AFC Notes: Jerry Jeudy, Mike Tomlin, Bengals, Browns, Steelers

Bengals

The Bengals stand at 4-8 with slim playoff hopes after another poor showing on the defensive side of the ball in Week 13. Cincinnati DC Lou Anarumo took the blame for their defensive troubles and praised his players for showing up and working to get better.

“All of this starts and ends with me,” Anarumo said, via Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic. “How we play is certainly my responsibility. The players have done a fantastic job of preparing, practicing with energy, giving us our best. Proud of the way we’ve gone about that. I need to do a better job of making sure it shows up on Sundays.”

Bengals HC Zac Taylor cited tackling, communication and creating turnovers as the areas they need to focus on to return to a respectable defense.

“We’ve got to tackle better, there’s no question,” Taylor said. “We’ve got to be on the same page with all the details. I think it’s simple as that. Find ways to create turnovers, get stops. Guys are accountable for it. Guys feel like they got punched in the gut. We all feel that way. All three phases, there are things we can do better to help us win a game. It’s not just one unit.”

• Taylor on OL Cody Ford replacing OL Cordell Volson at LG: “That was an opportunity that Cody has earned…. It was probably more about Cody than anything else.” (Ben Baby)

Browns

In his return to Denver, Browns WR Jerry Jeudy exploded for a career-best 235 yards and a touchdown. Jeudy talked about the desire to have a big game against his old squad but would rather come away with a win.

“High emotions,” Jeudy said, via Kevin Patra of NFL.com. “Like I said before, you always want to beat the team that you used to play for, but we came up short. We have to find a way to finish, find a way to win.”

Cleveland HC Kevin Stefanski noted Jeudy’s alignment versatility as why they can have success going against an elite defender like Broncos CB Patrick Surtain II.

“He’s a good football player,” Stefanski said. “We were trying to find ways to get him the ball. He’s very, very good after the catch, as we saw. He can run every route in the book. That’s kind of how we’re utilizing him, moving him around. It’s difficult to defend when Jerry’s able to line up everywhere, and I think that speaks really to his intelligence.”

Steelers

• Steelers WR Calvin Austin III is in concussion protocol, per Brooke Pryor.
• Pittsburgh HC Mike Tomlin said it’s a “matter of time” until WR Mike Williams gets more involved and nobody is panicking that he hasn’t been more involved. (Pryor)
• Tomlin spoke on WR George Pickens after committing two penalties after the play in Week 13: “I’m not going to give you any detail about what goes on behind the scenes in terms of his growth and development. That’s my style, and I’m going to be really consistent in it. Being transparent with you guys doesn’t necessarily help or accelerate the growth process, and that’s my agenda, not necessarily feeding the beast.” (Pryor)