Bengals Bytes (11/12): How the Bengals travel

Bengals' Josh Tupou: Signs with Bengals
Tupou has been on the Bengals' practice squad since roster cutdowns after signing with the team as an undrafted free agent in the spring. The 23-year-old will likely serve as a reserve defensive lineman with Pat Sims (calf) ruled out for Sunday's game against the Titans.

Cincinnati Bengals need a strong finish to generate interest
Well, it’s upon us all. The second half of the season will arrive with a gut punch. That sleepy and sluggish feeling isn’t from turning the clocks back. Lack of interest in the Bengals has set in and it’s draining the energy from fans who actually still care. Many of the faithful who still manage to throw parties and get hyped for the games have turned to other activities. College hoops is ramping up, the NBA is in full effect. To keep things interesting, the Bengals need a seriously strong finish to the season.

BX: How do the Bengals travel?
For three times over this current three-week span, Bengals director of operations Jeff Brickner will arrive at Paul Brown Stadium around 4 a.m. on the day of team departure. With hundreds of moving parts, most of them paid millions of dollars, organizing the operation demands waking up early.

TDBH: 3-5 Bengals begin play-off push with domination of Super Bowl champ Giants
Backs to the wall with a 3-5 record after last week’s loss to Denver jacks their losing streak to four games, head coach Marvin Lewis makes them aware of quotes from Broncos defensive end Elvis Dumervil that go along the lines of, “"The Bengals are hell of a team, but it seemed like they don’t believe in themselves." The Bengals say they believe they can still make the playoffs after making it last year with the rookie wide receiver-QB duo of A.J. Green and Andy Dalton and today they make a huge statement at Paul Brown Stadium when they dominate the defending Super Bowl champion Giants in both trenches during a 31-13 rout the Bengals big people cut down to size Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning.

Bengals at Titans Game Notes
Cincinnati last week suffered a disappointing 23-7 loss at Jacksonville to fall to 3-5, and the setback has left the Bengals looking for answers and solutions, particularly on offense. The Jaguars held the Bengals to a season-low 148 net yards, including just 29 yards rushing, on a season-low total of just 37 offensive plays. If the Bengals are to find a path to re-enter the field of AFC playoff contenders, their work toward reaching that goal surely starts there.

Media Roundtable: Bengals look for South stalemate
It has been a story of North and South. The Bengals visit Tennessee Sunday (1 p.m.-Cincinnati’s Channel 19) with the hopes of a win that gives them a 2-2 stalemate against the AFC South and keeps them breathing in the AFC North. The Bengals.com Media Roundtable is casting a wary eye at how their offense has performed against the South in the win over Indy and the losses to the Texans and Jaguars. They’ve scored three offensive touchdowns in averaging 13 points and 240 yards and the panel has clearly taken that into consideration when making its picks.

Late moves: Hill goes to IR; Bullock OK; Tupou, Wilson promoted
Running back Jeremy Hill’s season is over and as he heads into free agency so may be his Bengals career. Hill (ankle) went on season-ending injured reserve Saturday with an injury that made him a late scratch last Sunday in Jacksonville.

AFC North Bytes

Four Downs: Offense goes better when it goes 'big'
The Steelers' most common “base” offense involves a running back, a tight end and three wide receivers (commonly referred to as “11 personnel”). On the most basic of playcall situations (first-and-10), that hasn't been too productive. But when the Steelers go big, the results have been better — particularly relative to the rest of the NFL.

Browns Tried To Trade For Terrelle Pryor
And here we thought the trade deadline was done supplying drama. According to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Browns unsuccessfully attempted to trade for receiver Terrelle Pryor, but Washington wasn’t interested in giving up on Pryor just yet. Browns fans may recall that Pryor left a multi-year contract with Cleveland on the table to play on a one year deal in Washington, hoping to raise his value and cash in this off-season.

Ravens may not look like a playoff team, but record, schedule suggest they're in the mix
As they left the locker room Wednesday afternoon and headed their separate ways for what remained of the team’s bye week, Ravens players maintained that they were already looking ahead. That view was more encouraging than looking back on the first seven weeks.

Random Bytes

Report: Drew Stanton Injured Knee vs. Seahawks, Cardinals to Sign Matt Barkley
The Arizona Cardinals are reportedly set to sign quarterback Matt Barkley after Drew Stanton suffered a sprained knee during the Cards' 22-16 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night at University of Phoenix Stadium. Chris Mortensen‏ of ESPN.com provided the update Saturday and noted the Cardinals, who are without starter Carson Palmer because of a broken arm, are preparing to give Blaine Gabbert the reins of the offense against the Houston Texans in Week 11 if Stanton is unavailable.

Chiefs DT Roy Miller Arrested on Domestic Battery Charges
Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Roy Miller was arrested Saturday morning in Jacksonville, Florida, on a domestic battery charge, according to the Associated Press. The AP added there was also a minor injury and that Miller is set to appear before a judge Saturday.