AFC Notes: Bengals, Browns, Ravens, Steelers

Bengals

Bengals HC Zac Taylor said following the team’s loss to the Jets that they didn’t come out ready to play, and were outcoached in the process.

“Got outcoached, got outplayed today,” Taylor said, via Cincinnati.com. “They were a hungry team. We knew they were capable of this, we’ve seen it on tape. It was not good enough in any phase, coaching, playing, any of all three phases.” 

Bengals DE Sam Hubbard blamed the team’s mental errors and inability to finish tackles as key reasons for the loss.

“It’s really just about us,” Hubbard said.  “We have to make the plays to get off the field. There’s no excuse for our mental errors. It’s a wake-up call for sure. It still doesn’t seem real but it happened. That’s the reality of the situation.”

• Taylor said second-round G Jackson Carman hurt his back. He added Monday that Carman is day-to-day with a back injury. (Ben Baby)

Browns

Browns WR Jarvis Landry said he needs to be better after he had multiple drops and a fumble that were pivotal plays in the loss to the Steelers in Week 8.

“Just thinking about this game, I really just go back to two or three plays in this game, myself having an opportunity to make plays and just didn’t,” Landry said, via Pro Football Talk. “I owe it to my teammates, to all the guys that fought to get back to play, Baker, Odell, Jack, that’s part of it, that’s part of holding up my end of the bargain and making those plays to make sure that we can win this game.”

• Browns HC Kevin Stefanski said OT Jack Conklin is out multiple weeks with a dislocated elbow, while S John Johnson is day-to-day with a neck sprain. (Scott Petrak)
• Stefanski mentioned OT Blake Hance will replace Conklin at right tackle. (Mary Kay Cabot)
• Stefanski defended WR Odell Beckham, calling him “dynamic.” (Petrak)

Ravens

• The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec writes that a Day 2 pick would probably price the Ravens out of the running for Eagles OT Andre Dillard.
• Zrebiec points out the Ravens would likely have interest in Bills OL Cody Ford given they tried to trade up for him in 2019 but it’s not clear if Buffalo is actually willing to move Ford. 
• The Ravens are always on the lookout for cornerback help and Broncos CB Kyle Fuller is available, but Zrebiec says Denver would have to eat most of his remaining salary to make a deal possible. 
• Zrebiec mentions the possibility of trading for Texans RB Phillip Lindsay or Colts RB Marlon Mack if the Ravens feel like they need to address the running back position.
• He adds he has a hard time seeing them keep all four of Latavius Murray, Devonta Freeman, Le’Veon Bell and Ty’Son Williams for much longer, with Bell and Williams probably at the bottom of the pecking order due to a lack of juice and lack of trust from the coaching staff respectively. 
• Ravens HC John Harbaugh said Murray and WR Sammy Watkins are both “up in the air” for Week 9 due to injuries. (Zrebiec)
• Harbaugh added OT Ja’Wuan James is on schedule in his Achilles rehab which means he could be back as soon as December. (Zrebiec)

Steelers

The Steelers committed this offseason to rebuild their offensive line and dedicate to the run game, bringing in a number of young players who have had growing pains so far. Sunday’s 15-10 win against the Browns was one of the group’s better moments though, as Steelers first-round RB Najee Harris ground out 91 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries. 

“If you look anywhere in the NFL, you aren’t going to start off running the ball really well,” Harris said via the Athletic’s Mark Kaboly. “The Tennessee Titans are a really good (running) team, but not every play is a home run. Some plays are minuses, twos, threes, and every now and again, a play pops. It is believing and sticking to it and finding the play that the O-line is good at. I go to them and ask them what they like because whatever they like, I am going to follow to work with them. Starting off slow is just part of the running game. Not every play is going to be a big hit.”