Bengals
- ESPN’s Ben Baby points out that in contrast to how he talked about his contract situation before this season, Bengals WR A.J. Green appears to be more at peace with the idea of playing elsewhere next year: “My wife, my family, my boys, we are going to sit down and make the best decision that is going to be best for my career. Right now, we don’t know what that looks like right now but we prepare for anything.”
- Per NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero, Bengals QB Brandon Allen has a bone bruise in his knee. He’s undergoing more tests but Pelissero adds the team is optimistic he’ll be okay.
- Bengals HC Zac Taylor says Allen is “day-to-day” but will remain the starter if he’s healthy enough to play. (Tyler Dragon)
- Bengals third-round LB Logan Wilson has been limited with a foot injury. (Baby)
Browns
The Browns have made massive strides this season as they’re on the verge of just their second playoff berth this millennium. Progress was also evident in how much more competitive they were against the Ravens on Monday night compared to the season opener. But Browns HC Kevin Stefanski has the standard set higher.
“I do not want to go down the moral victories [path],” Stefanski said via NFL Media’s Nick Shook. “We lost. We got beat. Proud of the guys and how they battled — I really am — but I just look at all the mistakes that we made, and we have to correct them.”
- NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero says the ankle injury Browns first-round LT Jedrick Wills sustained Monday night is seen as just a tweak and won’t be an issue going forward.
- Wills tweeted he’s healthy and just had a stinger.
- Browns S Andrew Sendejo is in the concussion protocol. (Nate Ulrich)
- Stefanski says he’s “confident” Browns CB Denzel Ward will return to practice this week. (Jake Trotter)
- He added it would be unfair to rule out CB Greedy Williams, who hasn’t played in 2020 while rehabbing a nerve issue in his shoulder, from playing at some point this season. (Ulrich)
- Williams gave an update on Twitter about his shoulder injury, saying he’s been dealing with axillary nerve damage: “This what I’ve been fight [sic] this season this just takes time to recover. I’ll be back ASAP.’’ (Mary Kay Cabot)
- Stefanski is also hopeful the Browns will get TE Austin Hooper back this week from his neck injury. (Scott Petrak)
Ravens
Monday night’s shootout between the Browns and the Ravens got an extra dose of drama when Ravens QB Lamar Jackson had to leave the field in the fourth quarter. Baltimore was up 34-20 when he jogged back to the locker room but Cleveland promptly retook the lead midway through the fourth quarter. The Ravens were facing a do-or-die situation when backup QB Trace McSorley crumpled to the turf with a knee injury on third down before Jackson swooped back in to save the day.
“I started cramping on the field,” Jackson said via NFL Media’s Jelani Scott. “Like, right before the two passes I [threw] to Willie and Mark, the overthrows, I was cramping, my throwing arm. And I’m telling coach [John Harbaugh], I’m like, ‘Man, I need to get some salt in my system real quick,’ and, you know, we punted the ball, I’m on the sideline. Tyus ended up catching the pick, we go down and score. I give the ball to JK [Dobbins] and my legs just start cramping and I’m like, ‘Bro, I need something now to help me get better real quick ’cause this is a crucial game right here.'”
As to the theory raging on social media that Jackson left to take care of some other business in the locker room like Celtics star Paul Pierce did in the NBA Finals, Jackson told reporters he did indeed just have cramps.
“I was cramping. I didn’t pull a Paul Pierce. I was cramping,” he said.
- McSorley’s knee injury looked bad but ended up being just a sprain. He’ll be week-to-week. (Tom Pelissero)
- Ravens QB Robert Griffin has one more week on injured reserve with a hamstring injury, so UDFA QB Tyler Huntley would be the backup this week with McSorley out. (Jeff Zrebiec)
- Ravens HC John Harbaugh praised K Justin Tucker, who made what proved to be a game-winning 55-yard field goal on Monday night: “To make that kick, with the crosswind on that field in December in the open end, [for] most kickers, that’s unmakeable. The only kicker that I know of that you’d feel confident in making that would be Justin Tucker.” (Hensley)
Steelers
The Steelers are dealing with a wave of injuries on the defense and the offensive line, receivers who can’t hang onto the ball consistently and an awful running game. But QB Ben Roethlisberger put Pittsburgh’s second consecutive loss, 26-15 to the Buffalo Bills, all on his shoulders. He was 21-37 for 187 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions Sunday night.
“I’m not playing good enough football for us to win,” Roethlisberger said via Gene Collier of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “If I don’t play good enough football, I need to hang it up. I’m going to do everything I can to get back on track.”
- Steelers HC Mike Tomlin said both OL Matt Feiler and fourth-round G Kevin Dotson left Sunday night’s game with pectoral injuries, which leaves their status going forward uncertain. (Mark Kaboly)
- Feiler was placed on injured reserve but avoided tearing his pectoral, which means a return in the playoffs is on the table. (Jeremy Fowler)
- Tomlin clarified on Tuesday that Dotson has a shoulder injury, not a pectoral injury. (Gerry Dulac)
- Tomlin also revealed Steelers RB James Conner is playing through an injured quad. (Aditi Kinkhabwala)
- As for second-round WR Chase Claypool‘s decreasing snaps, Tomlin says the Steelers are trying to pre-empt any sort of rookie wall for Claypool. (Brooke Pryor)
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