The Debrief: Bengals vs Steelers Week in Review Edition 1) C

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Wide receiver John Ross (groin) and cornerback William Jackson (knee) are questionable for Sunday’s game against the Steelers. Ross suffered his injury against the Atlanta Falcons Cheap Tyler Eifert Jersey , missing last week’s comeback against Miami, while William Jackson suffered his against the Dolphins. Jackson’s absence could be a major blow of the Bengals secondary, who are preparing for Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster. In his past four games against the Bengals, Antonio Brown is averaging 4.8 receptions and 65.8 yards receiving. Smith-Schuster, currently the Steelers leading receiver, has posted six receptions for 56 yards receiving combined in two career games against the Bengals.If Ross can’t go on Sunday, based on how the team approached last week, it should be assumed that Erickson will work as the No. 3 (in terms of depth, not on-field alignment). Erickson posted three receptions for 24 yards receiving last week — the three grabs ranks second-most in his career and yards ranks third-highest. The Bengals started with a two-WR and two-TE set last week against Miami, with Tyler Kroft and C.J. Uzomah in formation. On the next play, Alex Erickson entered the game as the third receiver, joining A.J. Green and Tyler Boyd on the left with Uzomah flanked wide right. Tyler Kroft is definitely out Sunday. That’s two. Anyone tight ends named Tyler better watch out. Cincinnati has lost two. The rest of the world is on notice. If the Bengals go with three tight ends Sunday, figure Mason Schreck and the recently signed Matt Lengel joining Uzomah. Also questionable is Cedric Ogbuehi, who appeared on Thursday’s injury report with a wrist. Ogbuehi, the team’s first-round pick from the 2015 NFL draft, has been a healthy-scratch through the first five games. Bengals Injury/Practice Report Week 7POSBENGALSINJURYWEDTHURFRISTATUSPOSBENGALSINJURYWEDTHURFRISTATUS2) Transactions. As noted above, the Bengals — after losing Tyler Eifert for the season and Tyler Kroft for several weeks — signed Matt Lengel off Houston’s practice squad. Former Super Bowl Champion Matt Lengel previously signed with Cincinnati as a college free agent following the 2015 NFL draft. He spent that season, and part of 2016, on Cincinnati’s practice squad before New England signed him to their 53-man roster — they had just lost Rob Gronkowski. Lengel caught a touchdown pass from Tom Brady on Christmas eve and was part of the roster that won Super Bowl LI. Cincinnati also signed cornerback Demetroius Cox, who spent the 2017 preseason in Cincinnati, to the practice squad. (Writer’s Note: I erroneously wrote during a Debrief earlier this week that Cox spent time on Cincinnati’s practice squad that year). Cox replaced cornerback C.J. Goodwin, who was signed off Cincinnati’s practice squad by the Dallas Cowboys. Thomas Rawls released. With Giovani Bernard, who is out Sunday against Pittsburgh, and Joe Mixon (missed two games earlier this season) suffering dueling injuries, Cincinnati signed Thomas Rawls as a contingency. Rawls, inactive in week three and four, played last week against Miami. Cincinnati released him this week without taking an offensive snap — he had two special teams snaps. That’s it.Quotes of the Week: Bengals cornerback William Jackson on whether he’s better than Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown: “Of course. I think I’m the best player on the planet. You cannot play this game if you think you’re not.” Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey on Vontaze Burfict: “I actually like playing against Burfict, man,” he said via ESPN. “I think he’s a great player. He’s physical; he talks trash, but he does it in the right way — sometimes it’s a little excessive — but when you’re a defensive player Cheap A.J. Green Jersey , it’s supposed to be like that.”Bengals / Steelers previews: John Sheeran: Five things to watch against the SteelersJosh Kirkendall: Bengals vs Steelers is a litmus test for the BengalsPatrick Judis: Behind the Enemy LinesMatt Minich: Bengals can exploit big issues in Steelers’ pass defenseAnthony Cosenza: Who’s the boss? Orange and Black Insider: Steeling ThunderBengals vs Steelers Madden simulation Bengals vs Steelers primer.Charity of the Week: Carlos Dunlap held his fifth annual spa day for women, benefitting the fight against breast cancer. Our own Rebecca Toback writes:Bengals defensive end Michael Johnson, who took part in Dunlap’s spa day, was also featured on the NFL Network for his work bridging the gap between area youth and law enforcement. I don’t know if the Bengals will ever win a Super Bowl.What I do know is that these players are worth celebrating for the class that they bring to an organization that once fight hard to re-build their image. It makes you proud to be a Bengals fan. Damn proud.Bengals Mailbag: Impressive wins, Alex Van Pelt’s impact and Jessie Bates for Rookie of the Year It’s that time of year again — “Steelers Week.” There is an ensuing debate among Bengals fans about Week 6 being a “must win”. Regardless of your current stance, it’s a huge game for the AFC North implications down the road. We received a number of interesting questions this week—primarily through The Orange and Black Insider podcast. However, they weren’t so Steelers-driven as one may expect during this time of year. *****One of our listeners called in and didn’t really have a question as much as a comment about the 2018 Bengals. He essentially said that he was very impressed with the ways this team has gone about winning their four games so far this season. Pretty much every Bengals fan has to be in agreement on that one. A duo of frenzied comebacks, a game-winning touchdown with six seconds left and a primetime win against a quality divisional opponent have to bring smiles to Who Dey Nation. The good news here is that is has bred confidence in the team that they can come back from any deficit in almost any situation. And, when you get a young team believing in something early on, it’s usually a bit of momentum that carries throughout a year. However, as we’ve said a number of times and seemingly after each of these thrilling wins, one has to wonder about the sustainability of their style of winning. 27-point second half wins don’t grow on trees in the NFL, so the Bengals should be searching for any kind of semblance of consistency.If the offense can perform at or near what they’ve done for the first five games, the defense can be middle-of-the-pack and Darrin Simmons’ unit stops allowing these ridiculous back-breaking plays on special teams, this team can go far. “If” being the operative word...*****On this week’s show, we received a text message from a fan in Hawaii asking about the impact of a certain assistant coach. However, it wasn’t about Teryl Austin, Bob Bicknell or Frank Pollack.Andy Dalton looks like a different quarterback this season. Many facets to his game resemble the magical things he did in his final year with Hue Jackson back in 2015, but there are noticeable differences. For instance, in Jackson’s offense, trickery, odd formations and the usage of numerous weapons were all part and parcel of his weekly game plans. Jackson and Dalton also had a pretty stellar line in front of them that season. Bill Lazor has adopted some of these same concepts, but has also put his own stamp on things. Instead of splitting out two offensive linemen in the slots as Jackson did somewhat frequently, he’s using more roll-out passes and misdirection plays. It’s led to Dalton being in a tie for third in the NFL with 12 touchdown passes through five games. Jared Goff, Tom Brady and Andrew Luck are his contemporaries in the category—not bad, No. 14. The other facet going into Dalton’s early success aside from his own maturity and comfort level within Lazor’s scheme is the re-stocking of offensive weapons. There are essentially four new starters on the offensive line, John Ross appears to be growing up and the two tight ends behind the now-injured Tyler Eifert are definitely capable. In short, with the Bengals’ defense suffering a bit of an identity crisis throughout much of the first part of the schedule, Lazor and Dalton deserve heaps of credit for the team being 4-1. But, there’s a hidden face behind Cincinnati’s offensive success this year. Quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt arrived this offseason with a slew of other assistant coaches and they have all made a difference. Apparently Cheap Dre Kirkpatrick Jersey , Van Pelt was critical to many facets of Aaron Rodgers’ game in Green Bay—so much so that there have been rumblings about the Packers’ signal-caller being upset about his departure.“I thought that was an interesting change, really without consulting me,” Rodgers said of the decision to let Van Pelt walk back in February, per ESPN and SB Nation’s Acme Packing Co. “There’s a close connection between quarterback and quarterback coach, and that was an interesting decision.”His loss is Dalton’s gain. Where the changes seem to be most apparent this year is Dalton’s ability to rise above pressure and not get as skittish as he’s been in recent seasons. This offensive line is improved from 2017, no doubt, but they still have had their issues. Dalton has made many more quality throws under pressure and/or on the run this year. Take this one (a wobbly one, to be sure) from Sunday—right on the money. These extensions of plays and maneuvering in the pocket have been trademarks of Rodgers’ game for years—especially under Van Pelt’s tutelage. We’re not saying Dalton is Rodgers, as No. 12 can do things many other players can’t, but there is a semblance of similar play this year. Another facet that has seemingly been added to Dalton’s game, and, subsequently, the rest of the Bengals team, is confidence. Dalton doesn’t seem to be as easily rattled this year—especially after a turnover. He believes he can make any throw on the field, and by and large, he’s shown it this year. Quite seriously, if you’re asking me who’s an early front-runner for Bengals coach of the year, it’s Van Pelt. Sure, Lazor has more overall responsibility in his lap, but you have to love what we’ve seen from the most important position on the team. *****Recently, the chatter on Jessie Bates III has picked up a bit. After nabbing an interception in Week 2 on national T.V. this year’s second round pick got a P.R. boost. Add in the game-sealing interception last week against the Dolphins and he’s emerging as that turnover machine coaches saw at Wake Forest. On this week’s OBI episode, one of our callers started talking about Bates and asked if he should be in NFL Rookie of the Year consideration. After all, those two interceptions have him tied for second-highest in the league, albeit with a bunch of other players. The short answer to the question is “yes, he should be in consideration”. However, there’s a long “but” to the tail end of that supposition. Let’s start with the bad news. Oftentimes, these awards given out by the league hinge on popularity contests. Cincinnati hasn’t had postseason success recently, and they are a small-to-mid market team, in terms of NFL landscape. The Watt brothers, J.J. and T.J. http://www.bengalscheapstore.com/kevin-huber-jersey-cheap , co-lead the league in sacks with six this season. Would you like to know who’s currently part of that three-way tie for the league-lead? Geno Atkins. But, is he getting the fanfare and Defensive Player of the Year run that the beloved boys from Wisconsin receive?Nope. Bates not only has to fight for national attention as a Bengals player, but also in his second round draft status. Some national writers and the powers-that-be who nominate awardees tend to “surface fish” to get their haul, so to speak.Derwin James has been a hot name this year—and for good reason. He was regarded as a top-10 talent who slipped further than most thought, but has been a very nice get for the Chargers, racking up 31 tackles, three sacks and an interception. For reasons mentioned above and others, James appears to be one of the front-runners for the award. Did I mention that he plays in Los Angeles?Second, we can’t just use the above-mentioned excuses as to the only reasons why Bates isn’t getting more national run. The Bengals’ defense is ranked 25th overall and 22nd against the pass through five games this year. That doesn’t exactly scream “elite”. Plus, we have seen a couple of perceived miscommunications involving No. 30, as he quickly grows into a professional starting safety. As far as things going in his favor this year towards a possible ROY award? The stats and metrics point to a nomination. Compared to James, Bates has one more tackle (32) and one more interception (two) than his counterpart at this point. Damontae Kazee is the only rookie who has as many picks as he does, while Denzel Ward (another viable candidate for this award) is the only 2018 draftee who has more with three so far. As far as Pro Football Focus goes, I personally like their metrics, but don’t use them as absolute NFL Scripture. Even so, they have an impressive rating on Bates so far this year:At 83.9 through five games, Bates is their No. 5 safety in the NFL and resides in their second of nine tiered ranking categories. He’s “high quality” by their standards and that is making folks quickly forget about his predecessor, George Iloka. If he stays healthy and remains productive, he’ll be in the mix for DPOY. I don’t necessarily expect him to win it, but he should most definitely be on the All-Rookie Team, at the very least. If you’re unable to join us live for here at Cincy Jungle or YouTube every episode, all Orange and Black Insider content is available here on CJ, as well as on our SoundCloud, Stitcher, through the Google Play Music app and YouTube channels, as well as on iTunes! You can tweet us @BengalsOBI or get in touch with us via email at theobinsider@gmail.com. Thanks for listening and go subscribe to our channels!