Bengals News (12/17): Joe Mixon connects with Tom Brady for jersey

Quick Hits: Pro Bowl Second Half For Mixon; Shot-Gun Question; Draft Meetings Start But Not For Coaches; Taylor, A.J. Green To Consult On Game Status
Bengals running back Joe Mixon is having a second half of the season worthy of a Pro Bowl. Since the ninth week Mixon has racked up nearly twice as many yards as he did in the first eight weeks with 605, behind only the Titans’ Derrick Henry (748) and NFL rushing leader Nick Chubb of the Browns (670). More than the Cowboys’ Ezekiel Elliott (586) and the Panthers’ Christian McCaffrey (572). And, yes, the Ravens’ Lamar Jackson (527).

Head coach Zac Taylor met with the media to discuss the Bengals progress after Week 15.
“They were shots we needed to take at those points in the game. They were one-on-one opportunities, whether the location could be better by an inch, whether (the receiver) could be more detailed with how he attacks the route or attacks the ball — those are all conversations we have with our players. Those were one-one-ones, and they come down to guys being in position to make a play. (Ideally,) the worst thing that can happen is (the pass falls) incomplete. When you’re playing against man coverage and put a ball in the air, you just need to trust that the worst thing that can happen is that it’s going to be incomplete. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.”

The Bengals signed K Kaare Vedvik to the practice squad.
Vedvik (6-3, 210), a first-year player out of Marshall University, originally was a college free agent signee of the Baltimore Ravens in 2018. He spent all of last season on Baltimore’s Reserve/Non-Football Injury list, and then was traded to the Minnesota Vikings in August. He was waived by the Vikings at final cuts, and then claimed by the New York Jets. He played in one game with the Jets and converted one PAT, before being waived on Sept. 11.

Bengals Booth Podcast: Dan Hoard and Dave Lapham recap Week 15 game against the New England Patriots with highlights and interviews.
In the latest Bengals Booth Podcast, broadcasters Dan Hoard and Dave Lapham break down the Week 15 game against the New England Patriots with postgame analysis, interviews and highlights.

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady capitalizes on the Bengals' mistakes in Week 15.
Even though for the first 30 minutes or so on Sunday it looked like Tom Brady was going to be the goat. And then as he patiently chiseled another one of his NFL records with a 62nd December victory, Paul Brown Stadium took on the air of a retirement tour during the fourth quarter of the Patriots’ 34-13 victory over the Bengals.

Bengals WR A.J. Green visits foot specialist, source says
Green, a seven-time Pro Bowl receiver, has not played in a game all season. He tore multiple ligaments in his left ankle during the Bengals' first practice of the preseason and underwent surgery in late July.

Tom Brady meets star-struck Joe Mixon after game, plans to send him a jersey
Brady and Mixon met on the field after the Patriots' 34-13 victory against the Bengals on Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium, and later Mixon tweeted about how he regretted not asking Brady for the jersey.

2020 NFL Draft order: Bengals look destined for No. 1 but plenty to decide between Giants, Redskins, Dolphins
It's looked like an inevitability for weeks, and after giving the Patriots a scare in the first half before getting blown out after halftime, the Bengals have all but locked up the No. 1 spot in the 2020 NFL Draft. While Cincinnati's strength of schedule almost ensures they'd pick behind any team that has the same record, a two-game buffer between them and the team that's picking second means the Bengals need to lose just one of their final two games in the 2019 season to lock up the No. 1 pick, which would presumably be used on LSU quarterback Joe Burrow.

Zac Taylor: Bengals WRs 'got bullied' by Patriots
"Three of them were against man-to-man coverage, one-on-ones," Taylor said, via ESPN. "And we got bullied. We did. Guys could go compete, knock the ball down, go get a one-on-one [ball]."

NFL Week 15: Bengals season ‘definitely frustrating’ after another loss
“This season’s definitely frustrating. It’ not how we envisioned this thing happening,” Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton, who tied a career-high with four interceptions on Sunday, said. “I have never been a part of anything like this. You just have to stay the course. We have to find a way to dig ourselves out the hole we are in. We got two games left. We have to make the most of these two games. Do everything we can to win these two games.”

Around the league

Drew Brees passes Peyton for most career TD passes
The quarterback's first TD pass of the evening, a 15-yard toss to Michael Thomas (who else?), came on New Orleans' second drive of the game with 12:43 left in the second quarter. Brees' second -- a 21-yard strike to Tre'Quan Smith -- came six minutes later, tying him with Manning.

Chris Godwin (hamstring) likely done playing in 2019
Seven days after coming to terms with the severity of Mike Evans' season-ending hamstring injury, they're facing the possibility of losing his stellar running mate, Chris Godwin, to the same injury. NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Godwin's hamstring issue leaves his availability to play again in 2019 in doubt, pending a Tuesday MRI, per a source informed of the situation.

NFLPA wins grievance against Jags' offseason rehab
The Jacksonville Jaguars' requirement for injured players to rehab and see doctors at the team facility during the offseason drew the ire of the players' union, which filed a grievance to combat such a practice started in 2017. The NFLPA informed its players that an arbitrator ruled in the union's favor, per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, who obtained the full text of the email:

Chiefs claim veteran LB Terrell Suggs off waivers
Suggs, 37, was released by the Cards last Friday, nine months to the day after signing a one-year, $7 million contract with Arizona. In his 13 games playing under coach Kliff Kingsbury, Suggs recorded 37 tackles, 5.5 sacks and four forced fumbles, a far cry from the type of production he had as a powerful defensive force on the Ravens for the first 16 years of his career.