Bengals Bytes (12/9): Can the Bears take advantage of the beat up Bengals?

Bears vs. Bengals: Can Bears take advantage of beat-up Bengals?
When Bears rookie quarterback Mitch Trubisky was asked how he would like to see the offense improve against the Bengals, he started with three words: “More explosive plays.” Trubisky may have completed 12 of 15 passes last week against the 49ers, but he only threw for 102 yards. The team gained an average of 4.1 yards per play, and Trubisky would like to see better as the Bears try to halt a five-game losing streak.

Bengals, Steelers lose $63,816 in fines for Monday night game
The Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers racked up $63,816 in lost dollars on Friday due to an infraction by Bengals safety George Iloka and the one-game suspension of Steelers receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. They were the only two players fined coming out of the game.

Cincinnati Bengals WR John Ross: ‘This season won’t make me who I am'
John Ross stopped to talk quietly to a few teammates before making a slow walk by himself to his car on Friday afternoon. The Cincinnati Bengals were layering up, getting ready for a chilled practice on the turf inside Paul Brown Stadium. The Chicago Bears and the final four games of the season await.

Cincinnati Bengals rule out five defensive starters against Chicago Bears
The Bengals' roster is severely depleted following a physical Monday night game against the Steelers. Linebacker Vontaze Burfict, cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick and running back Joe Mixon all sustained concussions on Monday, while cornerback Adam Jones injured his groin early in the game.

TDBH: Ike’s 3 TDs end Browns’ bid; Bengals on brink of division title
How big of a victory is today’s 34-17 conquest of the Browns at Riverfront Stadium that virtually knocks the Browns out of play-off contention and puts the 9-4 Bengals a win away from playing the defending Super Bowl champion Dolphins in the first round of the AFC playoffs in two weeks? Big enough that it shares the next day’s front page of The Cincinnati Enquirer with a transit crisis. “Partial bus service today,” blares the top headline followed closely by the next line, “It comes to pass; Bengals over Browns.”

Nugent Bearing up
One of the first things Mike Nugent asks when a team calls to invite him to a tryout is where/who does it play next. On Sunday night, the Bears told him, “Cincinnati,” and Nugent could only laugh.“I thought it was hilarious,” said Nugent this week, safely ensconced in a Chicago hotel after he signed on Monday. The phone call sets up a Bengals’ first on Sunday. For the first time in club history one of their long-term kickers returns to play against them in Cincinnati.

Top 50 Moments: Ickey Shuffle
For all of his bruising runs and bursts of speed, Woods was best known for his moves after scoring. The celebration that came to be known as the “Ickey Shuffle” took the league by storm. Woods never tires of telling the story behind the shuffle.

Daltons Host ‘Holiday Hearts’ Program
Bengals Pro Bowl quarterback Andy Dalton and his wife, JJ, played host to 12 families for the Andy & Jordan Dalton Foundation’s Holiday Hearts on Thursday. Families enjoyed a fun holiday-themed evening with Andy and Jordan, including dinner, holiday treat-making, a Build-a-Bear station, games and presents. Each family received a family gift and Christmas tree along with additional gifts from their wish lists. Best of all, families could spend quality time with each other, something the Daltons cherish this time of year.

Quick hits: Geno ?; 5 defensive starters out; Lewis: still in; Dad inspires Man of Year
Pro Bowl defensive tackle Geno Atkins (toe) didn’t practice Friday for the second straight day, but head coach Marvin Lewis said after the walk-through he has a chance to play. Lewis said Atkins woke up Thursday morning with inflammation in the toe and indicated it will be a week-end decision.

AFC North Bytes

Antonio Brown shows cleats he plans to wear in honor of Ryan Shazier
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a tight group. You can tell this without even stepping foot into their locker room. Watch their interactions on social media, how they are always there for one another on the field, and this team’s ability to always step up when the going gets tough.

Ravens WR Perriman frustrated by being healthy scratch for second time in three games
Breshad Perriman does not seem like the type of person to grumble or pout about being a healthy scratch for the second time in the Ravens’ past three games. But that does not mean that the third-year pro is nonchalant about being left off the game day roster.

'Last Stop to Nowhere': The Browns' Infamous QB Jersey Has a Tale to Tell
Some visuals wordlessly tell a story all by themselves. The Cleveland Browns' quarterback jersey is one such image. You've seen it. We've all seen it. It's the jersey of hopes extinguished, simply yet powerfully capturing the litany of woes one star-crossed franchise has experienced in trying to fill the most critical position in football.

Random Bytes

An Open Letter to the NFL's $200M Man, Roger Goodell: Do Your Job Better
First, congratulations on the new contract. That is a boatload of cash—$200 million! Hopefully you can feed your family on that, and if you got the private jet, I'm not mad at you, bro. If the owners are dumb enough to give it to you, do you, Roger.

Zach Miller Reflects on Horrific Knee Injury, Told Doctor 'Save My Leg, Please'
For the first time since suffering a major leg injury in Week 8, Chicago Bears tight end Zach Miller discussed the ordeal Friday. As seen in the following video courtesy of the Bears' official Twitter account, Miller talked about the seriousness of the injury

Week 14 NFL MVP, Award Rankings
It's the last month of the 2017 NFL regular season, which means races are heating up. There are the playoff races of course. But really, who cares? So what if you win that Super Bowl thing? What's the upside? One trophy that everyone on the team has to share? Sharing is the worst thing ever.