26 MINS AGO - Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports The Bengals rookie linebacker finally gets more than a handful of plays on defense The Bengals’ issues at linebacker pre-date this season by a good amount. In the third round of this year’s NFL Draft they selected Germaine Pratt out of North Carolina State. Pratt represented the one meaningful addition to their linebacking corps, but despite the struggles that Nick Vigil and Preston Brown have had, the Bengals have been slow to work Pratt in on defense. I’d like to say that the coaches finally decided to give the rookie a chance, but that is not the case. The decision to play Pratt more was a function of the team’s game plan. Against Baltimore, the Bengals had three linebackers on the field much more often than in previous weeks. This was to counter the use of a fullback and/or multiple tight ends by the Ravens. Pratt was generally the third linebacker on the field, but he was occasionally replaced by LaRoy Reynolds. After playing no more than a Collapse

2 HRS AGO - Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images Tyler Boyd holds himself to a high standard, and he was rough on himself over his quiet Sunday. Bengals corners Dre Kirkpatrick, William Jackson III to miss game actionBengals cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick is expected to miss about a month due to a hyperextended left knee. Kirkpatrick had his leg rolled up on and his knee extended back when Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews was pushed to the sideline by Bengals free safety Jessie Bates late in the first quarter. Quick Hits: Wilson Stalks NFL Leaders; Boyd Reviews Drops; O-Line Revolves AgainTucker, the Ravens kicker and one of those traveling Hall-of-Fame exhibits, kicked off Sunday’s game with one of the three balls each team reserves for their kickers and punters. Wilson, the Bengals’ third-year safety, took it back 92 yards for a touchdown and after he crossed the goal line he looked to the sky, moved the ball to other hand and then tossed it backward as he began to greet his Collapse

19 HRS AGO - Photo by Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Lamar Jackson did some damage, but not as much as you would expect. Stop me if you’ve heard this before: The Bengals were losing for the majority of the game, then they made a late push to make it interesting. Per usual, Cincinnati had a lifeless first 45 minutes of football, this time on the road against the Ravens. The two-score deficit created by their typical deficiencies made their feeble comeback attempt meaningless. A 23-17 loss looks close on paper, but this game was anything but tight. If you had said going into the game that the Bengals were only going to give up 23 points to the Ravens, a potentially explosive offense, most fans would have signed up for that in a heartbeat. But 23 points would have matched the Bengals’ season high, which came against the Cardinals who had the worst record in football a year ago. This offense just can’t score points. It would be a lot cooler if they did. Here’s what we Collapse

1 DAY AGO - Photo by Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Meanwhile, Damion Willis and Drew Sample’s struggles in the passing game continue. Six weeks into the regular season, the already beaten up Bengals had six injured players inactive against the Ravens on Sunday. Any and all able bodies for Cincinnati, aside from rookie quarterback Jake Dolegala, were dressed in Baltimore, including a season-high eight rookies. Fourth-round picks Ryan Finley and Michael Jordan never left the sideline, but we saw the six others on the field at some point during the game. The one worth highlighting this week is the one who (finally) played the most. Germaine Pratt made his rookie mistakes, and that’s fine for now We’ve known what the Bengals have at linebacker with Preston Brown and Nick Vigil. Neither were benched this week, but we finally saw Pratt out with the defense for an extended period of the game. Knowing the Ravens’ offense would be operating out of 21 and 12 personnel for most of the Collapse

1 DAY AGO - Justin Tucker probably has Brandon Wilson's first touchdown ball ... Tyler Boyd judges himself harshly after his first drops of the season ... Billy Price is back at left guard this Sunday ... On Monday, defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo went through every Ravens rush with the group ... Germaine Pratt and Wilson had their first NFL starts and it sounds like they'll get more time ... Collapse

1 DAY AGO - Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images Week 6 wraps up with an NFC North clash in primetime. The final game of Week 6 may end up being the best one, as the Packers and Lions will square off tonight with first place in the NFC North on the line. Come join the fun in tonight’s open thread. Collapse

1 DAY AGO - The Bengals nab a promising lineman. The Cincinnati Bengals have claimed offensive lineman Fred Johnson off of waivers from the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to NFL reporter Ian Rapoport. Former #Steelers rookie guard Fred Johnson was claimed by the #Bengals, I’m told. Another depth addition in Cincy.— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 14, 2019 Johnson, an undrafted free agent by way of the Florida Gators, had a strong preseason with the Steelers, enough to claim a spot on their 53-man roster. However, he was waived last week to make room for running back Trey Edmunds and quarterback Paxton Lynch, who were signed to the active roster due to injuries to Jaylen Samuels and Mason Rudolph. The Steelers were planning to bring Johnson back, but the Bengals claimed him before that could happen. It’s unclear who will be waived to make room for Johnson. With the Bengals dealing with injuries to John Miller, Andre Smith and Cordy Glenn, it was only a matter of time until another Collapse

1 DAY AGO - Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports Nothing against Alex Erickson, but the Bengals can’t afford to not play their best 11 offensive players with how bad they’ve been. After allowing over 250 rushing yards for the third time this season, the Bengals fell to 0-6 on the season. Despite an uplifting start from Brandon Wilson returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown, Cincinnati found themselves in an early hole in the first half. The Bengals’ defense ended up tightening up after allowing the Ravens to score 17 points on their first three drives, but they were never really able to keep them from at least sustaining drives to eat the necessary clock. The blame goes squarely on the offense though. They only managed to score 10 points, and expecting to win with that kind of production is simply not an option. Can the snap count distribution help us figure out what the plan was against the Ravens? Snap count takeaways This week the battle of the snaps was thrown off in a big way by the Collapse

2 DAYS AGO - BALTIMORE _ After his defense allowed Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson to commit history in Sunday’s 23-17 loss, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor asked that the numbers be forgotten. As far as he’s concerned, this thing became a culture war when he asked them to simply keep it a game at halftime. And they did it with gritty a checkerboard of new-look personnel and alignments that gave its offense plenty of chances in a final 44:12 they allowed two field goals during a withering assault of Jackson’s 77 plays. Collapse