September 13th, 2018 
Matt Loede 
Posted in 
NFL Playbook previews the Week 2 game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Cincinnati Bengals.
Bengals Road to the Top of the AFC North Off to a Good Start; But Won’t Be Easy
Things got off to a good start for the Bengals as they took care of business in the first week of the NFL season Sunday in Indianapolis, topping the Colts 34-23.
Right away things will get harder for the Cats in week two, as the team will have a short week and a Thursday night game at home against the Ravens, who were runaway winners in week one at home against the Bills.
When you look at American Football Betting and the week two game between the Bengals and Ravens, right now Vegas has the Bengals sitting as a Pick’em with Baltimore, an interesting line for two teams that are looking up to try and top the Steelers who come into 2018 as the defending AFC North Champs.
People right away think that beating the Ravens is a big game, and make no mistake it is, but then the Bengals will get some rest before yet another big game the following Sunday as they will head to Carolina to take on Cam Newton and the Panthers, who played great on defense Sunday in a 16-8 win over the Dallas Cowboys to start the season.
A week later the team will head to take on Matt Ryan and the Falcons in Atlanta, two huge road games against two good NFC South teams, the division out of the NFC the Bengals as well as the rest of the AFC North will take on in 2018.
Sunday, October 14th the Bengals are at home for the Steelers, a game the team pretty much has to win in order to make a statement in the division.
It’s been awhile since they have beaten the Steelers at home, and last season they had a lead on a game on Monday night, but it was yet another comeback for Pittsburgh, as the Steelers rallied and did enough for a win.
November 18th and 25th, back to back games, the Bengals will take on the Ravens on the road and the Cleveland Browns at home, two games that also will go a long way in seeing how good this team can be.
With the way the AFC North usually shapes up, the team has to go no less than 4-2 in their six division games, and with a season ending game at Pittsburgh, it’s not going to be easy for the Cats to win the North, but a fast start and big wins in the division will give them the best chance in getting the job done.
Bengals vs Colts Wednesday Injury Report
| CINCINNATI BENGALS | ||
| Practice Report | ||
| DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE | ||
| Wednesday | WR Cody Core (back) | |
| LIMITED PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE | ||
| Wednesday | S Clayton Fejedelem (calf), T Cordy Glenn (shoulder), CB Tony McRae (ankle) | |
| FULL PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE | ||
| Wednesday | TE Tyler Eifert (back), LB Vincent Rey (ankle), TE Mason Schreck (toe) | |
| INDIANAPOLIS COLTS | ||
| Practice Report | ||
| DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE | ||
| Wednesday | T Denzelle Good (knee, wrist), RB Marlon Mack (hamstring) | |
| LIMITED PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE | ||
| Wednesday | T Anthony Castonzo (hamstring), CB Nate Hairston (hamstring), LB Darius Leonard (ankle, chest), LB Anthony Walker (groin) | |
Geno Atkins Saying Ending His Career with the Bengals is Important
Bengals defensive tackle Geno Atkins has never hit the open market, but he plans to keep it that way, Katherine Terrell of ESPN reports.
Atkins, 30, signed a four-year contract extension on Tuesday that could keep him in Cincinnati into retirement if he doesn’t play past age 34. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the $16.3 million yearly average is the highest given to a non-quarterback who is 30 or older.
“They were the team that drafted me. I love it here. I love the city. I love the organization,” Atkins said. “It’s something to cement my legacy here, and I think that’s important to finish where I started. We’ve got unfinished business, this whole team, and me and ‘Los are trying to bring a Super Bowl to Cincinnati.”
Atkins, who rarely does interviews, hasn’t discussed his contract publicly prior to this week, only to say it shows the franchise “takes care of its own.”
“I mean honestly, you do it the right away, show up, go to OTAs, training camp, do all the stuff. Don’t make big hoopla or talk to the media about it,” he said of his approach.
Atkins, with 61 career sacks, is second behind only defensive end Carlos Dunlap in all-time sacks for the Bengals. Dunlap, who has 64.5 career sacks, received a three-year, $45 million extension on Tuesday.
Atkins said the entire process has been “business as usual,” although he feels it’s important to finish his career in Cincinnati, whenever that may be.
Bengals Releasing Long Time Safety George Iloka
The Bengals are getting rid of one of their long time players, as Ian Rapoport is reporting that the team is getting rid of safety George Iloka, who has been a starter for the last four seasons.
Here’s the tweet on the impending roster move.
A stunner: The #Bengals are releasing starting safety George Iloka, per @MikeGarafolo and me. He’s started every game he’s played in since 2013. Purely a financial decision, but a 28-year-old safety hitting the market at this point is good news for interested teams.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 19, 2018
Bengals WR John Ross Ranked Last in Terms of Best 2nd WR Options in the NFL
While the Bengals offense is a work in progress as the 2018 season gets closer, one player who is getting no love is that of wide receiver John Ross.
Website NumberFire.com says that Ross, who was the teams’ 9th overall pick last season, is dead last when it comes to ranking teams’ second wide outs in the NFL.
Here’s what they had to say about Ross.
John Ross was a highly-coveted player in 2017 as the ninth overall pick by the Cincinnati Bengals. However, lingering injuries and an early fumble put him in coach Marvin Lewis’ doghouse. He caught zero passes and had one rush for 12 yards. That’s it! While Ross maintains a strong upside profile given his draft equity, he falls on a very damning list of first-round wide receivers to see fewer than 50 targets in Year 1. If he could overcome injuries, role confusion, and a mediocre-looking offense, it would be a major surprise.
An Early Guess At Who the Bengals 2018 MVP Will Be
The Bengals have a season starting in less than 100 days, and with a long training camp and season upcoming, there’s plenty of chatter as to what player might shines better than the rest as the teams Most Valuable Player.
An article out on NFL.com talks about just what player they think will be the MVP for not only the Bengals, but for each team around the National Football League for 2018.
The Bengals MVP – author Dan Hanzus is going with wide out AJ Green, a very good player that he sees having a big year in Cincy this upcoming season.
Here’s what Hanzus has to say about Green this season:
Green is an excellent bounce-back candidate coming off a disappointing-by-his-standards 75/1,078/8 line in 2017. The Bengals could have done more to add another weapon or two around their All-Pro wideout (the decision to let both Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu depart after 2015 remains puzzling, in retrospect), but the upside is, Green will continue to be Andy Dalton’s best friend. Two outside factors that could help Green get back to All-Pro status: 1) Tight end Tyler Eifert returns after another season lost to injury. Then there’s wide receiver John Ross, last year’s first-round pick, who will try to wipe away all traces of a nightmarish rookie season. No matter what happens, Green will continue to be the centerpiece.
What do you think of this pick? Do you agree? Leave a comment if you disagree with what player you think will be the Bengals 2018 MVP.
Bengals Veteran TE Tyler Eifert Limited at OTA’s with Ongoing Back Issues
Veteran Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert was “limited” at OTAs last week according to Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Eifert was reportedly moving at “half speed” and didn’t participate in 11-on-11 drills. Back surgery limited Eifert to just two games last year, though the tight end plans to be a full go for training camp. “I’m on schedule,” he said. “I don’t want to go out there and have any setbacks or anything, so just methodically moving forward.”
Originally the No.21-overall pick in the 2013 draft out of Notre Dame, Eifert has always been a major redzone target for Bengals QB Andy Dalton but he just cannot stay healthy. Now 27, Eifert has never played a full 16-game schedule in his five-year NFL career and his medical history looks like that of a player a decade older.
Despite his problems getting an staying on the field, the Bengals signed Eifert to a one-year deal for up to $8 million in March in hopes that he can return to form that had him leading all tight ends with 13 touchdowns in 15 games in 2015. If 2018 proves to be another lost season for the talented tight end, he may have to hang up his cleats for good.
