AFC North Notes: Justin Fields, Myles Garrett, Bengals, Browns, Steelers

Bengals

Bengals HC Zac Taylor said their pass-rushing was “not good enough” in their 38-33 loss to the Commanders on Monday Night and they must apply more pressure to quarterbacks. 

“That is certainly an area that was not good enough last week, just getting pressure on the quarterback,” Taylor said, via Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic. 

Bengals DC Lou Anarumo is hopeful that DTs B.J. Hill and Sheldon Rankins, along with DE Myles Murphy will help their pass rushing once they return from injury.  

“I’m hoping that, at some point, we’ll get BJ and Sheldon back. Myles at some point is a guy that can certainly help,” Anarumo said. “We’re just gonna keep working with the guys we have. Those guys have given all that they’ve got. They’ve done a good, solid job. They gotta get better.”

Browns

• Browns DE Myles Garrett said he plans on playing through his leg injuries and isn’t concerned about causing further damage, per Scott Petrak. 
• Garrett confirmed he’s dealing with “multiple” injuries, but is ready to play: “Obviously it’s multiple things. No excuses. Just go out there and ball.” (Zac Jackson)
• According to Jeremy Fowler, Browns LT Jedrick Wills Jr.’s MRI on a knee injury came back clean and he didn’t suffer any major damage.

Steelers

Steelers HC Mike Tomlin praised QB Justin Fields for having a “steady demeanor” and feels it is a quality typically shown by leaders. 

“As I mentioned here repeatedly, I like his steady demeanor,” Tomlin said, via ProFootballTalk. “I like that in a leader. He doesn’t ride the emotional roller coaster when things are going good, or things are going bad. Guys can rally around that. He’s steady. He’s a competitor. He likes to compete. He doesn’t turn down things. He’s aggressive in play, scrambling, and so forth. It’s just been fun to get to know him and not only know him as a guy but know him as a competitor.”

Tomlin wants Fields to improve in “all areas” as they gain experience together and mentioned they are still getting accustomed to working together. 

“I want to see him improve in all areas, to be quite honest with you,” Tomlin said. “Knowing what those areas of needing improvement are, are difficult sometimes when you don’t have a shared experience. So a component of me getting to know him is just maintaining that posture, challenging him to improve in all areas, and as we gain more experience together, I’ll be able to narrow that focus on things that become repetitive or trending.”