Bengals News (12/3): Odds Zac Taylor gets fired

Matchup Of The Game: Bengals Looking For Another Kick Against NFL's Top Special Teams
Darrin Simmons, the superstitious long-time coordinator who broke the Bengals special teams hex while making them one of the most consistent kicking games in the NFL's 21st century, is doing more than knocking on wood this week.

Quick Hits: Xavier Su’a-Flio activated to the roster.
He started Opening Day, broke his ankle, and three other guys have started at right guard since. With Alex Redmond not practicing Wednesday with a concussion and Quinton Spain starting the last game at left guard, here's the refresher on Su-a'-Filo:

Taylor Made Takes: Zac Taylor gives an update on Joe Mixon and discusses the challenges of coaching virtually
It is different, but we've had so many guys out with COVID and close contacts that we've had to do it virtually anyway. So really the biggest change is I'm sitting in my home office instead of my work office. We can't meet in the offices anyway with more than one person, so we just can't use it as a distraction and we have to find a way to get our work done.

Bengals place WR Auden Tate on the Reserve/Injured list, activated G Xavie Su'a-Filo to the active roster
Activated G Xavier Su'a-Filo to the roster from the Reserve/Injured list. Su'a-Filo had been placed on Reserve/Injured on Sept. 15, after suffering an ankle injury in the season-opener vs. the L.A. Chargers. He had returned to practice for the Bengals on Nov. 11, when the team designated him for return from Reserve/Injured.

Cincinnati Bengals playoffs: Is lack of winning owner's fault?
As a career, leadership or life coach, I help clients break through what has them feeling stuck. As a sports fan coach, I do the same — including the stress you can’t get past, long after the game ends.

Cincinnati Bengals: 5 reasons they haven’t fired Zac Taylor
The big exception, of course, is longtime Bengals coach Darrin Simmons. He’s the assistant coach and would get the gig. But at this stage, what good would that do? Simmons is a Marvin Lewis carryover and would run things in that manner — something everyone has seen enough of as is.

Cincinnati Bengals Position Groups to Watch Over the Final Five Games
The Bengals' starting offensive line has been an open mic night with different characters getting the call on a weekly basis. They haven't started the same five linemen in back-to-back games since their loss to the Browns in week seven.

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor happy talk needs wins
Most of the players on this rebuilding team, members of this infant civilization, were here when Taylor arrived. They were part of the ruined nation he says he inherited. Would Team II of the Taylor Years be better without Gio, Hopkins, Boyd, Mixon, AJ, Jackson III, Shawn Williams, Atkins, Huber, Lawson and so on?

Miami Dolphins Cincinnati Bengals Preview Week 13 NFL 2020
The Dolphins and Bengals return to the scene of last December's epic overtime shootout for a rematch between Brian Flores' Dolphins and Zac Taylor's Bengals. Both head coaches are in their second season and have either matched or surpassed the win totals from their rookie campaigns.

Odds About Zac Taylor's Future with the Cincinnati Bengals Have Been Released
"Often times this thing has come down to one play and we gotta find that way to make that one play at the end of the game. We just haven’t done it yet," Taylor said on Monday. "We keep doing everything that we believe in and keep making progress. I know there’s a day where we’re gonna bust down this wall and there’s gonna be some great times ahead. I know that. Right now it’s very difficult sometimes when you deal with these losses, but I also know what our future holds for us. We gotta keep working towards that. These two years that we’ve endured will serve us incredibly well in the future when we’ll win a lot of football games, [when] we’re playing for championships, these will be times that we look back and reflect on as almost necessary for where we end up being.”

Five free agents the Bengals should already plan on targeting
After an eventful free agency period a season ago, the 2020 campaign has proven the Cincinnati Bengals will need a similar influx of talent to continue closing the gap between themselves and the top of the AFC North. As things stand, Spotrac estimates the club will have roughly $42M to spend on the open market, good for the sixth-most in the league.

Around the league

NFL Power Rankings, Week 13: Titans re-enter top 10, Raiders drop out
As for you, angry Steelers fans: It's entirely possible that we'll reach a point where I can no longer deny Pittsburgh its rightful spot atop the Power Rankings. We're not there yet, however. Not in the wake of a sloppy Week 12 performance coming days after Patrick Mahomes accounts for nearly 500 yards of offense in another Chiefs win.

Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill, Vikings QB Kirk Cousins among Players of the Week
Across conferences, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins was recognized as NFC Offensive Player of the Week. In the Vikings' nailbiting 28-27 victory over the Carolina Panthers, Cousins posted huge numbers and a clutch performance. Cousins completed 34 of 45 passes (75.6%) for 307 yards and three touchdowns with a 115.7 rating.

Short-handed Ravens show resolve in defeat to undefeated Steelers
Based on Stephon Tuitt's pre-game tweet, the Pittsburgh Steelers expected to flatten a Baltimore Ravens squad missing a boatload of players, including its MVP quarterback, top two running backs, No. 1 tight end, several high-caliber linemen on both sides of the ball, as well as many depth players. Instead, Baltimore created a dogfight.

Deshaun Watson: 'Very important' Texans re-sign Will Fuller following suspension
Will Fuller's season is preemptively over after a six-game suspension for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhanced substances. The Houston Texans receiver was on the final year of his rookie contract and could have played his final down with the club.