The Cincinnati Bengals made some last-minute prep for the Week 12 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers by announcing the final injury report.
There, the team revealed that a handful of major names wouldn’t be able to suit up for the heated AFC North contest — including one starting to have long-term ramifications for player and club.
Elsewhere, we took a look at whether the Bengals should consider going after a player who was recently released from the Philadelphia Eagles on the chances he could provide a boost to a struggling defense.
Here’s a look at the must-know Bengals news, notes and quotes for November 25.
Zac Taylor on Tee Higgins -- Bengals Wire
Zac Taylor spoke on the Tee Higgins injury late in the week while revealing that the star wideout would miss another game. While Taylor didn’t hit on this point, it’s becoming clear that these games missed could have an impact on how the team and potentially other teams approach him as a free agent next summer.
Final injury report -- Bengals Wire
Higgins was one of three major names listed as out on Friday’s final injury report. The Bengals got healthier in other spots, but a notable like Germaine Pratt is a toss-up due to sickness.
Domata Peko, Ruler of the Jungle -- Bengals Wire
Fan favorite Domata Peko will sit in the seat of honor against the Steelers over the weekend, leading the stadium and fans in chants.
What about Derek Barnett? -- Bengals Wire
It’s no secret the Bengals could use some help rushing the passer. The Eagles just waived former first-rounder Derek Barnett, so we took a look at whether the team should consider going after him now that he’s available.
Chase Brown on how he's approached being out -- Bengals.com
The rookie Brown, who could be actiaved to the after roster soon after sitting on IR, says he put the rest time to use: “Sitting back and watching for four weeks, I tried to use to an advantage almost. Dig into the playbook a little more. Some things I was maybe hesitant on, I just wanted to re-surface everything and make sure mentally that I wasn’t going to fall behind. I was going to get ahead during those four weeks. It’s exactly what I did. I feel like I can play really fast.”
Mike Hilton on what to expect from Steelers:
Hilton played with the Steelers before joining the Bengals and knows all too well what they’ll face this weekend: “We expect them to come in here and do try to do what they’ve had success doing. Run the football and play great defense. We have to find a way to put our offense on short fields. They’ve been running well the last four or five games. We’ve had some issues dealing with the run. It’s an opportunity to go out there dominate and get back on track, especially in the run game.”
