AFC Notes: Joe Burrow, Deshaun Watson, Bengals, Browns, Steelers

Bengals

The Bengals were preaching patience after a Week 1 loss to the Browns. Now after a second straight loss to drop Cincinnati to 0-2, there is a little more urgency given the poor history of 0-2 teams. Bengals HC Zac Taylor isn’t panicking, though. His message is staying the same and Taylor pointed out they started 0-2 last year, too. 

“The beauty of this team is we know it’s a 17-game season,” Taylor said via the Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr. “There’s no overreaction on our end. We have to be prepared for stuff outside our locker room, which is natural. We’re in a very difficult division. We would have loved to come out 2-0; 1-1 would have been fine, too. This is exactly where we were last year, and this team is only going to get better with every game that passes. When you stumble early, you have to learn from it. So many years in the past, we’ve learned from early season losses that have propelled us in November and December. This will be no different. I’m very confident in that.”

• NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo says Bengals QB Joe Burrow has felt a little better over the past couple of days compared to how he felt after the loss to the Ravens on Sunday when he reaggravated his calf injury. Cincinnati has an extra day since it plays on Monday night, which will help Burrow’s chances of playing.  

Browns

• ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports the Browns showed some interest in RB Trey Sermon before he signed with the Colts’ practice squad. He adds he doesn’t think veteran RB Leonard Fournette is an option.
• Cleveland ultimately signed veteran RB Kareem Hunt to the roster, who had been a free agent since the Browns let his contract expire this offseason. 
• Browns HC Kevin Stefanski on the loss of RB Nick Chubb for the remainder of the season: “We are working on adding another RB. You don’t replace Nick Chubb. You just don’t do that. Great players in the league, they go out, it’s not one person who replaces someone of that caliber.” (Scott Petrak)
• Stefanski says RB Jerome Ford is the feature back and that someone will be added to the room. (Petrak)
• The NFL released a statement on Browns QB Deshaun Watson contacting an official in Monday night’s game: “Officials are called upon to maintain order on the field, and sometimes while performing those duties, there is inadvertent contact between players and officials. In this instance, in their judgment, the contact did not rise to the level of a foul.” (Tom Pelissero)

Steelers

• NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero reports that Steelers S Minkah Fitzpatrick was released from the hospital Monday night after undergoing scans for a chest contusion.
• Steelers HC Mike Tomlin on his offense: “We’re not going to have knee-jerk reactions in trying to make wholesale changes, but we do acknowledge two is a pattern. It has our attention. We’re all in this thing together. We’re not assigning blame to anyone.” (Ray Fittipaldo)
• Tomlin on the “Fire Canada” chants by fans on Monday night directed at OC Matt Canada: “I share their passion. We love our fans. They inspire us. They challenge us. We don’t run from challenges. We run to challenges. It is our job to win and entertain them. We don’t begrudge them for that. We want them to be fat and sassy and spoiled.” (Fittipaldo)