Bengals News (9/20): Earning trust

Bengals Notes: Joe Burrow, D.J. Reader, Ted Karras, Brian Callahan
"We know what we have in this locker room. We know what we did last year,' said Reader Monday after the Bengals' brief team meeting sent them into Tuesday's off day. "We know we lost those two games by what? A total of six points? Both on a kick on the last play. It's not like we're not there yet."

What’s wrong with Bengals’ disjointed offense? Depends on who you ask: Dehner Jr.
Life with Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd and Ja’Marr Chase shouldn’t involve frustration on a day no pass is attempted longer than 25 yards and no play gains more than 19.

New-look Cincinnati Bengals offensive line says earning trust of Joe Burrow key as sacks, losses pile up
"That's our biggest goal here moving forward -- helping our guy have confidence in us, earning his trust," Karras said Monday. "I feel like it's something we haven't done yet."

Zac Taylor frustrated by Bengals' pass protection: 'I think we've given up too many sacks, absolutely'
The Cincinnati Bengals spent the offseason upgrading the offensive line after Joe Burrow got banged around last season. Through two weeks, it's been more of the same. Burrow was sacked six times in Sunday's 20-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, taking his total to 13 to open the 2022 campaign.

NFL Power Rankings: The 0-2 Bengals look like a Super Bowl hangover victim
The Bengals are off to a rough start to this season. They're the first team in the Super Bowl era to start 0-2 despite being favored by at least seven points in each of their first two games. The losses came to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys, who were quarterbacked by Mitchell Trubisky and Cooper Rush. The Bengals offense, which is loaded with talent, turned it over five times in Week 1 and managed one touchdown in Week 2.

Joe Flacco to Start at Quarterback for the Jets Week 3 vs. Bengals
It comes as no surprise, but Joe Flacco will remain in the starting lineup for the Jets Week 3 as they take on the defending AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals. Connor Hughes of SNY broke the story.

Bengals will need to overcome history after 0-2 start
The Cincinnati Bengals are off to an 0-2 start to the season after last year’s Super Bowl run and history strongly suggests there won’t be a repeat performance in 2022.

Around the league

2022 NFL season, Week 2: What We Learned from Bills, Eagles wins on Monday night
Perhaps our offseason showers of love for the Bills weren't enough. Buffalo looks like the best team in the NFL through two weeks, pulling away from the Rams to open the season and obliterating the Titans on the Monday night stage. It starts with Josh Allen, and on Monday night, it ended -- 12 times -- with Stefon Diggs. The dynamic duo is back in full force in 2022, with Allen hitting Diggs a dozen times for 148 yards and three touchdowns. No matter what Tennessee did, Allen kept finding his favorite target, but he was far from the only major player in this one.

Buccaneers signing WR Cole Beasley to practice squad, expected to elevate him to active roster
NFL Network Insider Mike Garafolo reported Tuesday morning that the Bucs are signing wideout Cole Beasley to the practice squad with the expectation that he'll be elevated to the active roster soon, per a source informed of the situation.

Eagles HC Nick Sirianni on Jalen Hurts' 'big-time performance': 'He's going to reach his ceiling'
Hurts went 26-of-31 passing -- an 83.9 completion rate -- for 333 yards with a TD and added 11 carries for 57 rushing yards and two more scores. He became the first player in NFL History to have an 80-plus completion percentage, 300-plus pass yards and two rush TDs in a single game, per NFL Research.

The First Read, Week 3: 49ers well-positioned in topsy-turvy NFC with Jimmy Garoppolo back at QB
If there is a silver lining in watching your young franchise quarterback carted off the field with a season-ending ankle injury, the San Francisco 49ers have it in backup Jimmy Garoppolo. There shouldn't be optimism around that franchise because of some morose thought that Trey Lance's exit on Sunday created an opportunity for the more experienced player to take the field again. There should be hope because the NFC is a mess right now. That seasoned quarterback play the 49ers are about to receive should be more than enough to vault them into an advantageous position.