Bengals Bytes (1/2): Will Vontaze Burfict ring the Bell?

Steelers 6.5-point favorites over Bengals
Le'Veon Bell's injury against the Bengals could have sparked a changing of the guard in the Cincinnati -- Pittsburgh rivalry. After losing Bell and the game, 16-10, the Steelers fell to 4-4 and four games behind the Bengals in the AFC North standings midway through the 2015 season.

How to watch Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cincinnati Bengals
The Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals are both hot right now. The Steelers have won six in a row and finally seem to have their offense on track with 71 points in their last two games. The Bengals have won two in a row, and are 5-3 overall after their miserable 0-3 start. One team is fighting for home field advantage. The other is fighting just to stay alive in the playoff race. With so much at stake for both teams, the game is a must-watch for fans of both sides.

Walkthru: Predicting Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals
I Wanted to drop one more thank you to all who came out to our first live Bengals Beat Podcast last night at 50 West. Great time, great discussion, great beer. Can’t beat it. Really enjoyed it. Plus, now if the Bengals beat the Steelers apparently free beer will be flowing from the taps into glasses held by honorary bartender Paul Daugherty next Thursday. Can’t beat it, Part 2.

BBP2: Live 50 West Bengals Town Hall
Enquirer Bengals beat writers Jim Owczarski and Paul Dehner Jr. conduct their first live BBP at 50 West Brewing Company. And after 20 minutes of Steelers discussion an intriguing Town Hall of listener Q&A leads to a dive deep into the state of the franchise. We hit on Marvin Lewis, Mike Brown, drafting errors, Andy Dalton, honoring former players, stadium experience and Optimistic Bobby works the room.

Quick hits: Adam on punts: 'I still got what I need; Magna charter; Friday injury update
Bengals cornerback Adam Jones is walking around with a gleam in his eye this week. And not just because of Adam Bernard Jones, Jr., who turns a week old Saturday. Sure, his 55-yard punt return for a TD got called back last Sunday, but at age 34 and five years since his last one, he’s feeling it back there. “I think people get the point of the memo. I still got what I need back there,” Jones said after Friday’s practice. “I’m just waiting patiently and hopefully my time will come this week.”

Top 50 Moments: No-Huddle Offense Leads 1988 Bengals to Super Bowl
They no-huddled the NFL into the next era with a quarterback that orchestrated the line of scrimmage when Peyton Manning and Tom Brady were in grade school. They zone-blocked the league back to the future and zone-blitzed defenses into cyberspace. Their 12-4 run, 8-0 domination at home, and heartbreaking Super Bowl loss turned out to be a snapshot of early 21st century football.

Matchup of the Game: Challenge rings a Bell
Bell and wide receiver Antonio Brown come into Monday night’s game (8:30 p.m.-ESPN, Cincinnati’s Channel 5) at Paul Brown Stadium as Batman and Robin with Brown leading the NFL in yards and catches and Bell leading in scrimmage yards while destined to become the first Steeler to lead the league in rushing since the Depression.

Bengals' A.J. Green flying some of his teammates to SEC title game
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green will be standing on the sidelines of the SEC championship game in Atlanta on Saturday. With the Bengals' game against the Pittsburgh Steelers scheduled for Monday night, Green, a former Georgia player, isn’t missing the rematch between Georgia and Auburn. Green played at Georgia from 2008-10 and lives in Atlanta in the offseason. He has been a vocal supporter of the university, donating two endowed scholarships in 2015.

Bengals must hit deep against Steelers
Over the course of Andy Dalton and A.J. Green’s careers, few teams confound the Cincinnati Bengals like the Pittsburgh Steelers. While the two average 24 points a game over their career against the rest of the league, the Steelers hold them to 16.8 points per game. Cracks are rarely found.

David DeCastro on the Bengals: 'This isn't MMA. We're just trying to win a football game.'
The Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals played in October at Heinz Field, and something unusual happened. There was not one personal foul penalty in the game. Not that Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict didn’t try to stir things up. He grazed Steelers fullback Roosevelt Nix in the head after attempting to kick him. The officials missed it, but the league office did not. Burfict was fined $12,154.

Looking back on how the Bengals handled Jeremy Hill
Weeks ago I wrote a piece telling fans to be prepared for the Bengals to keep Jeremy Hill and not trade him away. The idea was based on the fact that Giovani Bernard was coming off of an ACL injury and no one knew what to expect from Joe Mixon over the long season.

AFC North Bytes

With only one player ruled out for Sunday, the Ravens are feeling healthy
The Ravens ruled out only one player for Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions, and even though five players are listed as questionable, all are likely to be available for the game. Coach John Harbaugh was pleased by the roster’s overall health in light of Monday night’s 23-16 victory over the Houston Texans.

Here are some of the causes Browns players are promoting through My Cause My Cleats
Cleveland Browns players will be joining players across the league this Sunday by participating in the My Cleats My Cause campaign. More than 800 players are planning to showcase their causes on-field during Week 13 games, and the topics they selected represent hundreds of different charitable organizations. From bullying to dyslexia to bringing awareness to social injustice, players will wear specially made cleats. Players will have the opportunity to raise funds for the cause of their choosing by auctioning their cleats off at NFL Auction; 100 percent of funds raised will be donated to charities selected by players.

Antonio Brown of Pittsburgh Steelers misses Friday practice
NFL receiving leader Antonio Brown missed Friday's practice because of a toe injury. Brown got treatment Friday morning, and the injury is considered minor entering the Pittsburgh Steelers' game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night, a source told ESPN.

Random Bytes

Every NFL Contender's Achilles' Heel Entering the Final Month of the Season
December football arrives this weekend, and 25 of the NFL's 32 teams remain within two games of playoff spots. But at this point in the season, the 15 that possess winning records are by and large more legit than their sub-.500 counterparts.

NFL1000: Every NFL Team's Worst Offseason Move
Famed basketball coach John Wooden was fond of saying "Success is never final, and failure is never fatal." It's an adage that works for any sport, including the full-contact sport called life. When teams look to improve and refine their rosters, there are calculated risks involved, and it's not going to work out all the time.

Oakland Reportedly Potential Titans, Jaguars Relocation City After Raiders Move
With Oakland preparing to lose the Raiders when they move to Las Vegas by 2020, the city could potentially look to replace them with the Jacksonville Jaguars or Tennessee Titans. Per Kimberly Veklerov of the San Francisco Chronicle, Scott McKibben, executive director of the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority, said Thursday the NFL likes the Oakland market and suggested the Titans or Jaguars as potential replacement teams.