Bengals

The Bengals kept Houston out of the end zone in Week 2’s win and had another great showing against the run. Cincinnati DT Dexter Lawrence described their physical mindset as setting the tone from the jump.

“For sure, that’s why you (have) to set the standard early and just be on them early,” Lawrence said, via Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic. “Play physical … We knew they wanted to be physical. We had to out-physical them. That’s a great play in that moment. You have to make other great plays in other great moments.”

With another strong defensive performance, QB Joe Burrow admitted he played more conservatively to put them in good positions.

“You just play a little bit more conservatively,” Burrow said. “Those guys have been great. You have that rush and that coverage; you try not to mess it up. They were incredible.”

Browns

The Browns and QB Deshaun Watson had their backs against the wall already in Week 2, with all kinds of noise swirling around the team following a flop in Week 1. So beating the Buccaneers was huge. Browns HC Todd Monken used that to fire back profanely against the “Browns is the Browns” bulletin board material, and it seemed like the locker room was rallying around Watson after widespread speculation that he might be benched before Week 3. 

“How cool is it to see what he’s been able to do after what he’s been through?” Browns LB Carson Schwesinger said via Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. “To go out there and have the game he had today is pretty special and pretty cool to watch. A lot of respect for what he’s been through and how he’s come out of it — I mean, two injuries like that are hard to get back from. And just seeing him and seeing how he approaches every day has been really cool. And I just think it’s really cool today to go down and get the game-winning touchdown.”

• Monken said he expects the run game to get better throughout the season as the offensive line builds chemistry as a group. (Petrak)
• Monken after the team’s Week 2 win at Tampa Bay: “I’m happy for Deshaun. I expected improvement and I expect continued improvement. There’s a lot of football left in him. He just hasn’t played in a while… I see him as a young player…that is gonna continue to grow.” (Zac Jackson)

Ravens

The Ravens led by 11 points at one time in Week 2 but ultimately fell to the Saints, marking the 15th time the franchise has lost a game with a double-digit lead since 2019. Baltimore CB Marlon Humphrey hopes this was a hiccup, not a new way of life after a familiar result on Sunday.

“The consensus amongst the team is like, everyone is kind of tired of doing what we just did,” Humphrey said, via the team’s website. “I think it is a lot of older guys — a lot of guys that it just feels like it is time. Hopefully we will make this a hiccup and not [let] this be a bridge that is final and cannot be repaired.”