Morning Bites (10/14): Bengals Beat Bills Edition

Doc: Bengals still working on winning pretty
Wins do not come with style points attached. But for teams with January aspirations, winning pretty matters. The Bengals are working on that.

Zimmer alters game plan at half
At halftime, Mike Zimmer and coaches decided to alter the gameplan. They'd practiced all week to key on the quarterback in the read-option runs, but ditched it because they didn't fear Thad Lewis' running ability as much.

Clutch wins becoming Bengals' identity - Cincinnati Bengals Blog
First, it was the fourth-down fumble. Next came the immaculate interception. Now for the Who Dey Nation, it's all about the pe

Another stand for defense
The Bengals defense and special teams regained their signature composure at the most critical of times Sunday and coolly beat back journeyman quarterback Thad Lewis's bid to spring an upset at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

Nugent makes most of second chance
On Sunday in overtime, not long after missing a 34-yard chip shot that would have built a three-score advantage, Mike Nugent sent the Bengals home from Buffalo with a victory.

Andy Dalton puts on blinders to lead Bengals to victory
Shaped and framed by so many outside factors, it can be difficult for even the most accomplished signal-callers to distinguish fact from fiction and determine their own reality. From friends to family to coaches to teammates to media, a host of influences can raise doubt and cause unnecessary concern.

Dalton point guards Bengals into first
Andy Dalton used his unique brew of resourcefulness and resilience Sunday to lead his offense out of the firestorm of criticism into its most prolific day of the season during the 27-24 overtime victory over the Bills.

Morning Stripes: Cincinnati Bengals back in first solo
Good Monday morning, Cincinnati Bengals fans. Welcome to sole possession of first place in the AFC North. How does it feel? I'd imagine it feels gre

Bills vs. Bengals, NFL Week 6: Bills snap counts for offense, defense
Even though Stephon Gilmore and Jairus Byrd returned to action in Week 6, the Buffalo Bills are assimilating them into Mike Pettine's defense at a measured pace.

Bills-Bengals final score: Buffalo falls to Cincinnati in OT, 27-24
The Buffalo Bills battled back from a 24-10 deficit, but it wasn't enough as they fell in overtime, 27-24, to the Cincinnati Bengals.

Morning Stripes: Cincinnati Bengals back in first solo
Good Monday morning, Cincinnati Bengals fans. Welcome to sole possession of first place in the AFC North. How does it feel? I'd imagine it feels gre

Rapid Reaction: Cincinnati Bengals
A few thoughts on the Cincinnati Bengals' 27-24 overtime win over the Buffalo Bills: What it means: With their overtime win ove

Bengals win in OT on Nugent FG
A 29-yard punt return by Brandon Tate set up the Bengals in great field position at the Buffalo 33 in overtime, leading to Mike Nugent's 43-yard field goal to give the Bengals a 27-24 win Sunday in Buffalo.

Reedy's game ball: Andy Dalton
In Joe Reedy's fifth quarter, he hands the game ball to Andy Dalton and offers his postgame analysis, including his Who-Dey Haiku.

Locker Room Buzz: Cincinnati Bengals - Cincinnati Bengals Blog - ESPN
Observed in the locker room after the Cincinnati Bengals' 27-24 victory against the Buffalo Bills: They'll take it: In Marvin Lewis' eyes, a win is a win. But the Bengals coach admitted just after Mike Nugent's game-winning 43-yard field goal that he wished his team would start claiming its Ws slightly differently.

Bengals overcome flinching for OT win
Marvin Lewis uses the term "flinch" to describe composure. Losing a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter of game against a team with an inexperienced quarterback would seem to qualify as flinching. That would be flinching in a bad way.

Quotes of note: Bengals 27, Bills 24 (OT)
The first happy road locker room of the season made from interesting reflections from the players following the overtime win. Here were a few of the more interesting quotes to come out of the postgame interviews:

Bengals save win in overtime
It took extra football but the Bengals picked up their first win in Buffalo since 1985 after Mike Nugent kicked a game-winning field goal in overtime to defeat the Bills 27-24.

Nugent gets last laugh
Bengals kicker Mike Nugent had plenty of support as he lined up the 43-yarder that won it on the second series of overtime.

Bengals-Bills Postgame Quotes
"It’s a hard-fought win -- one that we have a lot to keep learning and lessons to learn. We have to keep coaching and trying to understand situations. Obviously we’ve got an opportunity to put the game out of reach and we kind of failed to capitalize on that. And then defensively, we gave up the big plays there; two big plays, we’ve got a fourth chance to stop them on fourth down and we don’t. So just a lot of things to coach off of and get better with, and a lot of positives. We knew it was going to be a grind, these next five weeks, and now we’re one down and four to go."

NFL Sunday’s 10 most attention-getting performances
Good or bad, these players and coaches had a huge role in Week 6.

Bob Costas boils it down for America: Redskins’ name ‘an insult, a slur’
During halftime of the Sunday Night Football game between the Washington Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys, NBC announcer Bob Costas took the microphone and delivered a talk on how he believes the Redskins’ name is an "insult" and a "slur."

NFLPA says Schiano is Freeman leak, wants him questioned
The NFL Players Association wants the league to participate in a joint investigation that would allow union officials to question the man they believe is behind a breach of quarterback Josh Freeman's

NFL - John Clayton's Last Call, Week 6
Visiting teams set a dominant tone early, writes John Clayton. Plus, second-guessing coaches, the Jets' predictable loss and more.

Randall Cobb and James Jones of Green Bay Packers suffer leg injuries against Baltimore Ravens
The Green Bay Packers lost Randall Cobb and James Jones -- two of their top three receivers -- in the first half of Sunday's 19-17 victory over the Baltimore Ravens.

Ryan Fitzpatrick, Chris Johnson simply not producing - ESPN
The Tennessee Titans were feeling great about themselves halfway through their Sept. 29 win over the Jets. When quarterback Jake Locker got hurt in the third quarter, knocked out with hip and knee injuries, they knew things were going to change.

'Meltdown' leaves questions, few answers - Houston Texans Blog
HOUSTON -- One word hung in the air in the Houston Texans' locker room and persisted for a lack of response. Why? Why is this team that began the season with Super Bowl aspirations struggling like it is?

Sorting the Sunday Pile: Despite heroics, Tom Brady still not sharp
Sorting the Sunday Pile looks at all the biggest stories from the week that was in the NFL.

Fantasy Football - Instant reactions from Week 6
Arizona's Andre Ellington will likely be a hot property on waiver wires this week. Our Jamey Eisenberg touches on that and other things that stood out to him in Week 6.

Vince Young tweets he's 'READY' if Texans need him - CBSSports.com
The quarterback situation in Houston is dire. Matt Schaub is hurt and hated. T.J. Yates is a poor man's Matt Schaub. But is the situation bad enough for the Texans to bring in someone like Vince Young? Vince Young certainly wants you to know that Vince Young is in shape and Vince Young is willing to help out Houston.

Mike Pereira breaks down NFL Week 6 calls in real time
Randall Cobb went down with an injury with under a minute left in the first half. Why wasnt time taken off the clock? Heres an explanation. Mike Pereira breaks down NFL Week 6 calls in real time

5 up, 5 down for Sunday
This is no commentary on performance, just about bad luck. Thad Lewis, who was elevated from the practice squad to starting this week, became the third Buffalo quarterback to get hurt since the start of training camp. He joined Kevin Kolb and E.J. Manuel. Right now, quarterbacks have roughly the same survival rate as people who barrel over Niagara Falls.

Winners and Losers from Steelers 19-6 win over the New York Jets in Week 6
A big performance from the Steelers defense doesn't quite overshadow a few great offensive performances in the team's first win this season.

The Steelers 19-6 win over New York was a good ol' fashioned Cowher "blow out"
With former head coach Bill Cowher calling the action from the CBS booth, the Steelers notched their first victory of the season with tough, physical play reminiscent of Cowher's time on the sidelines in Pittsburgh.

Baltimore Ravens Continue to Struggle Running the Ball
The Baltimore Ravens have always prided themselves on winning football games by running the ball and playing great defense. The Ravens achieved half of that against the Packers on Sunday,...

No Miracle Today, Ravens Fall to Packers 19-17 - Baltimore Beat Down
"Ugh" is an adjective now. Who knew?!

Texans rip fans who cheered Schaub injury | National Football Post
When he was injured, a portion of the Houston Texans faithful at Reliant Stadium cheered, much to the chagrin of Texans' players. Receiver Andre Johnson had some of the strongest words in support of Schaub and against the fans who cheered his injury.

Houston Texans, other 2012 playoff teams struggle in Week 6
FOXBORO, Mass. -- Musings, observations and the occasional insight from a Week 6 highlighted by an amazing Patriots comeback win (see my separate story here) and chock full of some pretty dreadful football elsewhere, at least in Sunday's eight early games. (You saw it. Am I wrong?) ...