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Rebeka Beach, homeless liaison and school counselor at Taft High School named for a senator and son of a president but home to an eighth-grade prince named Emmanuel always hopes her kids get in A.J. Green’s group. She has brought students every year since she can remember to the Marvin Lewis Community Fund’s Christmas shopping spree sponsored by DICK’S Sporting Goods. On Monday night MLCF and its Learning is Cool Program transformed the Newport, Ky., store into a sprawling playground for 40 Greater Cincinnati students with great grades, tough finances, and a limitless credit card.
Marvin Lewis on job pressure: "Everybody has to perform"
Bengals coach Marvin Lewis is well aware of his record, and he's been around the NFL long enough to know there are no lifetime appointments. When asked about some recent and reasonable questions about his status, Lewis acknowledged that when you're 3-7-1 and haven't won a playoff game in 14 years...
Many fantasy football playoffs kick off in Week 14, making this week a must-win for those looking to secure their post-season spot. There is nothing better than looking at the standings and knowing you are in, regardless of the outcome of this week. On the flip side, there is nothing more stressful for a fantasy owners than looking at the standings and knowing if you lose, the last 12 weeks were all for nothing. The irony of it all is that the control over your team’s fate is in the real player’s hands!
At 3-7-1 it looks like the Bengals are heading into a December of innuendo and introspection. The offense is on pace to score its fewest touchdowns in the 14 seasons of the Marvin Lewis Era and that includes the 2-14 season in the year before he arrived in 2002. The defense, better in the last month, is still on pace to give up the most yards under Lewis and the third most in franchise history. Each return and place kick has turned into an adventure rather than an advantage.
First Look: Bengals vs. Eagles
Cincinnati Bengals (3-7-1) head coach Marvin Lewis said the team has to win its remaining five games following a 19-14 loss to the Ravens in Baltimore on Sunday afternoon. The Bengals have lost three straight. Philadelphia had its own playoff chances dimmed with a 27-13 loss at home to the Green Bay Packers on Monday to fall to 5-6. The Eagles have lost two straight and four of five.
Bengals Beat Podcast: An aberration or a trend?
This week, Paul Dehner Jr. and Jim Owczarski pose and debate the question of whether this season is an aberration or beginning of a trend for Marvin Lewis as the team recovers from the loss in Baltimore. We also talk about the message sent by holding on to Mike Nugent and what the team has left to hold on to.
USA TODAY NFL power rankings: Bengals climb to No. 27
The Cincinnati Bengals jumped one spot from a season-low 28th to No. 27 in the latest USA TODAY NFL Power Rankings despite their 19-14 loss in Baltimore on Sunday that dropped them to 3-7-1 this season. The Bengals ranked as high as No. 8 in the rankings earlier this season.
Cincinnati Bengals' struggling O-line now rotating at two positions
The Cincinnati Bengals' offensive line might be the most unorthodox unit in the league. So far, what they've done hasn't worked. The Bengals have given up 32 sacks as a team, the third-most in the NFL. To try to fix some of the struggles, they've tried to use the unusual method of rotating players in-game.
AFC North Bytes
Steelers tell Antonio Brown to knock it off with celebration penalties
Antonio Brown may be one of the most fun players in the NFL, both for his immense talent and the joy with which he celebrates his accomplishments. But the Steelers have made it clear to their star wide receiver they don't find the penalties for his dances funny anymore.
The Ravens’ penalty-on-purpose tactic against the Bengals was legal. It shouldn’t be.
The end of the Baltimore Ravens’ triumph Sunday over the Cincinnati Bengals was a bad look for the NFL.The rule itself should be re-examined because it made for a scene a half-step from pro wrestling. About the only thing missing was the Ravens sending someone onto the field to hit a Bengals player with a folding chair while the officials’ attention was somehow diverted.
Robert Griffin cleared to play, but Browns undecided at QB
Robert Griffin III has been cleared to play, head coach Hue Jackson said Tuesday afternoon. The Browns quarterback was given the green light by the team’s medical staff late Monday after having been designated for return from injured reserve last week.
Random Bytes
NFL Suspends Bills' Seantrel Henderson, Who Has Used Weed To Treat Crohn's Disease, 10 Games
The NFL has suspended Buffalo Bills offensive lineman Seantrel Henderson 10 games for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy. Henderson, who found out that he had Crohn’s disease in the middle of last season and has played in one preseason game and one regular-season game since, was also suspended four games at the beginning of this season for violating the policy. According to him, the issue was that he’d smoked weed as treatment for his condition.
Week 13 fantasy football waiver wire
Uncovering top-notch waiver-wire targets is becoming increasingly difficult. However, as we turn our eyes toward the toward the fantasy playoffs there are a few players worth stashing that could pay massive dividends when we need them most. Below you'll find a mix of players to start next week, and players to stash for the stretch run as they attempt to come back from injured reserve. If the 15 players covered below aren't available in your league, don't forget to read my weekly Deep Dive (published Mondays) to keep tabs on high-upside players potentially flying under the radar.
Cardinals searching for clues in curious case of John Brown | NFL | Sporting News
The Cardinals continue trying to solve what coach Bruce Arians calls “the mystery of John Brown.” Appearing on SiriusXM NFL Radio with co-host Bill Polian and me, Arians said Brown still doesn’t have a definitive course of action to deal with the sickle cell trait that has afflicted the third-year wide receiver for much of the 2016 season.
Oakland Raiders schedule ends with rough road stretch
The NFL’s schedule-makers did Oakland no favors with a difficult stretch to end the season, but Jack Del Rio is embracing the challenge. Plus mail on Kaepernick, Kubiak and a new idea on how to make overtime better