Bengals News (9/25): Looking on the bright side

Here’s the silver lining for Cincinnati Bengals after rough Week 3 loss to Buffalo Bills
At the conclusion of Sunday’s slate of games, every team in the AFC North had suffered a similar fate. The Baltimore Ravens lost a thriller to the Kansas City Chiefs, the Pittsburgh Steelers are trying to find themselves in the wake of Ben Roethlisberger’s season-ending elbow injury and the Cleveland Browns took a loss at home to the Los Angeles Rams.

Hobson's Choice: Steeler Week Opens
I hear you, though. They’ve lost ten of their last 11 with two different coaches and schemes and you want to re-build. But my sense is they feel like they already opted for a type of re-building this past offseason when they undertook their biggest coaching staff overhaul ever. You’d have to call that a re-set with new offensive and defensive playbooks. And it’s not like they’re an old team. According to the NFL, two 3-0 AFC teams (Buffalo and New England) and their own division leader (Baltimore) began the season with more players 30 years old than the Bengals with the Pats at 13, the Bills at 10, the Ravens at nine and the Bengals at eight. In a league where the average age was 26 on Opening Day, the Bengals were at 25.96.

Bengals Make Practice Squad Moves
Mabin (6-2, 200), a third-year player out of the University of Iowa, originally was a college free agent signee of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2017. He has also spent time with the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers. Mabin has played in 20 career games (one start), and has 18 tackles, a pass defensed and a forced fumble.

Game Preview: Week 4 Bengals at Steelers
Last week, the Bengals lost in nail-biting fashion to the Buffalo Bills, 21-17. After falling behind 14-0 at halftime, Cincinnati staged a second-half rally that saw them take a 17-14 lead with less than five minutes remaining. But the Bills put together a seven-play, 78-yard touchdown drive to regain the lead, and a last-minute Bengals drive ended with an interception deep in Buffalo territory, sealing Cincinnati’s fate.

What to expect from Monday night’s dueling 0-3 Steelers-Bengals matchup
Things have gotten off to a rotten start for the Bengals, just like they have for the Steelers — an 0-3 record to start the year is usually a death sentence for any team’s playoff chances.

Andy Dalton ranks 22nd in new QB rankings at PFF
It is a well-known fact Dalton is playing behind a hobbled, oftentimes ineffective offensive line. He is also going at it without star wideout A.J. Green and has started his season with two road games.

Around the league

Steelers acquiring Nick Vannett from Seahawks
A fourth-year player in the final season of his rookie deal, Vannett has caught four passes on five targets for 38 yards in three games this season. He led all Seahawks tight ends in receiving yards and receptions last season, but with the return of Will Dissly from injury, Vannett became expendable in the Emerald City.

Aaron Rodgers: Packers' offense must 'do our part'
For the first time since 2015, the Green Bay Packers are 3-0. Their defense, long the organization's Achilles' heel, is second in scoring (11.7 PPG) and leads the league in takeaways (8). In an NFC North that through three weeks includes zero teams under .500, Green Bay is alone at the top.

Jay Gruden not concerned with job security in D.C.
New York has to be a welcome sight after what Gruden and the Redskins have seen thus far. All three of their opponents -- Eagles, Cowboys, Bears -- were playoff teams last year, two were division winners, and their combined record in 2019 is 6-3. The Giants are 1-2, after eking out a win this past Sunday against the 1-2 Buccaneers.

McVay: I have to do a 'better job' of using Todd Gurley
After three weeks of action, it's clear that Todd Gurley's workload has been lessened. Given the prevailing questions over his decrease in production late last season, and what relation that had to his health, it would make sense if the Rams are preserving Gurley for the latter part of the season. After all, no running back in the NFL has more touches over the past four-plus years.

Cam Newton believed to be dealing with Lisfranc injury
"What Cam needs right now is time and rest for his foot," coach Ron Rivera said in a statement Monday. "We want him at 100 percent when he's ready, so there's no exact timetable for his return. At this point, we're going to go forward with Kyle (Allen) as our starter."