Just like that, the Cincinnati Bengals are back to being one of the most hyped teams in the NFL.
Thank the big explosion out of the bye to take down the 49ers in San Francisco, a game that was 31-17 but probably should’ve been more without a few simple mistakes.
Right as the Bengals earn back the national respect, the NFL trade deadline arrives, too, making for one of the more interesting times we’ve seen for the team this year.
With the deadline so close and plenty to go over, here’s a look at the must-know Bengals news, notes and quotes for October 31.
Bengals won't do much at deadline -- Bengals Wire
A new report says the Bengals aren’t going to make a move at the deadline. That tracks, given the team’s history, but it sure feels like it might be wise for the team to go get a tight end or running back.
Takeaways, including it's time for a big trade -- Bengals Wire
In our takeaways and thoughts this week, the big one is that it’s time for the Bengals to finally get aggressive on the trade deadline. This is the year to finally break that final bit of mold they usually don’t, making an even stronger roster as they push for a Super Bowl berth.
'The Bengals are back' -- Bengals Wire
A roundup of the national reaction to the Bengals after the big win, with that as the primary theme.
Trey Hendrickson's injury status -- Bengals Wire
Zac Taylor provided an update on the injury to Trey Hendrickson on Monday, where saying little actually said quite a lot.
Joe Burrow explains the compression sleeve -- Bengals Wire
Burrow turned some heads after the game against the 49ers by wearing a compression sleeve on his throwing arm. That only naturally creates some alarm amongst fans, considering that’s what he had on his calf before he suffered the injury in camp.
Mic'd up footage reveals what Nick Bosa told Joe Burrow -- Bengals Wire
Thank goodness for the behind-the-scenes microphones right?
Burrow on the win -- Bengals.com
Classic Burrow, who even after the playoff win to end the drought, said it was just one game: “Yeah, we needed this one. So, big win, but it was just one. We get a lot of football left to be played, so we’re going to enjoy this one for a day and get right back to it.”
Burrow on his skyrocketing completion percentage
Burrow says it’s a combination of things, obviously with the calf a big part of his turnaround: “I think there’s a lot of layers to that. I think my mechanics have cleaned up over the last couple weeks, and then also, with my calf feeling better, I feel more comfortable extending plays instead of maybe throwing the ball away in those same situations that I had in the first couple weeks. And so I think it’s a combination of a couple things.”
Burrow on going under center
After all the hype about going back under center, it worked out for the offense, with Burrow saying this: “Yeah, we were able to get some big play-action shots off of that. We got some great production out of that, so that’s going to continue to be part of what we do.”
