Bengals News (9/19): Looking closer at Andy Dalton’s start

What They Are Saying: Taylor, Dalton Preview Week 3 At Buffalo
“Our guys are excited to get to work for Buffalo. They (the Bills) have grinded out two really good wins. It’s a disciplined football team that has managed to do whatever it takes to get those two wins to get to 2-0. I know they’re going to be excited to play at home. I’ve been there for opening day before — it’s a pretty wild place. Guys need to be dialed in and ready. It will be very similar to what we dealt with in Seattle in terms of noise. It’s a good fan base that’s fired up for football. It’ll be a good challenge for our guys. (I was) probably a little premature (in ruling out) Michael Jordan (G). It didn’t look as serious as we initially thought. We’ll see how it goes.”

Week 3 Gallery: Wednesday Practice
A picture perfect day in Cincinnati for a practice. View some of the top images from Wednesday's practice at Paul Brown Stadium.

Joltin' Joe's Latest Hit: Put It On Me
You’ve got to remember, after two games last season Joe Mixon already had a 27-yard run, a 21-yard run, a 13-yard run and an 11-yard run on his way to the Bengals’ first AFC rushing championship. You’ve also got to remember that he carried it 17 times in one game and 21 times in the other for 179 yards, which would put him fifth in the league.

Quick Hits: Mixon: 'I've Been Terrible'; Price to LG if Jordan out
With their running game ranked last in the NFL, Bengals running back Joe Mixon, the AFC’s defending rushing champion, called out himself before Wednesday’s practice.

Taylor-Made Takes: “That’s not the team that we are”
We did. I don’t think that confidence ever wavered. That’s not the way we anticipated it. But that’s not the team that we are and we are looking to rebound this week.

What numbers say about Andy Dalton's uneven start under Zac Taylor
That includes determining where veteran quarterback Andy Dalton fits into the long-term vision of new coach Zac Taylor. And that is still a work in progress after a mixed start to the season.

Optimism high for 2-0 Bills, who face 0-2 Bengals
"Well, we understand the energy of the stadium is going to be really high on Sunday," Bills quarterback Josh Allen told reporters. "We have to be able to kind of weather that and understand and play within ourselves. Coach (Sean McDermott) told us it's not where we play, it's how we play. We're going to take that to heart."

Which 0-2 teams can make NFL playoffs? Steelers, Broncos and Bengals lead questionable list
Two weeks of the NFL season are officially in the books, which means there are, naturally, several 0-2 teams lingering around the NFL. These teams are not the most fun teams in the league to talk about -- being winless will do that to you -- but NFL teams are also very much capable of sprinting back from the early depths of the standings to secure a playoff berth.

Bengals looking to fix ‘Day 1 things’ after Week 2 collapse
Anarumo touched on this with Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com: “Well, if we just pin the hip, it’s a (tackle for loss). Instead it goes for 30-something yards, which is ridiculous. It’s just the fundamentals of the things that we all did right a week ago, but we did none of that this week…I mean that goes back to April.”

Around the league

Cowboys waive former first-round pick Taco Charlton
Charlton's cut comes after Dallas opened the door for trade talks for the 24-year-old edge rusher. With veteran defensive end Robert Quinn returning from suspension and no bidders on the trade market for Taco's services, the Cowboys have opted to waive Charlton.

What to watch for in Titans-Jaguars on 'TNF'
On Thursday evening, Ramsey will don a Jaguars uniform and play for the team that drafted him fifth overall in 2016, perhaps for the last time. Jacksonville's star corner, the face (and voice) of their franchise, the defining personality of the Sacksonville defense, asked for a trade following the Jags' Week 2 loss in Houston during which he got into a sideline spat with coach Doug Marrone. The two have since insisted the exchange is water under the Dames Point Bridge and that the fight is behind them, but even if Ramsey plays on Thursday, as is expected, his career in Duval could soon be behind him as well; if Ramsey is to be traded, it is expected to happen on Friday, according to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport.

Browns tight end David Njoku out with broken wrist
The third-year tight end suffered the injury in the first half of Cleveland's Week 2 win and exited without a reception. He caught four passes in the season opener, including a touchdown. Njoku, who is also in the league's concussion protocol, has been backed up by veteran Demetrius Harris, as well as Pharaoh Brown and Ricky Seals-Jones.

Colts waive QB Chad Kelly after return from suspension
Kelly joined Indy in May as a potential third-string quarterback behind Andrew Luck and Jacoby Brissett. But when Luck retired and Brissett was elevated to the starter position, Indy signed journeyman Brian Hoyer to fulfill backup duties while Kelly was suspended. With Hoyer signed to a three-year deal, there was no future on the active roster for Kelly upon his return, and so the former Mr. Irrelevant is hitting the waiver wire again.

Drew Brees won't be placed on IR following surgery
Teddy Bridgewater took over for Brees Sunday. After a lackluster performance from Bridgewater with no prep-work, the Saints need more out of the QB if they're to keep afloat sans Brees. Do-it-all quarterback/receiver/runner/return man Taysom Hill is an option Payton could turn to if he believes the man he's previously compared to Steve Young is the best choice under center.