Bengals News (11/4): Rebounding

The Bengals are looking to cure their disappointing loss with another division win.

Quick Hits: Ja’Marr Chase and Joe Burrow continue to build upon a strong connection
Among other things, Bengals rookie wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase has yet to receive Packers wide receiver Davante Adams’ No. 17 jersey, Chase and Joe Burrow can read other’s minds at times, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor thinks Burrow simulates an NFL scramble drill as well as any quarterback he’s ever seen and Bengals middle linebacker Logan Wilson is still talking to the media even though he got scorched by classic careless clickers a few weeks back.

Taylor-Made Takes: Zac Taylor talks about handling expectations heading into Week 9 versus the Cleveland Browns
You want to finish with momentum going into the halfway point of the year, which really this is for us. What better way to do it than a home game against a divisional opponent? It’s a game that will get our entire focus as each week will, but this week is a big one. It’s our first home divisional game. We know our crowd is going to bring a tremendous amount of energy. We’ve got to be ready to match that and finish the first half of this season strong.

NFL Week 9 against the spread picks: Ravens vanquish Vikings, Bengals rebound vs. Browns, Chargers beat Eagles
I would like to thank Mike White for just adding onto what was a bad week for me. Then again, it’s kind of scary for New York Jets fans that another guy can come in and throw for 400 yards to beat one of the best teams in the AFC while your No. 2 overall pick is struggling. Even with the bad week overall, #DajaniDimes again had a winning record with the top five locks, and that’s the most important goal of this column. The other, of course, is to be way ahead of .500 on the total ATS record, which is something we will work on this week. We are currently middle of the road among CBS Sports experts. Expect that to change.

Odell Beckham Jr. Excused From Cleveland Browns Practice for Second-Straight Day
The 28-year-old is clearly unhappy with the situation in Cleveland and the Browns organization doesn’t want him near the team as they prepare for Sunday’s game against the Bengals.

Bengals might have big plans for OL Hakeem Adeniji soon
Adeniji had some noteworthy upside when the Bengals drafted him but he clearly needed developmental time. With center and right guard such notable issues as of this writing, it’s pretty interesting to think Adeniji could be back in the mix soon.

Which team will win the AFC North in 2021? Flaws, surprises and strengths for the Browns, Ravens, Steelers and Bengals
In 2020, the AFC North was the only division in the NFL to send three teams to the postseason. In 2021, the race to win the league’s best division has only gotten tougher. The emergence of the Bengals as a legitimate contender has led to a four-way race for the division title through eight weeks. These four teams could realistically finish in any order by the time the season ends.

NFL Week 9 underdogs: Will the Browns bounce back against the Bengals? Can the Jets win two in a row?
The Browns announced to the world on Sunday: Don’t trust us. The suddenly sexy Bengals imploded against the Jets. Cleveland’s ugly loss to Pittsburgh was the product of ills that have plagued the Browns all season: Too many mistakes and a knack for falling apart late. The Bengals, meanwhile, blew the 11-point lead they held midway through the fourth quarter and allowed newbie starter Mike White to become the first Jets passer to throw for 400-plus yards since Vinny Testaverde in Y2K.

Adjustments That Allowed Mike White to Destroy the Cincinnati Bengals’ Defense
This game does serve as a reminder that any team can win. It does not matter who the favorite is on paper, when the game is played there is always a chance that the underdog can overcome adversity. So how did Mike White and the New York Jets’ offense dismantle the Cincinnati Bengals’ defense?

Around the league

‘Thursday Night Football’ preview: What to watch for in Jets-Colts
The quarterback matchup when the Colts hammered the Jets, 36-7, last season — Philip Rivers versus Sam Darnold — makes it seem like a lot more than a year since their last meeting. Both teams have since moved on to younger faces at quarterback, and have dropped five losses each just eight weeks into the season.

NFL QB Index, Week 9: Matthew Stafford hits top five! What should we expect from Jordan Love?
If Jordan Love’s Week 1 cameo and abbreviated preseason action are any indication, Sunday’s Green Bay-Kansas City game will still be fascinating without Aaron Rodgers. As the Chiefs adjust to their reality as a station-to-station offense, Matt LaFleur and Packers fans get a sneak peek into what the future could look like. Expect fireworks.

NFL trade grades: Assessing six moves made ahead of the 2021 deadline
This deal falls in complete alignment with the Rams’ recent strategy of acquiring veteran players to maximize wins in the near-term and forgoing the uncertainty of the NFL draft. The last time they drafted in the first round was 2016 (Jared Goff), and they currently are without first-round selections in 2022 and ’23 (sent to Detroit in the Matthew Stafford trade). This latest deal is certainly a shrewd one for 2021 (and perhaps beyond), but it creates some questions about the roster long-term, given that the Rams are currently holding only one pick in the first four rounds of next year’s draft.

2021 NFL trade deadline: Seven deals that SHOULD have happened
The 2021 NFL trade deadline passed without a major blockbuster transpiring in the 11th hour. And while there was some movement in terms of in-season swaps this year, many of the trade candidates floated by outside observers did not change teams. But before we turn the page completely, I want to consider some hypothetical trades that should have happened in 2021.