Bengals Bytes (9/17): Thin ice

TDBH: Bengals beat Browns in home opener for costliest victory ever
With wide receiver Chris Henry racking up his first 100-yard game, quarterback Carson Palmer his sixth 300-yard game, running back Rudi Johnson rolling to his 14th 100-yard game along with the defense's second straight dominating stand, the Bengals control Sunday's Paul Brown Stadium opener from start to finish, 34-17, before 66,072 in the sun-splashed 21st straight sellout. But they pay a huge price with what are later to be determined three career-ending injuries when linebacker David Pollack suffers a broken neck, center Rich Braham a knee injury, and back-up wide receiver Tab Perry a hip injury.

New Cincinnati Bengals OC Bill Lazor aims to get RBs and QBs in rhythm
Bengals offensive coordinator Bill Lazor had barely held that title for an hour on Friday afternoon before he had a conference call with reporters. Lazor, who previously coached quarterbacks, was promoted to offensive coordinator after Ken Zampese was fired Friday following an 0-2 start.

Bill Lazor, Andy Dalton can salvage Bengals offense
No, it’s not time to burn jerseys, put paper bags over your head or get out the pitchforks and torches. But, it is time to see this Bengals offense get turned around. With the ouster of Ken Zampese, Bill Lazor will be calling the plays from the air or on the sidelines. Two games don’t make a season. There’s tons of football to be played. But, the salvage mission starts now. Andy Dalton can be saved and so can the offense.

BX: Fans hand Bengals another loss with empty seats
Before the Bengals ever kicked off their disastrous opening week on the field, the performance off the field illustrated a concerning trend. The Bengals and their fans aren’t on the best terms. Such a fact was apparent in the banks of empty seats at Paul Brown Stadium this past week for the home opener against Baltimore and Thursday night game against Houston.

Andy Dalton is On Thin Ice, Says Ex-Bengals Star T.J. Houshmandzadeh
One of the greatest receivers in Cincinnati Bengals history says it's time for Andy Dalton to step up and play like an elite quarterback ... or he's gonna get benched. TMZ Sports spoke with T.J. Houshmandzadeh about the Bengals' 0-2 start to the season ... and he says Dalton's miscues are a big reason why they're still hunting for their first win.

Paul Daugherty: Mike Brown had to OK firing of Ken Zampese
Ken Zampese knew better than anyone that Mike Brown loathes change. The Bengals owner prefers seersucker suits in the summer, drives sensible, mid-sized, American-made sedans and fires coaches once every other decade. The Bengals former offensive coordinator knows, too, Brown’s loyalty and the sense of family that exists among the team’s coaches. Two years ago, all rallied around Zampese and his wife Christine, when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Does Bengals' three-headed monster go away with Lazor?
With Week 2 officially done for the Bengals, there’ a feeling of both relief and apprehension. Second-year offensive coordinator Ken Zampese was released on Friday. Most Bengals fans probably saw Marvin Lewis’ name along with “fired” and spit out whatever they were drinking. But, that wasn’t the case. Lewis is here until further notice.

Bengals Fire Offensive Coordinator Zampese, Bill Lazor
When a team scores nine points and zero touchdowns in the season’s first eight quarters (all at home, no less), frustrations will boil over and heads are liable to roll. Usually it’s the quarterback’s. But in Cincinnati it was the offensive coordinator’s, Ken Zampese, who had been the QB coach since 2003 before taking over as OC in 2016.

AFC North Bytes

Position-by-position: How the Vikings match up with the Steelers
The Minnesota Vikings head on the road Sunday to face the Pittsburgh Steelers. While the Vikings have several top players beat up, the Steelers are looking to put on a better overall performance than they had last week against Cleveland. How do they match up by position? Let’s have a look…

Ravens-Browns: 3 offensive keys to victory
The Ravens come into a Week 2 matchup against their second AFC North opponent in as many weeks. Some suspect an upset, some call this a trap-game, but nonetheless, this Ravens team knows every win is valuable in the National Football League.

Browns promote wide receiver from practice squad
The Browns added another wide receiver to the active roster Saturday. The team announced that Rashard Higgins had been promoted from the practice squad. They made room for him on the roster by waiving defensive lineman Tyrone Holmes. Last year’s fifth-round pick from Colorado State, Higgins played in 15 games for the Browns last year. He caught six passes as a rookie.

Random Bytes

Odell Beckham Jr. Questionable vs. Lions with Ankle Injury
New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is officially listed as questionable for the team's Week 2 game against the Detroit Lions at MetLife Stadium on Monday night due to an ankle injury. The Giants announced their injury report Saturday morning. Beckham missed New York's 19-3 road loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday because of the ailment.

Redskins S Su'a Cravens expected back this week
It has been two weeks since promising Redskins safety Su'a Cravens, 22, stepped back from the game pondering retirement. His time away is coming to an end. According to several sources, Cravens is expected to report back to the team early this week, likely on Tuesday. The situation is complex and fluid, and simply reporting may not be the end of the story. But it should be a very positive step in the right direction for one of the team's bright young players.

New Orleans Saints shopping standout safety Kenny Vaccaro
Just two weeks into the season, the Saints are planning for a major move on defense.They spent the early portion of the week calling teams and shopping former first-round safety Kenny Vaccaro, according to multiple sources. A playmaker on the back end, Vaccaro is a do-everything defensive back who was a starter right off the bat for New Orleans. He'll play this season on his fifth-year option, a one-year guaranteed contract worth $5.7 million.

Sam Bradford Reportedly Game-Time Decision vs. Steelers Due to Knee Injury
The Minnesota Vikings may be without quarterback Sam Bradford for Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers due to a knee injury. Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, Bradford will be a game-time decision with the plan being "to work him out pregame."