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Bengals eye spoiler role at Brady Homecoming
The matchup with the Patriots Sunday (1 p.m.-Cincinnati’s Channel 12) may be Tom Brady’s Homecoming, but the Bengals aren’t the ones wearing the letter jackets as they stalk their first win in Foxboro since the year the ball went through Buckner’s legs. That would be 1986 when the Red Sox lost the World Series and the New England faithful is in a similar lather awash in World War II-sized headlines as they pay five times the price of a ticket to view Brady’s first home game since getting out of Roger Goodell’s doghouse.
Bengals at Patriots: 5 Things to Watch, Consider, Note and a Prediction
Here are five things to watch, consider and take note about for Sunday's Bengals game at the New England Patriots, which will kick off at 1 p.m. in Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. and can be seen on Local12, and my prediction at the bottom
AFC North Bytes
Well-traveled Marty Mornhinweg gets his shot to make the Ravens' offense fly
As Ravens players reflected on their first days with new offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, they described an atmosphere transformed by his crackling enthusiasm. Gone was Marc Trestman's professorial reserve, replaced by the jaunty optimism of a coach who schemed big-play attacks in San Francisco and Philadelphia.
Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Thomas will not ask Cleveland Browns for a trade
An 0-5 start and a long-term rebuild have not changed Joe Thomas' resolve to finish his career with the Cleveland Browns. The Pro Bowl left tackle will not ask to be traded at the Nov. 1 deadline, according to a source close to Thomas.
Pittsburgh Steelers WR Sammie Coates dealing with broken finger
Steelers receiver Sammie Coates is dealing with a fractured index finger on his left hand, sources told ESPN on Saturday. Sources told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler that Coates is expected to be active for Sunday's game against the Miami Dolphins, while a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter that the WR will be a game-time decision.
Random Bytes
Former NFL, Auburn LB Quentin Groves Dies at Age 32
Former NFL pass-rusher Quentin Groves died Saturday from an apparent heart attack. He was 32. Luke Easterling of USA Today first reported the news, and Auburn Football honored its former player
Former NFL DL Dennis Byrd Dies in Car Crash at Age 50
Former NFL defensive lineman Dennis Byrd died at the age of 50 in a car crash in Oklahoma on Saturday. Per the Tulsa World, Byrd was involved in a two-car collision on Oklahoma 88 that killed him and sent two other people to the hospital in critical condition.
NFL CBA Negotiations: Latest News, Rumors, Speculation on Labor Talks
The National Football League Players Association has reportedly received multiple overtures from NFL owners in recent months about discussing terms of a new collective bargaining agreement well before the current one is set to expire in 2020.
NFL Week 6 game picks: Seahawks top Falcons; Pack over 'Boys
Litmus-test time in the NFL. Are the Falcons still at risk of the kind of collapse we saw last year? Or will they prove their might in another tough-as-crap road game? Is this a lost season for the Jets or can they surprise the Cardinals in prime time? Will Dakmania continue to swell with a win in Lambeau? With only two teams on a bye this week -- the Vikings and Buccaneers, in case you're wondering -- there are plenty of matchups that will say much about the quality of teams