Bengals Byte (11/21): Manning up on third down

Bengals' Joe Mixon: Can't find room versus Broncos
Mixon received 20 carries for the first time in his young career as his team looked to milk a lead, but he managed just 2.5 yards per carry and had a long gain of eight. On a positive note,

Bengals’ myriad problems remain despite rare win at Denver
The flaws were obvious but the ending was different. The Bengals finally won a game in Denver, keeping their hopes for a playoff berth barely flickering for at least one more week. It’ll take a statistically improbable series of events — a closing flourish by the Bengals, a closing implosion by numerous other teams — but at least there’s a chance.

Dre Kirkpatrick gets oxygen tank after failing to score on long return
Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick arrived at his seat on the plane to find a gift waiting for him after the team's 20-17 win in Denver: an oxygen tank. "Everybody's got jokes," Kirkpatrick wrote on his Instagram account with a picture of the tank.

Bengals man up on third down
The man asked A.J. Green if the Bengals were aware they had just won a Mile High for the first time since 1975. “I don’t keep up with history a lot,” Green said after he and his mates had committed some with their 20-17 victory over the Broncos.

Lewis news conference transcript 11/20
The game — as it played out yesterday, with the attrition with some injuries — was very hard-fought. Guys stepped up and played more often. There was a lot of back-and-forth with the special teams. The altitude has a bit of an effect on some guys, so (the players) were a little dreary because of that

TBDH: Bengals emerge from strike to dominate Eagles
Bengals head coach Forest Gregg breathes a sigh of relief when the first game back from the players’ strike yields an 18-14 victory over the Eagles in front of a surly Veterans Stadium crowd. The defending AFC champions’ offense doesn’t look as sharp as it did back in the only two games of the year in September, but the 57-day layoff seems to be no problem for their dominant defense that holds Philly scoreless until the fourth quarter and to just 275 total yards against Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski and his offense that led the NFL rankings in the two pre-strike games.

AFC North Bytes

Hue Jackson says he's still all in on DeShone Kizer
Despite the poor showing against the Jaguars, Hue Jackson quickly named DeShone Kizer for the rest of the season after Sunday's loss to Jacksonville. “Where we are right now, I need to continue to see him," Jackson said. "Let’s let him play. Let’s let him play this thing out. As long as he is healthy, let’s keep putting him out there. I want to walk away from this season knowing exactly what DeShone Kizer is top to bottom. I think he deserves that.

BALTIMORE: Don't Believe The Ravens Hype
Let’s take off those purple tinted glasses for a hot second, and look at this game as a neutral fan of the sport: a team (Ravens) coming off a bye week with a much healthier team and two weeks to prepare… beat a team (Packers) who played the previous Sunday, started their awful backup QB, missed their best Offensive Lineman, started a third-string running back, and has a questionable defense (24th overall) who lost their best linebacker during the game (Clay Matthews) and a starting Defensive Lineman (Kenny Clark).

Random Bytes

Connor Williams’ return gives the Texas offense an identity - Burnt Orange Nation
The Longhorns prioritized the run and found success against West Virginia. He's already been mocked to the Bengals as a first round draft pick for 2018.

Boneheaded Coaching Costs Seahawks Much-Needed Win
There are times when, in the heat of action and a close game, the line between bravery and stupidity in the NFL is thin. There are other times when said line is blindingly bright, and crossing it makes no sense whatsoever.

NFL 2017 - Quarterback grades for all 32 teams
Which quarterbacks have exceeded expectations? Which have fallen short? And what is going on in Buffalo? NFL Nation reporters graded the QB situations for all 32 teams based on each team's expectations heading into the season, on a scale from A-plus to F.