Bengals News (10/21): Other teams looking in

CIncinnati Bengals host the Cleveland Browns | Sunday, October 25, 2020
Cincinnati got off to a blistering start against the Colts, who entered the game with the NFL's top-ranked defense. But the Bengals scored TDs on their first three possessions, including HB Joe Mixon's seven-yard TD run on the first play of the second quarter that gave them a 21-0 advantage.

Bengals Notebook: Tee Higgins breaks out for his first career 100-yard game.
Thanks to the deadly combo block punch of Bengals manager of media relations Pete Schramm and the Elias Sports Bureau, we now know that Higgins' outing is the first 125-yard effort by a Bengals rookie receiver since Jordan Shipley had 131 on six catches during a 2010 loss in Atlanta. That was in a game Shipley teamed with veteran Chad Johnson's 10-catch day for 108 yards.

John Ross reportedly requests trade: Seven logical landing spots for Bengals' wide receiver
Three years ago, John Ross broke Chris Johnson's NFL Combine record by running the 40-yard dash in 4.22 seconds. But after a mostly unceremonious three-plus seasons in Cincinnati, Ross has asked the Bengals to trade him before the November 3 deadline, according to NFL Network's Mike Garofolo.

Zac Taylor's Lack of Communication Appears to be Root of Bengals' Problems
"Communication, character — those are two things that this thing will be built on," Taylor said. "The culture drives the program. Everyone runs the same plays, the X's and O's are all the same, but people dress it up a little bit differently. If everyone is playing for each other, then great things are going to happen for us."

4 Reasons the Cleveland Browns will beat the Bengals in Week 7
Cleveland Browns fans are back to a situation they are familiar with. And that is going into a game the team should win really questioning what squad will show up. After four straight wins, the Browns took what felt like fifty steps back in week six getting demolished on the road by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Could Bengals’ defensive tackle Geno Atkins become trade bait?
Atkins, in his prime, was a premier player — but he is now 32, has dealt with injuries and has seen his role reduced on a bad team. If Atkins is unhappy, the Bengals could seek to move him. He probably wouldn’t cost much in terms of trade compensation. He is under contract for two more seasons, so his contract would likely need to be adjusted as part of a trade.

SF 49ers should deal Dante Pettis to Bengals for John Ross
One of the players Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan should consider unloading somehow is third-year wide receiver Dante Pettis, who has gone from a highly touted second-round NFL Draft pick in 2018 to a regular name on the weekly inactive list, which included Super Bowl LIV last February and Weeks 5 and 6 of this season.

Outlining possible John Ross trade partners for Bengals
And while the Bengals aren’t going to get much in return for Ross considering he’s a half-season rental with little proven NFL play, plenty of teams might have an interest in at least throwing a late-round pick in the pot to make something happen.

Bengals lose 31-27 to Colts: Breaking down Joe Burrow's Week 6 game
Through the first six weeks of the NFL season, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is a favorite to win Rookie of the Year, setting rookie records and having the type of season the franchise rarely sees from a rookie quarterback.

Vikings suggested as team who could trade for speedy Bengals receiver
Back in March, the Minnesota Vikings made a gigantic decision to trade Stefon Diggs to the Buffalo Bills. Diggs had developed into one of the NFL’s best receivers during his five years with the Vikings, but the deteriorating relationship between the pass-catcher and Minnesota reached a point where a change needed to be made.

If Bengals move on from Zac Taylor, they must go for a defensive coach
Teams have leaned strongly towards offensive assistants as head coaches in recent years. Taylor’s hire fit that trend. However, league trends should be irrelevant in head coaching searches. The only thing that should matter is getting the right guy for the team at the time.

Around the league

Titans RB Derrick Henry, Falcons QB Matt Ryan lead Players of the Week
Across the way in the NFC, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan grabbed NFC Offensive Player of the Week on the heels of leading his team to its first win of the season, 40-23 over the Minnesota Vikings. Ryan put up huge numbers with 371 yards and four touchdowns. He was the picture of accuracy, completing passes at a 75% rate (30-for-40), throwing no interceptions and tallying a 136.6 rating.

Tomlin: Titans RB Derrick Henry 'like Bud Dupree running the football' but faster
"There are people that are intimidated by him, and there are tangible things to be intimidated by," Tomlin said of Henry, via the Steelers Depot. "This is like Bud Dupree running the football. This guy gets into your secondary, it's like trying to tackle a guy like Bud, except he's faster than Bud. You can see DBs having issues with that. Hopefully, we minimize the amount of time that our guys are in those circumstances, and hopefully, when our guys are in those circumstances, they do what they have to do-they do what the job requires them to do".

Giants coach Joe Judge on Philly homecoming: 'My in-laws are already buying batteries'
"I'll probably buy a helmet too because my in-laws are already buying batteries," Judge quipped, via NJ.com. "To be honest with you, it's not my first time going back to Philly as an opposing coach. It's a great city. It has great, passionate fans. It's an excellent team. It's obviously a great rivalry. I grew up watching these games. They were always tough games, blue-collar type games, when the Eagles and the Giants were playing when I was growing up watching the games. Again, you're so focused on the opponent, the emotion doesn't really get tied into it. We just know we have a heck of a team we have to match up against."

Mike McCarthy on player unhappiness: Need to talk 1-on-1
In the aftermath of an alarming defeat to the Arizona Cardinals on Monday night, Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy faced reports via NFL Network's Jane Slater that his players had expressed unhappiness with the coaching staff, tabbing the coaches as "unprepared" and that they plainly "just aren't good at their jobs."