AFC Notes: Bengals, Ravens, Steelers, Mason Rudolph, Dwayne Haskins

Bengals

Bengals RB Joe Mixon thinks that the team has more left in the tank and can improve offensively on their way to the franchise’s first Super Bowl victory.

“We’re here to win. We don’t care about some theory that everybody [else is] worried about,” Mixon said, via Jake Rice of Bengals.com. “We know what we’ve got in front of us, we know what we have to do in order to get where we want to be, we got the path laid out for us. At the same time, as we’ve been saying for these past I don’t know how many weeks now, we control our own destiny and we just got to keep on pushing and keep on getting better each and every week. We try to pride ourselves on going out there and being real warriors, to be honest. We’ve been doing really well on the road against very good teams. We like to go out there (and handle) business and do whatever we can to always come out on top. We pretty much get prepared throughout the week, pretty much go ahead and do that. We’ve got to figure out, ways to play complete games. We have yet to do that. We’re definitely getting better, on each side of the ball and also on special teams. I [feel] like we’ve yet to play our best football. And I think that within these next couple of opportunities that we are able to have, I think that we’re going to put it all together here shortly.”

• Bengals team president Mike Brown was not present for the first-round playoff victory due to a “mild” case of COVID-19. (Ben Baby)

Ravens

Ravens OL Kevin Zeitler believes RBs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards will bounce back great next year after their respective torn ACLs this year.

“I am very excited to see what J.K. and Gus can do,” Zeitler said, via Ravens Wire. “It’s truly unbelievable what happened way back when at the end of training camp, but I know those two guys are working hard. It’ll be really cool to see what they can do when they come back. Also, just a huge shoutout to Latavius [Murray] and Devonta [Freeman]. Coming in the way they did, the way they were able to learn the offense, the different ways they ran, and how they were able to be effective was really cool getting to see them go.”

Steelers

Steelers QB Mason Rudolph is looking forward to stepping out of the shadow of QB Ben Roethlisberger with a decent amount of experience under his belt as a starter with the team. He also said that he plans to work closely with OC Matt Canada‘s system in Pittsburgh and is confident about taking over for the franchise.

“I am going to fully surrender to what Matt wants to do,” Rudolph said, via Mark Kaboly of The Athletic. “Not being an 18-year, established quarterback, I am not going to have the luxury of saying that these are some of the concepts I like. You don’t have that much pull as a young quarterback, and I get that. I think it was a bit of a mesh between what Ben had done for 18 years and some of the concepts he liked and what he was comfortable with, his playing style meshed with Matt’s. I enjoy (Canada’s) offense. I enjoy the jet motions and the shifting, the pre-snap. All I want is a chance to compete and be the guy here, and that seems like a real possibility now (more) than ever, opposed to the last four years knowing when Ben is healthy, you aren’t playing. Knowing that I can be a bit more, maybe I can be a bit more myself as being the leader as I have always been at the quarterback position, and not worry about stepping on the toes of a longtime Hall of Fame player. I think I have made improvements, but also just knowing the right times. Extending the play to throw at times when you need to and get it done with your legs. That excites me. I enjoy that and you saw that this year, sparingly, when I got the opportunity. I want to continue to do that when it is needed in the future. I know that is a part of Matt Canada’s offense and what Coach Tomlin looks for in quarterbacks. It’s all I ever want. All I’ve ever wanted to be is a starting NFL quarterback. I think I can do it. I think I have what it takes. I’m ready to get the opportunity to prove myself. I’ve admitted I understand what I put on tape in ’19 and until this point, there are still question marks about my game. I want to prove those people wrong, but until you get more opportunities to prove yourself, there will be question marks. I’m excited to have the opportunity to play next year.”

Steelers QB Dwayne Haskins said he is looking forward to coming back to compete with Rudolph and knows what the team is looking for in a quarterback,

“I think the key to finding quarterback mobility is a person who can extend plays, not necessarily a Lamar Jackson-type or a guy that can take off for 60 yards,” Haskins said. “A guy that can get a first down, be able to move around in the pocket, make a guy miss. Kind of like how young Ben was, they preach how he was a Josh Allen-type early on in his career. Be able to move around in the pocket, call different things, and RPOs. I feel like if that is what he wants the quarterback to do, he will adjust his plan. He will be different with a younger guy back there.”