Bengals News (1/18): Cornerback Allan George makes a class’ day

It's Back: Zac Taylor's Playoff Game Ball Delivery to Bengals Bars
Head Coach Zac Taylor's night was just getting started after the Bengals won 24-17 over the Ravens during the Wild Card Round of the 2022 Playoffs. Honoring a tradition that he started last year, Coach Taylor gave out a game ball to a local Cincinnati bar after the game. Joining in on the fun, multiple Bengals players delivered game balls to other bars across the city of Cincinnati. Check out the locations that received playoff game balls in 2023.

Paycor Stadium Sets Wi-Fi Record During Bengals Playoff Game
Wi-Fi data consumption at Paycor Stadium reached new heights during Sunday's playoff game as fans connected to the state-of-the art network in record numbers. The Wi-Fi network processed data at a higher rate than the Super Bowl as traffic soared to 22.3Gbps. The previous high for an NFL game was 20.7Gbps recorded at Super Bowl LVI.

Bengals Quick Hits: Why Zac Taylor Texted Germaine Pratt
When Taylor reviewed defensive end Sam Hubbard's epic tie-breaking 98-yard fumble return in the fourth quarter, he noticed how linebacker Germaine Pratt stood up Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley on the botched quarterback sneak from the 1. That gave middle linebacker Logan Wilson a better shot at punching out the ball and Taylor texted Pratt his appreciation.

Bengals owner wants long career for QB Joe Burrow in Cincy
In a pregame interview that aired on the team's radio broadcast Sunday, Brown echoed Burrow's recent comments about the window for a potential Super Bowl run lasting his whole career, exceeding the span of his team-friendly rookie contract. Brown also referenced the balance of Burrow's impending payday with the ability to sign other top players.

Cincinnati Bengals Owner Mike Brown Reacts to Joe Burrow's Championship Window Comment
"He's gonna have a long career. We certainly want it to be here," Brown said on the Bengals Booth Podcast. "I think his window will extend over his whole career. But there is the fact that when you don't have to pay the quarterback some extraordinary amount, that that leaves room to pay other players more and therefore you can keep more players that are good players. That's what people are referring to there. But (Patrick) Mahomes and others of that like—they seem to make it go, even after they have gotten their pay day."

Joe Burrow makes Andrew Whitworth's kids' day with signed jerseys
"We're rooting for Joe Burrow every day except for the day we play him. He's so rad, he's so good," Whitworth's wife, Melissa, said in an interview with WCPO before the Super Bowl. "(And) we love the fan base. We love the people of Cincinnati."

Bengals coach Zac Taylor on the offensive line, Sunday reactions and more: Transcript
“I thought he did a nice job. Especially being thrust into there. He’s got to practice both sides during the week. He’s practiced a lot of guard this year as well. So I thought given the opportunity he had against a tough defensive line, I thought he handled it really well.”

Cincinnati Bengals Linebacker Logan Wilson Part Of NFL Network's 'Angry Round'
CINCINNATI — Logan Wilson got a shoutout in the tweaked version of NFL Network's angry runs. The linebacker tapped into his blocking skills and laid down a massive pancake on Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum this past weekend.

Buffalo Bills Micah Hyde will not play vs. Bengals in Divisional round
Over the past few weeks, Hyde had been spotted doing light workouts on the side of practice which fueled speculation that he could return in the playoffs.

'They gotta play us': Meet the Bengals coach who coined this season's catch phrase
Mark Duffner's official role with the Bengals is Senior Defensive Assistant but his unofficial title is the man of many catchphrases.

Bengals rookie goes extra mile for kids at Northern Kentucky primary school
Rookie cornerback Allan George, a Vanderbuilt alumnus, met a family at the Newport Target on last Wednesday. Sometime later, he sent a tweet that went viral locally asking the Greater Cincinnati community to help him track the family down.

Around the league

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers: 'I think I can win MVP again in the right situation'
"Look, I think you have a feeling where you are leaning, but there's a lot of things that come into play," he said. "I think just some on my side, it's the physical part, it's the emotional part, it's the spiritual part. It's the ability to go back out there and give it one hundred percent. It's also the situation and where the team is at and the focus moving forward, short term, long term. Then it comes down to intuition and what it feels like in your body and what it feels like in your mind. Once you commit, then you commit. You move forward, whatever the decision is, so you know, I just need some time right now. I don't need to ask anybody to respect my time or whatever. That's going to be the answer until I'm ready, and when I'm ready to give my opinion like I was last year, I'm either all in or I'm out."

Buccaneers HC Todd Bowles on future of OC Byron Leftwich: 'There hasn't been any decision'
"I will meet with the staff at the end of the week, and we'll talk about everything then," Bowles said in his season-ending news conference, per team transcript. "I don't want to sit here and say we are talking about things when I haven't even talked over things with my coaches. We do our yearly assessment just like we do with the players."

Offensive Player Rankings: Offensive All-Rookie Team for the 2022 NFL season
Brock Purdy's remarkable rookie season rolls on, with the quarterback set to lead the 49ers in the Divisional Round of the playoffs Sunday -- but he's not the only first-year pro who shined on offense this season. After scanning the outstanding debut efforts from the regular season, I present my Offensive All-Rookie Team of 2022. And be sure to check out Kevin Patra's Defensive All-Rookie Team.

The First Read, NFL Divisional Round: Biggest immediate question for advancing and eliminated playoff teams
Super Wild Card Weekend is in the books, and the major takeaway is familiarity didn't breed much change. The San Francisco 49ers got their third win of the season over the Seattle Seahawks. Buffalo secured its second straight win over Miami (in a much more suspenseful game than most imagined) while Cincinnati did the same thing against its division rivals, the Baltimore Ravens. The Cowboys reversed the outcome of their Week 1 loss to the Bucs, but Dallas' dominant win was roughly in line with where those teams stood at the end of the regular season. There was plenty of drama to be had as well, with Jacksonville overcoming a 27-0 deficit versus the Chargers and the Giants finding their own measure of revenge in a rematch with the Vikings.