Bengals
When asked if the Bengals can regain their usual strong form in the second half of the season, QB Joe Burrow said theyโve historically been a good team following their mid-season bye.
โI guess weโll find out, wonโt we?โ Burrow said, via Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic. โWe historically have been really good after the bye, I just think when our backs are against the wall and we come out fighting, we are at our best. Weโll find out if we are the same team this year.โ
As for DE Trey Hendrickson already having seven sacks after finishing last year with eight, HC Zac Taylor said Hendrickson has always been a highly productive edge rusher for them despite not hitting double-digits in 2022.
โI thought he played really well last year,โ Taylor said. โMaybe he didnโt have an extremely high number of sacks, but he impacted the quarterback a lot. Some years, I think, youโre going to have that sack production and some years you wonโt.โ
Regarding their Week 8 game against the 49ers, Taylor thinks San Francisco has made a template on how to rebuild teams after reaching the Super Bowl in 2020 only to miss the following postseason.
โIโve always looked at San Francisco as a good template of how you can build and continue to evolve and get to where you want to be and then maintain that level of consistency,โ Taylor said. โTheyโve really been the standard in that. They have maintained that level of consistency from 2019 all the way through.โ
Browns
- According to Adam Schefter, people within the Brownsโ organization were โsurprisedโ by how well RB Jerome Ford ran in Week 7 despite suffering a sprained ankle.
Ravens
Ravens HC John Harbaugh admits not all the successful plays by QB Lamar Jackson are in the game plan and some are just improvised.
โIโm like, โI canโt believe he got flushed out of the pocket. Why wasnโt the first route open? Or maybe the route wasnโt run the right way somewhere,โ and Iโm mad,โ Harbaugh said, via Jamison Hensley of ESPN. โAnd then Iโm thinking, โWell, Lamar is getting away. Find somebody. Somebody get open.โ And then the ball goes up, itโs a touchdown. I scream for joy โ inside. Itโs part of the planned-unplanned offense. So, itโs planned to be unplanned sometimes, and then you hope your guys can make the most of it.โ
โIโve been working real hard with him on that, myself, personally, with his running and then throwing late and seeing guys,โ Harbaugh added. โThatโs just Lamar. Thatโs Lamar being Lamar. Itโs just some of his innate talents. How he sees the game is pretty special.โ
- Harbaugh doesnโt expect OLB Odafe Oweh (ankle) to miss any time despite not participating in Fridayโs practice: โHeโs not going to be out for any period of time. Weโll see if he plays on Sunday,โ via Jamison Hensley.
- Ravens LB Roquan Smith (shoulder) plans on playing in Week 8: โI told the guys: โAs long as the sun rises on Sunday and the NFL donโt cancel any games, youโll see me out there,โ via Jamison Hensley.
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