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Bengals Bring Back Brandon LaFell

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The Cincinnati Bengals resigned wide receiver Brandon LaFell on Wednesday to a 2-year, $10 million deal. This is the first free agency move for the team. It keeps the 7-year veteran in Cincy, where he has carved out a niche as a complement to star wideout AJ Green.

LaFell caught 64 passes last year for 862 yards and 6 touchdowns despite a preseason thumb injury. Before coming to Cincinnati in 2016 on a 1-year deal, the 3rd-round pick out of LSU spent the previous two years with New England after four with Carolina. His best statistical season came in 2014, when he appeared in 16 games for the Patriots. That year, he caught 74 passes for 953 yards and 7 TDs.

He came on strong in the final three games last year. During that stretch, he caught 20 passes for 288 yards and a touchdown. It was too little too late, though, as the Bengals were already out of the playoff picture by then.

TJ Johnson Gets One-Year Tender Offer

On Tuesday Cincinnati also tendered offensive lineman TJ Johnson for one year for $1,797,000. Johnson, a restricted free agent, can negotiate with other teams, however, the Bengals can match any competing offer that Johnson signs. The team could also try to work out a longer-term deal with Johnson as well.

Johnson was drafted in 2013 out of South Carolina and appeared in all 16 games last year.


 

Cincinnati Bengals vs. Cleveland Browns – Week 14 Recap

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The Cincinnati Bengals are 2-0 … in the past 2 weeks! (c’mon, just go with it – we’re excited).

Behind the strength of a 213-yard rushing attack (111 by Jeremy Hill) and a stifling pass defense, the Cincinnati Bengals downed the Cleveland Browns 23-10 on Sunday. Cincy won both matchups this year, they also defeated Cleveland 31-17 on October 23. This latest loss puts the Browns at 0-13 with 3 games to go in the season. Cincinnati’s season will last just as long unless they can get to the playoffs, which will require a lot of help. But, for this weekend at least, the Bengals got another taste of what it’s like to be winners.

What Worked, What Didn’t for the Cincinnati Bengals


The Cincinnati Bengals’ D greeted Robert Griffin III’s return from injury by holding him to 104 yards passing. Between that, an interception and 3 sacks, RGIII looked like RG-thru. On the other hand, Bengals’ QB Andy Dalton was solid with 180 yards passing and 2 TDs to tight end Tyler Eifert. Cincinnati was up 20-0 before the Browns put points on the board – almost halfway through the 3rd quarter. Team Who Dey held the ball for close to 35 minutes.


But it wasn’t all good news.

The Cincinnati Bengals’ defense gave up 169 yards rushing to an 0-13 team. They surrendered 4 sacks. No receiver had more than 50 yards. Mike Nugent – are you sitting down – missed another extra point. Such stats may not be enough to mean a loss to Cleveland, but with Pittsburgh looming next week, those aren’t numbers we want to see again.

That game next week is more for pride than postseason at this point, but Cincy isn’t out of the playoff picture yet. Some things need to happen. For starters, it wouldn’t hurt if the Baltimore Ravens did a face plant on Monday Night Football against the New England Patriots. That’s realistic. Then Pittsburgh and Baltimore start losing. A lot. Then the Cincinnati Bengals win out. Hey, stranger things have happened.

Cincinnati Bengals vs NE Patriots – Week 6 Recap

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Tom Brady didn’t have to shake off much rust – and as a result, the Cincinnati Bengals must shake off their fourth loss of the year after falling 35-17 to the New England Patriots on Sunday.

Brady completed 29 of 35 passes for 376 yards and 3 touchdowns. Despite those jaw-dropping numbers, it was still a game in the 2nd half. The Bengals led 14-10 with 11 minutes to go in the 3rd quarter after a 5-yard TD pass from Andy Dalton to Brandon LaFell. It was still a one-possession game until Stephen Gotkowski booted a 31-yard field goal with just over 6 minutes remaining to put the Pats up 28-17.

Still, a loss is a loss. The Cincinnati Bengals now stand at 2-4 on the season. They seriously need to get back into the win column. And a visit from the little brother Browns next weekend should do the trick. Let’s hope.

3 Things About the Cincinnati Bengals-New England Patriots Game

Officials. You probably read that and rolled your eyes, thinking “Here we go again.” Well, we did too. There were several bad or missed calls that stalled the Cincinnati Bengals’ drives in this game. Most notable was a missed holding call that prevented an AJ Green touchdown. The boys who wear stripes on their backs are quickly falling out of favor with the boys who wear stripes on their helmets.

Cool running. Cincinnati had a decent day on the ground, rushing for 120 yards and only allowing 2 sacks. That offsets some bad news for the offensive line, as center Russell Bodine left the game with an injury and right tackle Cedric Ogbuehi was benched.

Playing the tight ends too loosely. The Bengals couldn’t cover the Patriots TE’s in the 2nd half. Rob Gronkowski and Martellus Bennet combined for 12 receptions, 210 yards and a 3rd quarter touchdown that put the Patriots ahead to stay.

Week 6: Cincinnati Bengals vs NE Patriots – 3 Things to Watch

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In the past 4 weeks, the Cincinnati Bengals have played 2 division-leading teams and a third (Denver Broncos) that has won 4 games so far this year. So what’s one more brick wall to run through? The Bengals take on the New England Patriots this Sunday in Foxboro. The New England QB (Brady something-er-other) will be making his 2016 home debut after finishing a 4-game suspension. We don’t know how much rust he’ll have to shake off, but it will present yet another challenge for the boys in stripes.

3 Things to Watch in the Cincinnati Bengals vs NE Patriots Game

1. It’s Tom Brady’s home opener. We’ll stick with this for a moment, since it’s obviously the storyline of the game. The Cincinnati Bengals are ranked 13th in the league in passing defense heading into Week 6 (giving up 225 yards per game). That coupled with a 2016-debuting Brady could present a level playing field that will boil down to who wants it more. Let’s hope the Bengals can spoil the homecoming party.

2. Time for a big win against a big team. A win is a win – we get that. But the Bengals’ two wins this year are against teams with a combined record of 2-8. You won’t get into the playoffs by whipping cellar dwellers. Cincy needs to come out, make a statement, and show that they can roll with a good team … and beat them, too.

3. Lots of chances for a step-up. New England brings the NFL’s 4th-rated rushing attack into this game, and Cincinnati is ranked 21st in that category. The rushing D needs to step up. AJ Green is a proven threat, but we need another one. Brandon LaFell and Tyler Boyd need to step up. The offensive has surrendered 17 sacks this year. The O-line … see a pattern here?

Cincinnati Bengals vs Dallas Cowboys – Week 5 Recap

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Welp … the Cincinnati Bengals would agree – that wasn’t pretty.

 The Bengals’ matchup against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday (a 28-14 Dallas win) looked like a game from the NES classic Tecmo Bowl– only it was 22 Bo Jacksons vs Arkansas Baptist Community College, if the Buffaloes were on 8-bit.

 What Went Wrong for the Cincinnati Bengals

Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliot trucked the Cincinnati Bengals for 134 yards and 2 touchdowns on only 15 carries. He saw more daylight than Savings Time. Dak Prescott completed 75% of his passes for 227 yards. Even more impressive, he kept alive his incredible streak of not throwing an interception in 5 games this season.

Cincinnati Bengals’ QB Andy Dalton did throw for 249 yards and 2 scores. He was also put on the turf 4 times behind an offensive line that struggled to keep the pressure off of him, and paved the way for just 96 rushing yards for the team. All-everything receiver AJ Green was held to just 4 catches for 50 yards.

The Dallas O-line, on the other hand, had quite the day. They produced 180 yards rushing and yielded only 1 sack. They built a 28-0 lead that lasted until there were only 10 minutes left in the game.

 The Cincinnati Bengals should be showing up more at this point in the season. If they repeat this kind of performance, even the 0-5 “little brother” Browns could give them a run for their money. With a game against the New England Patriots on deck, the Cincinnati Bengals could lose some serious momentum at a time when they really don’t need to.