AFC Notes: Tyler Boyd, Bengals, Ravens, Roquan Smith

Bengals

Bengals WR Tyler Boyd said he was “in shock” when he realized that he had suffered an injury that could hold him out for a period of time.

“I kind of went in shock,” Boyd said, via ESPN. “I never really had any major injuries, thank god, let alone being able to see a bone. So, it kind of threw me off. “But at the same time, my adrenaline was pumping. So, it wasn’t really hurting or fazing me. The only thing I was worried about was getting back out there to help my guys.”

Boyd said WR Tee Higgins questionable status for the game made him push even harder to play.

“When I went down, I kind of felt like I had to stay out there even if I had to be a decoy, but we have great receivers in the room, which you all see,” Boyd said.

Boyd said that he plans to play through the pain and doesn’t believe it will have too much of an impact on him.

“At the end of the day, I can play,” Boyd said. “I can move my legs. I can make it work.”

• Bengals HC Zac Taylor said WRs Tyler Boyd (finger) and Tee Higgins (hamstring) were full participants in Friday’s practice and he is “feeling good” about their Week 15 availability. (Ben Baby)

Ravens

Ravens’ recently acquired LB Roquan Smith said that Bears GM Ryan Poles insisted he wouldn’t be traded from Chicago and would talk with the general manager “at the end of the season.” 

“I thought Poles would ship me out, but he told me numerous times, ‘I don’t plan to trade you at all,’” Smith said, via Dan Pompei of The Athletic. “So I was like, ‘I guess I won’t be going anywhere.’ He said we’d talk at the end of the season.”

Ravens HC John Harbaugh thinks Smith has improved their defense and is a player who makes everyone better. 

“He’s made us a better defense for a lot of reasons,” Harbaugh said. “The spot in our defense is really important. He’s another level of player. And he’s one of those players who makes everyone around him better.”

Harbaugh added that Smith is proving to be a great teammate and works well with everyone. 

“He knows how to treat people,” Harbaugh said. “He has a really nice demeanor. But while he’s good with people, he’s here to do a job. He’s on a mission. A football mission.”