season. ... S Chris Crocker hurt his right thigh while trying to make a tackle in the first quarter and didn't return. He said the injury wasn't serious.[/font][/color]
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http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/FBN_RAVENS_BENGALS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-12-30-18-07-08[/font][/color]

[Bengals1181]

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[size=4][b]Marvin Lewis sounded like an extremely relieved coach after the Bengals beat the Ravens[/b][/size][/size][/font][/color][color=#565555][font='Open Sans', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif][size=1]
[size=4]Said Lewis about the 23-17 win over Baltimore: “I’m glad that’s over. That’s a difficult situation to be in. I thought our guys handled it about as well as you could handle it. It’s a tough situation when you’re playing, and you’re playing a team that’s got something to play for, and you don’t necessarily do, and everybody’s looking around and seeing who’s playing and who’s doing what. But, again, I thought we handled it about as well as we could handle it. ... We wanted to win and we were able to do that. It’s 0-0 now and that’s the most important issue going forward.” [/size][/size][/font][/color]
[size=4]about 22 hours ago[/size]

http://sulia.com/channel/cincinnati-bengals/f/a95f5db9-7861-4f52-b34d-361d6f8161f4/?source=twitter[/background][/font][/color]

[Bengals1181]

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[b] Defense doesn't rest in Bengals sprint[/b]

Posted 7 hours ago
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[img]http://www.bengals.com/assets/clubimages/articles/2012/12-December/dunlap121230_440.jpg[/img]
[font=verdana][size=1][b][url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/carlos-dunlap/4a065377-8081-4dc1-a80f-daf22d74ba67/"]Carlos Dunlap[/url] celebrates with fans after his 14-yard interception return for a touchdown.[/b][/size][/font]
Just like his team during this December stretch run, Bengals left end Carlos Dunlap had enough energy to scale the end-zone wall Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium after his 14-yard interception return for a touchdown vaulted the sprinting Bengals into the playoffs with their seventh victory in the last eight games and hottest defense ever in the five landmark seasons of defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer.
"Against Indianapolis I didn’t have enough energy to get up there," Dunlap said of last season's 35-yard rumble with a fumble. "This time I had to make sure I got up there because I wanted it to be a highlight to remember."
Dunlap celebrating with Bengaldom after his P.B. Plunge with 6:06 left in the 23-17 victory over the Ravens highlighted a 7-1 finish built on defense and the push for momentum going into Saturday's Wild Card rematch (4:30 p.m.-Cincinnati's Channel 5) in Houston. The Bengals had enough in their legs to finish 10-6 with their first four-win December in history and go into the playoffs against a Texans team that lost a chance for a bye in Sunday's loss to the Colts.
"This group is pretty salty right now," Zimmer said with one of those rare smiles. "The quarterback had some runs on us today, but we play the run pretty well, we can choke down receivers a little bit, and we can rush the passer, and typically we've been good on third downs lately. If you're going to do those four things and play well in the red zone, you've got a chance.
"I'm going to take my guys against anybody."
If there has ever been an example of the culture change that Zimmer shot through this defense when he arrived in 2008, Sunday was it. The franchise of Paul Brown, Ken Anderson, Boomer Esiason and Chad Johnson is going into the playoffs riding one of the NFL's stingiest defenses, three top 10 finishes in the last four years, and a belief it can wreak havoc in the postseason with a unit that produced a franchise-record 51 sacks, good for second in the league.
"History shows that it's great and good defenses that win championships," said defensive tackle [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/domata-peko/5a38a4b5-78a2-4c57-87c9-c03c2ce23719/"]Domata Peko[/url], who reminisced about those days it was a team all about offense. "This is the best we've ever played going into the playoffs."
The defense took over in December while the offense flagged. While the Bengals scored a defensive touchdown in each of the last three games, the offense scored four. The Bengals went 4-1 in December even though the offense scored just seven touchdowns, and on Sunday against a host of Baltimore backups in the first half they did nothing until quarterback [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/andy-dalton/9378c4ed-938c-434c-929d-4d45fe252101/"]Andy Dalton[/url] hit three straight passes for 37 yards to get rookie wide receiver [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/marvin-jones/1e8a8414-cc83-4d5e-a61a-9236316539e4/"]Marvin Jones[/url]'s first NFL touchdown on an 11-yard pass with 39 seconds left that tied the game at seven.
With running back [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/benjarvus-green-ellis/d809b273-f3c9-414d-b9b0-3fd185b8e017/"]BenJarvus Green-Ellis[/url] iced with a tight hamstring from pregame warmups, the running game jammed up for a second straight week with just 2.2 yards per rush on 21 carries. Dalton didn't look at Pro Bowl wide receiver [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/aj-green/d1e7b054-2722-4a10-9dad-687267489bd5/"]A.J. Green[/url] until 51 seconds left in the half, when he hit him on two passes for 26 yards. Dalton went to the bench after the half with just 78 yards passing, and so did Green as he finished three catches shy of 100, but the defense had everyone feeling upbeat about The Rematch.
[left]No one thinks Houston can put up 31 on the Bengals again and despite the offensive woes, no one thinks the Bengals will score just 10 on this return trip to Reliant Stadium.[/left]
“It’s a little bit (of a) different situation, because last year, we had to have a lot of other things happen for us to get to the playoffs," Dalton said, "This year, we controlled our own destiny and were able to get in on our own. I think that’s a big difference in this team, and I think the experience of last year is going to help us (this time around).”
Left tackle [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/andrew-whitworth/3a81696e-e6b3-4abd-8dd0-85e8748fa086/"]Andrew Whitworth[/url] would like to see more points, but he says 7-1 in the last eight is 7-1.
"We found a way to win; it doesn't matter who was in there," Whitworth said. "No question we're going to have to run the ball efficiently.
"Now it doesn't matter if you're 12-4, 8-8, or whatever your record is. Everybody has a clean slate. I think we found ways to win games and the thing we needed to learn as a young team is find ways to win games. The progression was last year we were predicted to go 1-15 and we made the playoffs at 9-7. This year we were predicted to make the playoffs, we went 10-6 and we did it. The next progression is to win a playoff game. Anything short of that is not a good season for us."
The Bengals think they can do some damage this time because their relentless front four is happy and healthy. A year ago at this time, Dunlap was hurting with a hamstring injury. Now he's coming off a game he returned his first NFL interception as well as recording his sixth sack of the season.
And right end [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/michael-johnson/b56aa7d9-808e-4cf2-a28c-ba03f25ef902/"]Michael Johnson[/url] rung up two more sacks, giving him 11.5 and making him and defensive tackle [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/geno-atkins/cce83be5-6849-488f-b8ed-cc876b47ca32/"]Geno Atkins[/url] (12.5) the first double-digit Bengals sackers since left end Eddie Edwards and outside linebacker Reggie Williams in 1981.
"It just shows what ability we have on our team," Dunlap said. "We've got two guys with over 10 sacks and our backups have seven. That's a pretty good year for us. It just shows how strong our rotation is."
Actually, [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/wallace-gilberry/5e92b88d-d45e-475d-a29b-6c64db345007/"]Wallace Gilberry[/url] has 6.5 and Dunlap has six, but where it really counts is on third down. The Bengals gave up 206 yards rushing to Ravens backup quarterback Tyrod Tayor's option attack, but it became a footnote instead of a headline because they won the game with Dunlap's pick-six, and they shut down Baltimore on 28 percent of third-down conversions (5-for-18) that fits in with the December trend of 33 percent at 25-for-75.
A pass rush can hide a lot of blemishes. The Bengals had been so good against the run, but Taylor's legs accounted for 65 unorthodox yards. In the previous four games the Bengals had allowed just 232 rush yards combined.
"I told the players in the meeting last night that it's important to have the best defense going into the playoffs over the last eight ballgames," Zimmer said. "I don't know if we are or not, but it's important we have momentum going into the playoffs. If you're playing good defense you have a chance to win the ballgame."
If there's been a lesson in Zimmer's five years, that's it. It's one even the kids get.
"If they can't score," said rookie WILL backer [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/vontaze-burfict/941b89df-2666-4d9f-810e-9b889ba417eb/"]Vontaze Burfict[/url], "they can't win."
The Bengals have been doing more than that. Since beating the Giants in their ninth game, the Bengals have given up just an average of 282 yards per game, 97 on the ground while allowing 12.8 points per game. Compare that to the first half of the season, when they gave up 359 yards, 117 on the ground, and were allowing 27.3. The 352 the Ravens put up Sunday that was part of a preseason-ish second half were the first time the Bengals allowed 300 yards since that Giants game, and since the Nov. 4 game against Denver they haven't allowed more than 20.
The reasons are numerous, chief among them the re-signing of safety[url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/chris-crocker/2772f783-b547-470c-b074-6229e7234ebd/"]Chris Crocker[/url] in time to play in the fourth game of the season. It was a limping Crocker that provided the snapshot of last year's Wild Card loss in Houston when he and everyone else couldn't haul down Texans running back Arian Foster on a 42-yard TD run with 5:15 left in the game that finished off the 31-10 win and gave Houston 188 yards rushing.
Crocker did get dinged in the quad Sunday against the Ravens and had to leave the game in the first quarter, but he says he'll be OK, which is better than he was last season. Since offseason knee surgery and not participating in the grind of spring ball and training camp, his legs have been spry. Like Whitworth and 13 of his other mates, this is Crocker's third trip in four years to the playoffs and, he says, a much better finish to the regular season to get ready than the others.
"I feel really good. I'm speaking mainly from the defensive side of the ball but we're playing a lot better," Crocker said. "In '09 we were beat up and scratched our way into the playoffs and last year we were not playing at a high level at all going into Houston. We just get better and better. This isn't our best game, but we definitely played well the last eight games of the year. We didn't let teams run the ball, we made very little mistakes, and we've cut down explosive plays offenses make against us.
"To win seven of eight games, that's hard to do. It's not like we played teams that weren't good down the stretch. I think it will carry over."
Even a virtual outsider can sense it. Kicker [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/josh-brown/d8ae9806-aea7-428c-8ada-2a7987af2c55/"]Josh Brown[/url] has been here just 25 days, but he leads the Bengals with double-digit postseason games that include a Super Bowl appearance with Seattle.
[left]"We’ve got a lot of healthy people, and they’re young," Brown said. "We’ve got a lot of young muscles in here, and they’re finding ways to get it done. And the defense is just absolutely out-of-their-minds good. They’re really playing good ball, and they came up big for us tonight with the interception. We didn’t have Andy in there. You could tell we were playing some other people and pulling back on some other guys, but you’ve got to play well no matter who is in there. You want to continue playing well into this and never take a day off. You can’t take days off in the playoffs. The moment you do and get behind somebody, you’re done.”[/left]
The Bengals are thinking their defense won't let it get done.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Defense-doesnt-rest-in-Bengals-sprint/14e2f2ac-ac02-4190-ab13-d84879cede59[/size][/font][/color]

[Bengals1181]

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[b] [url="http://cincinnati.com/blogs/bengals/2012/12/31/report-card-grading-sundays-23-17-win-over-the-ravens/"]Report Card: Grading Sunday’s 23-17 win over the Ravens[/url][/b]

[b] [/b]

12/31/12 at 5:02pm by [email="jreedy@enquirer.com"]jreedy[/email]
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The goal of Sunday’s 23-17 win over Baltimore was to survive and prepare for this weekend’s postseason game at Houston. Not a pretty game to evaluate by any stretch, but they play it and we grade it:[/size][size=4]
[u][b]PASSING GAME (C)[/b][/u][/size][size=4]
Andy Dalton struggled before leading the offense to a touchdown late in the second quarter. Marvin Jones got plenty of work and was effective for the second straight week along with scoring his first NFL touchdown. Bruce Gradkowski’s 44-yard completion to Brandon Tate helped lead to the go-ahead field goal.[/size][size=4]
[u][b]RUNNING GAME (C-)[/b][/u][/size][size=4]
If BenJarvus Green-Ellis does miss the playoff game there should be a lot of concern considering that the rest of the backs averaged only 2.2 yards per carry. There were a couple good series where it showed some flashes, but it wasn’t consistent.[/size][size=4]
[u][b]PASS DEFENSE ([/b][/u][/size][size=4]
After getting shell shocked in the opener at Baltimore, the secondary didn’t allow much deep this time. There were only two completions of 23 yards or more compared to six in Week 1. Carlos Dunlap was active with a sack and an interception that he tipped at the line of scrimmage and returned for a touchdown.[/size][size=4]
[u][b]RUN DEFENSE (C)[/b][/u][/size][size=4]
If there is one area that the coaches won’t be happy about, it is the 206 rushing yards and 4.5 yards per carry given up. Two Taylor scrambles near the sideline ended up setting up both of the Ravens’ touchdowns.[/size][size=4]
[u][b]SPECIAL TEAMS (B+)[/b][/u][/size][size=4]
The unsung heroes of this year have been Kevin Huber and punt coverage team. Three Huber punts were downed inside the Ravens 10.[/size][size=4]
[u][b]COACHING ([/b][/u][/size][size=4]
The goal of the game was to get a little bit of the starters some work and try to get out of it unscathed. With the exception of the pregame warmup with Green-Ellis, they did.[/size]
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http://cincinnati.com/blogs/bengals/2012/12/31/report-card-grading-sundays-23-17-win-over-the-ravens/[/size][/size][/font][/color]

[Bengals1181]

[color=#333333][font=verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif][size=3][u][background=transparent][b]CINCINNATI BENGALS[/b][/background][/u][/size][/font][/color][color=#333333][font=verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif][size=3] [/size][/font][/color]

[b]Stat that sticks[/b][color=#333333][font=verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif][size=3]: 162 -- Career receptions for [/size][/font][/color][url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13983/aj-green"]A.J. Green[/url][color=#333333][font=verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif][size=3], the second-most ever by a player in his first two seasons ([/size][/font][/color][url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/9838/marques-colston"]Marques Colston[/url][color=#333333][font=verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif][size=3] had 168). [/size][/font][/color]

[b]Overheard[/b][color=#333333][font=verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif][size=3]: "History shows that it's great and good defenses that win championships. This is the best we've ever played going into the playoffs." -- Defensive tackle [/size][/font][/color][url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/9709/domata-peko"]Domata Peko[/url]

http://espn.go.com/blog/afcnorth/post/_/id/62350/upon-further-review-afc-north-edition-2

[Le Tigre]

The "concern" over the run defense, is a bit overblown. A veer/option QB won't be in the game this weekend.

That little crapper did drive us nuts yesterday...but I noticed we were adjusting better to him as the game went on.

[Bengals1181]

[b] Bengals Report Card: Tough situation works out well[/b]

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Gauging grades from a game where Baltimore barely played its stars and the [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/teams/page/CIN/cincinnati-bengals"]Bengals[/url] sat their primary offensive weapons for the second half should probably fall under incomplete, but a 23-17 came with bright spots on both sides of the ball.[/size][/font][/color]
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[b]Offense: D+[/b][/size][/font][/color][color=#444444][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][size=4]
[url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/1125961/andy-dalton"]Andy Dalton[/url], [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/423579/andrew-whitworth"]Andrew Whitworth[/url] and [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/1673207/aj-green"]A.J. Green[/url]only played the first half, but the offense struggled even while they were in the game. The biggest beneficiary of Sunday's game was WR[url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/1631804/marvin-jones"]Marvin Jones[/url]. The fifth-round pick looks more and more comfortable as the team's No. 2 WR and scored his first career touchdown just before halftime. The running game didn't pick up with only 47 yards on 21 carries, though starter [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/1616291/benjarvus-greenellis"]BenJarvus Green-Ellis[/url] didn't play with a tight hamstring. [b][i]Previous game's grade: C+[/i][/b][/size][/font][/color][color=#444444][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][size=4]
[b]Defense: B+[/b][/size][/font][/color][color=#444444][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][size=4]
The Bengals struggled a bit with Baltimore Ravens QB Tyrod Taylor's scrambling, but to be fair, they didn't prepare for him this week. They allowed two touchdowns, but for the third straight week scored one of their own. This time, [url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/1273172/carlos-dunlap"]Carlos Dunlap[/url] tipped a pass to himself and went in for a pick-six. When Dunlap plays like the budding star he's believed to be, this defense looks as dangerous as any in football. [b][i]Previous game's grade: A+[/i][/b][/size][/font][/color]
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[b]Special Teams: B+[/b][/size][/font][/color][color=#444444][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][size=4]
[url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/395934/josh-brown"]Josh Brown[/url] hit all three field goals and has hit 11 of 12 since joining the team after Mike Nugent's injury. His only miss being the 56-yard debacle against Pittsburgh. Meanwhile,[url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/525116/kevin-huber"]Kevin Huber[/url] puts together a Pro Bowl-type punting season. He averaged 47.1 yards per punt and placed four of his seven kicks inside the 20. [i][b]Previous game's grade: B+[/b][/i][/size][/font][/color][color=#444444][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][size=4]
[b]Coaching: A[/b][/size][/font][/color][color=#444444][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][size=4]
This was a tough spot for Marvin Lewis. He opened his postgame presser with a telling sentence: "I'm glad that's over." With nothing to play for, it's tough to figure out if he should play his starters. Only 46 players are active on gameday, so resting players isn't easy and hasn't worked out well for the Bengals in the past. To come away with a half of rest for his top players, a victory, 10 wins and relative health, it couldn't have worked out much better.[b][i]Previous game's grade: C[/i][/b][/size][/font][/color][color=#444444][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][size=4]
[i]Follow Paul Dehner Jr. for Bengals updates on Twitter [url="http://www.twitter.com/CBSBengals"]@CBSBengals[/url].[/i][/size][/font][/color]
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http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/blog/nfl-rapidreports/21478543/bengals-report-card-tough-situation-works-out-as-well-as-could-be-expected[/size][/font][/color]

[Bengals1181]

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[b] Notes: Bengals-Texans 4:30 Saturday; Injuries don't look major; Tez walks away to title; Brown grand[/b]
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[img]http://www.bengals.com/assets/clubimages/articles/2012/12-December/jonesm121230_440.jpg[/img]
[b][url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/marvin-jones/1e8a8414-cc83-4d5e-a61a-9236316539e4/"]Marvin Jones[/url][/b]
The Bengals matched the 1981 AFC champs with a 7-1 rush to the playoffs with Sunday's 23-17 win over the Ravens in the season finale at sold-out Paul Brown Stadium and now they're hoping their strong finish can vault them into a Super Bowl like it did for that club. They are the only two teams in club history to win seven of their last eight in a 16-game schedule.
But first looms a rematch with the Texans next weekend in Houston. The Bengals were all for it despite last year's 31-10 drubbing in Reliant Stadium as they departed PBS waiting for the final word on this week's practice schedule.
Not only is it a rematch, it is at the same time on the same day, 4:30 p.m. Saturday on Cincinnati's Channel 5, as the first playoff game in the tournament. If the Bengals win they go to Denver a week later on Jan. 12.
"For one, we're playing indoors," wide receiver [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/aj-green/d1e7b054-2722-4a10-9dad-687267489bd5/"]A.J. Green[/url] said after Sunday's two catches in 26-degree weather. "Two, they got us last year. The biggest thing this year is last year we were hoping to win, this year we expect to win. That's the thing about this season. We were all young last year. We were hoping. It was great to make the playoffs. This year, now we're trying make a run. It's a mindset."
Left tackle [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/andrew-whitworth/3a81696e-e6b3-4abd-8dd0-85e8748fa086/"]Andrew Whitworth[/url] says the team will watch the Houston tape and it will all be out there.
"Guys will see what we need to do better against them," Whitworth said. "There'll be a lot of incentive to get that bad taste out of our mouth. It's year to year. It's a different team then than it is now."
Whitworth, in his third playoff run in four years with this club, knows it is on a much better roll than last year's team that went in off a 2-3 December. This one is savoring its first four-win December ever at 4-1.
"Without a doubt," Whitworth said. "I think we found ways to win games. That's the thing we needed to learn as a young team."
The Bengals also feel pretty good on the road. They were 6-2 and got their biggest victory of the year in Pittsburgh last week, making Cincinnati 11-5 on the road the past two seasons.
"Wherever we go next week, we’re going to be confident going in," said right end[url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/michael-johnson/b56aa7d9-808e-4cf2-a28c-ba03f25ef902/"]Michael Johnson[/url]. "We’re going to be in our white road jerseys. We’ve got a lot of wins in them this year, so hopefully we can keep it going.”
[b]INJURY CHECK: [/b]First things first.
The Bengals may be OK when it comes to injuries for next weekend's Wild Card game. There was cautious optimism surrounding running back[url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/benjarvus-green-ellis/d809b273-f3c9-414d-b9b0-3fd185b8e017/"]BenJarvus Green-Ellis[/url] (hamstring) and safety [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/chris-crocker/2772f783-b547-470c-b074-6229e7234ebd/"]Chris Crocker[/url] (quad) following Sunday's 23-17 victory over the Ravens at Paul Brown Stadium.
BJGE didn't even make it to the first huddle when he reported a tight hamstring in pregame warmups, but it didn't appear to be a major injury. Crocker got hurt early in the first quarter and had to be helped off the field, but he told defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer and the media that he was OK.
"You hate to leave the field anytime," Crocker said. "I knew my day was over, so I was just trying to make myself get better."
[b]TEZ WALKS AWAY:[/b] And on the next to last day of 2012, the Bengals found a guy to bark back at the big, bad Ravens.
While claiming the team tackling title with a season-high 18 tackles in a performance the stat crew needed to track him with a GPS during the Bengals 23-17 victory over the Ravens at Paul Brown Stadium, the most important thing rookie WILL linebacker [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/vontaze-burfict/941b89df-2666-4d9f-810e-9b889ba417eb/"]Vontaze Burfict[/url] did Sunday is beat the Ravens at their own game of savvy swag that has dominated the AFC North for more than a decade in putting the exclamation point on his rookie-of-the-year candidacy.
Burfict walked away from confrontations with running back Ray Rice and right guard Bobbie Williams that drew personal foul calls on Baltimore and the Ravens weren't pleased in the locker room after the game.
Rice told reporters that Burfict will be a good player when he stops talking trash, while the former Bengal Williams called him "a young pup," and claimed Burfict kicked him.
There are still plenty of people who remember a major reason Burfict went undrafted is because he had 16 personal fouls in his last 26 games at Arizona State.
"I've never seen a kid transform like he has. Nobody wanted him and now he's a rookie of the year candidate," said linebackers coach Paul Guenther. "We told him when he got here, 'If you start to BS around like you did in college, you're not going to last.' He listened. It shows you how far he's come."
Head coach Marvin Lewis, the man that connected with Burfict during his pre-draft workout at Arizona State, approached him in the middle of it all Sunday.
"Coach Lewis had seen me getting a little (upset)," Burfict said. "He said, 'They're trying to come after you. You've just got to keep playing. They've got two personal fouls out of you. They're trying to come after you.' "
Burfict said he had a hard time not retaliating when Rice chopped out his legs as Burfict blitzed and then while Burfict was on the ground it appeared Rice elbowed him in the head.
"It was very hard. I'm not going to lie. About the third time I was like, 'Come on now,' " he said of the Ravens challenging him. "He chopped me. Then I don't know what he wanted to do. He took a cheap shot. Then he got the personal foul. Big man wins."
Burfict won't deny he'll talk out there. "It's all in the game," he said of his chats with Rice, and he had 18 tackles to back it up.
Asked if the old Vontaze would have walked away from Rice, he smiled.
"The old Vontaze would have done exactly what the new Vontaze did. Talk a little (crap) and walked off," he said.
The Ravens may have been asking when the new Burfict walked in. He didn't take a snap in the first game the Bengals and Ravens met, way back in the opener 111 days ago. Since then he has made 14 starts, changed to a position he never played before, and may end up with at least 170 tackles once the coaches hand out their stats in a couple of days. Burfict and middle linebacker[url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/rey-maualuga/72e4f750-08d1-4fa5-abee-a5cfebe1389b/"]Rey Maualuga[/url] were in a close race for a while until Burfict caught Maualuga three weeks ago and began to pull away.
"Having so many great players on our defense that can make plays … for me to be leading is truly a blessing," Burfict said. "Hard work paid off.
"Rey and I push each other each week. 'I'm going to get more tackles than you.' I think that starts a fire between me and him and we pretty much run to the ball and want to make more plays. Rey and I really compete every week. That just gives us fire to play a little harder."
On Sunday, the Ravens got burned.
[b]SCORING DUO:[/b] Cincinnati's two touchdowns Sunday were one of a kind.
It took until the 16th game of his rookie season, but wide receiver Marvin Jones scored his first NFL touchdown with 39 seconds left in the first half to tie the game at seven when he took a pass over the middle from quarterback[url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/andy-dalton/9378c4ed-938c-434c-929d-4d45fe252101/"]Andy Dalton[/url] at about the five and made a spin move on linebacker Paul Kruger that turned into some nice yards-after-catch for an 11-yard TD play.
[left]"I saw that from my peripheral vision, and I knew the play design that he was there," Jones said. "I was able to use that and turn right away from it.”[/left]
When left end [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/carlos-dunlap/4a065377-8081-4dc1-a80f-daf22d74ba67/"]Carlos Dunlap[/url] turned his first career interception into a 14-yard touchdown return to break the game open at 23-14 with 6:06 left, he made a Lambeau Leap into the end-zone seats. He almost didn't make it into the other end-zone seats when he returned a fumble 35 yards for a touchdown at PBS last year against Indianapolis.
"I wanted it to be a highlight to remember," said Dunlap, who vaulted off a camera stand. "I went too high. I almost flipped over."
But he forgot one thing when he jumped back down.
The ball. So he had to reach back up and ask for it.
"They were nice fans," he said. "I need it to put it in my room."
At the urging of defensive tackle [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/domata-peko/5a38a4b5-78a2-4c57-87c9-c03c2ce23719/"]Domata Peko[/url], Dunlap is building a trophy case to put his game balls. Jones isn't quite there yet.
"I've got a couple of balls from the preseason that I just put in the back of my car," he said. "That's probably where I'll put this one."
[b]GRAND ISLAND:[/b] What more can [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/josh-brown/d8ae9806-aea7-428c-8ada-2a7987af2c55/"]Josh Brown[/url] do after just four games with the Bengals? After lifting the Bengals into the playoffs with a 43-yard field goal with four seconds left last week in Pittsburgh, he hit three field goals Sunday and the last one was a 38-yarder that gave the Bengals a 16-14 lead with 7:16 left.
It also put him over 1,000 points for his career and he finished the day with 1,003.
"I did not know that. Cool," Brown said. "That means I'm about 1,600 away from the all-time leader. That's a guestimate right there. I think it's Morten Andersen. I'm 33. He retired at 48. I've got a ways to go. It's great to be able to do it and do it here and help this team going."
Actually, Brown is only 1,541 away. He's certainly hitting the ball like he can play a long time and has now hit 11 of 12 field-goal tries since he arrived Dec. 6.
"A lot of things have contributed," Brown said. "The consistency I'm building, the opportunities I'm getting, the coaching from Darrin (Simmons) has been really beneficial to me and I wouldn't give a lot of special teams coaches that credit, quite honestly. I've got a great holder, a great snapper."
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