Bengals Bytes (11/15): The Bengals third down problem

Fantasy Recap: Week 10
The Rams are clearly not the same team we saw last year, with Jered Goff, Todd Gurley, Robert Woods, Sammy Watkins, and Cooper Kupp leading the way on offense, while Aaron Donald, Alec Ogletree, and Michael Brockers locking things down on defense. The Rams are leading their division with a 7-2 record, and are tied with Patriots, Steelers, Vikings, and Saints for the 2nd best record in the NFL.

Bengals sign Brian Hill off Falcons practice squad
The Bengals placed running back Jeremy Hill on injured reserve over the weekend and they made a move on Tuesday to add another player to the backfield. They also saved a little money because they won’t need to print up another nameplate for the depth chart. They announced that they have signed running back Brian Hill off of the Falcons practice squad.

Cincinnati Bengals Tennessee Titans Preview NFL Week 10
The Denver Broncos sunk to last place in the AFC West with their fifth straight defeat on Sunday night, losing 41-16 to New England at home. It was the first loss at home for the 3-6 Broncos, however. Denver continued to struggle on offense, as it turned the ball over two times and couldn’t get a running game on track to help new starting quarterback Brock Osweiler (18 of 33, 221 yards, TD, INT).

The Cincinnati Bengals offense and defense have a third down problem
There’s a broken record playing around the Cincinnati Bengals locker room the last few weeks, but it’s been one that has become so maddeningly consistent that the problem can only be diagnosed as a deep mechanical one, rather than one that can be forgotten just by changing the vinyl

Carlos Dunlap Nominated for Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award
Bengals DE Carlos Dunlap has been nominated for the 2017 Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award. The winner will be revealed at NFL Honors before Super Bowl LII. Dunlap is one of 32 player nominees for the fourth annual Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award. The award is presented each year to an NFL player who best demonstrates the qualities of on-field sportsmanship, including fair play, respect for the game and opponents, and integrity in competition.

Top 50 Moments: Paul Brown Names Team the Bengals
The American Football League’s newest team won’t be the Buckeyes even though head coach and general manager Paul Brown coached Ohio State to a national title and it is the most popular nickname culled from newspaper coupons made available in The Cincinnati Post Times-Star. “That name is already used by Ohio State,” says Brown at the Oct. 27, 1967 news conference at the Hotel Sheraton Gibson unveiling the name “Bengals.” “I also feel we are part of a four-state area, not just one state.” A committee of the club’s directors, which consists of Brown, John Sawyer, and Dave Gamble, is also presented with names like “Romans,” “Celtics,” and “Krauts.”

Roster moves: Rookie Hill replaces vet Hill at running back; Nickerson waived
The Bengals replaced running back Jeremy Hill on the roster Tuesday with another power back when they plucked rookie Brian Hill from the Falcons practice squad. In order to make room for the newest Hill they released rookie middle linebacker Hardy Nickerson and with a spot open on the practice squad that figures to be the next move.

TDBH: Bengals sweep Steelers in Battle of 18-12 to near AFC North overture
The Bengals flex their muscles today to out-Steeler the Steelers to win the brutal Battle of 18-12 that gives them all the tiebreakers and puts them on the verge of a division sweep as well as in the hunt for a top AFC seed at 7-2. Only a game against the lowly Browns in two weeks stands between the Bengals and a 6-0 AFC North record after the Bengals hold the Steelers to three third-down conversions and four field goals less than two months after they beat Pittsburgh in the last minute.

AFC North Bytes

John Harbaugh Looks Forward to Ravens Returning Healthier from Bye Week
No NFL team navigates an entire season without succumbing to injuries. The Baltimore Ravens are no exception. Following a 2-0 start, they have dropped to 4-5 without star guard Marshal Yanda, who suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2 against the Cleveland Browns. They opened 2017 by losing Danny Woodhead to a hamstring injury on the offense's first drive.

Tashaun Gipson predicts Browns will go 0-16, get shut out by the Jaguars and 'I hope we hang 40 on them'
Tashaun Gipson always had the gift of gab when he was with the Browns, and he let his former team have it on Monday as he prepares for his big homecoming with the Jaguars Sunday at FirstEnergy Stadium. "People say their next chance to win a football game is probably against the Jaguars, which probably ain't going to happen,'' the Pro Bowl safety said Monday on ESPN's Freddie and Fitz radio show. "They're probably going to finish 0-16. So you look at things like that, man, it's just a blessing to be able to get out of that situation and come to a situation like this where you know what winning feels like."

Antonio Brown's Dad Is the Greatest Arena Football Player of All Time
How do you score nine touchdowns in a single professional football game? "First," Eddie Brown says with a laugh, "they have to throw you the ball that many times." Understand this: The man best-known for being the father of Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Antonio Brown never planned on scoring 54 points all by himself, any more than he planned on becoming arguably the greatest player in Arena Football League history.

Random Bytes

Jared Goff vs. Carson Wentz: Who's the Future of the NFL?
Ever play Would You Rather? Good party game, especially when you want to channel your inner grade-schooler and pose dilemmas featuring pairs of particularly nasty options. For a PG-but-icky example, would you rather lick the bottom of a stranger's shoes or eat a hamburger off a bathroom floor?

Marquise Goodwin Says 'Never Stop Believing' After Death of Infant Son
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Marquise Goodwin spoke to reporters on a conference call Tuesday and discussed how he and his wife, Morgan Goodwin-Snow, have handled the death of their infant son. "Never stop believing," Goodwin said regarding others who will go through the same situation, according to NBC Sports Bay Area's Matt Maiocco. "The reward will last longer than the pain.

Mike Freeman's 10-Point Stance: NFL Hypocrisy Shows in Concussion Policy Sham
There is only one conclusion any reasonable person can draw after watching the recent and embarrassing trifecta of buffoonery that took the place of what was supposed to be the monitoring of head trauma for three players affected over the past two weeks. The NFL's concussion protocols are trash.