PITTSBURGH – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Cincinnati QB Joe Burrow passed for 277 yards and one touchdown and the Cincinnati Bengals remained alive in the AFC playoff race by notching a 19-17 victory over the host Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday night.

Ja’Marr Chase had 10 receptions for 96 yards and one touchdown and Cade York kicked four field goals as Cincinnati (9-8) won its fifth consecutive contest. The Bengals need the Denver Broncos and Miami Dolphins to lose their respective games on Sunday to nab a playoff berth.

Russell Wilson was 17-of-31 passing for 148 yards and one touchdown for Pittsburgh (10-7), which had just 193 total yards while losing its fourth straight game. The Steelers were eliminated from the AFC North race earlier Saturday when Baltimore defeated Cleveland.

Najee Harris rushed for a touchdown and Pat Freiermuth had eight receptions for 85 yards and a touchdown for Pittsburgh, which will either be the No. 5 or No. 6 seed in the playoffs.

Chase is on his way to becoming the fifth player since 1970 to win the receiving Triple Crown. He finishes the regular season with 127 receptions, 1,708 yards and 17 touchdown catches.

Trey Hendrickson had 3.5 sacks for the Bengals to raise his season output to an NFL-high 17.5.

The Steelers had just 91 offensive yards through three quarters but came alive in the fourth with a nine-play, 65-yard drive. Wilson capped it with a 19-yard touchdown pass to Freiermuth to bring Pittsburgh within 19-14 with 8:07 left.

The hosts later received a break when a punt hit the foot of Cincinnati’s DJ Ivey and was recovered by Connor Heyward at the Bengals’ 38-yard line. But Pittsburgh settled for Chris Boswell’s 54-yard field goal to move within two with 2:39 remaining.

The Steelers got the ball back with 1:51 left, but Wilson’s pass on fourth down from the Pittsburgh 40-yard line went off the hands of Freiermuth.

Burrow was 37-of-46 passing with an interception. He completed his first 12 throws, including all six on Cincinnati’s first drive, ending it with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Chase.

York booted a 48-yard field goal to make it 10-0 with 1:24 left in the first quarter. The Steelers got on the board when Harris scored from the 1-yard line with 9:54 left in the second.

York kicked a 27-yarder with 16 seconds left as Cincinnati held a 13-7 halftime lead. He hit from 35 yards with 6:56 remaining in the third quarter and made a 23-yarder with 11:02 left in the game to make it 19-7.

–Field Level Media

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CINCINNATI – New England avoided typical early-season mistakes and controlled the ball to upset the hometown Cincinnati Bengals, 16-10, and the Patriots earned rookie head coach Jerod Mayo’s first win in his NFL debut on Sunday afternoon.

Rhamondre Stevenson rushed for 120 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries and Keion White had 2.5 sacks, leading a strong defensive effort that stunted Cincinnati’s big-pay offense.

Joey Slye converted three field goals, including two in the second half that prevented the Bengals from closing within more than six points. New England sacked Burrow three times and capitalized on two turnovers.

Joe Burrow was held to 164 yards on 21-of-29 passing and no touchdowns. Ja’Marr Chase had six catches on six targets for 62 yards.

Patriots quarterback Jacoby Brissett completed 15 of 14 passes for 121 yards.

Following a team-record 80-yard punt from rookie Ryan Rehkow, the Patriots marched down the field for the first points of the game, a 3-yard Stevenson run into the end zone untouched for a 7-0 Patriots lead on the first play of the second quarter.

Tanner Hudson caught a Burrow pass and was running toward the goal line when Patriots safety Kyle Dugger stripped the ball at the Patriots 2. Marcus Jones returned it to the New England 18. The Patriots pushed the ball to the Cincinnati 14 over the final five minutes of the half and added to their lead with a 32-yard Slye field goal to grab a 10-0 advantage.

Slye added another field goal and gave the Patriots a 13-0 lead after recovering a fumble by Patriots return man Charlie Jones.

The Bengals finally broke through with a nine-play, 90-yard drive in the third quarter. Running back Zack Moss plunged in for a 5-yard score up the middle after Burrow had last a fumble at the 10, recovered by the Patriots. But Burrow was ruled down before the ball came out.

Burrow dropped to 1-4 in season openers.

–Field Level Media

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JACKSONVILLE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Bengals PK Evan McPherson kicked a 48-yard field goal with 1:45 left in overtime to lift the visiting Cincinnati Bengals to a 34-31 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday night.

The Jaguars (8-4) lost quarterback Trevor Lawrence to a right ankle injury after left tackle Walker Little stepped on Lawrence late in the fourth quarter. The QB tossed his helmet aside in frustration and left the game for backup C.J. Beathard. Lawrence could not put any weight on his ankle as he left the field.

Lawrence completed 22 of 29 passes for 258 yards and two touchdowns before exiting the game.

Beathard fumbled on his first play, but it was recovered by Jaguars receiver Parker Washington. Beathard then directed a drive that ended when Brandon McManus connected for a 40-yard field goal with 26 seconds left in regulation to make it 31-31 and force overtime.

Beathard completed a 43-yard pass to Calvin Ridley down to the Cincinnati 2 in overtime, but Anton Harrison was called for holding to bring the play back. Two plays later, Jacksonville punted.

Cincinnati quarterback Jake Browning, making his second career start due to Joe Burrow’s season-ending wrist injury, then led the Bengals (6-6) on a drive that ended with McPherson’s game-winning field goal.

Browning had a career game, completing 32 of 37 passes for 354 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for a score.

Cincinnati receiver Ja’Marr Chase had 11 catches for 149 yards, including a 76-yard touchdown.

McPherson kicked a 54-yard field goal with 2:28 left in regulation to give the Bengals a 31-28 lead.

The Jaguars went down the field with little resistance on their first drive of the game, which was highlighted by a 26-yard pass to Christian Kirk. However, Kirk sustained a groin injury on the play. He left the game and did not return.

Travis Etienne ended up capping the drive with a 4-yard TD run for a 7-0 lead.

Things were tied at 14-all at the break after a pair of rushing touchdowns by the Bengals’ Joe Mixon — from 6 and 2 yards out — sandwiched Lawrence’s 22-yard scoring strike to Evan Engram.

The Bengals captured the momentum early in the third quarter when Browning tossed a perfect pass down the left sideline to Chase, who gave Cincinnati a 21-14 lead with his 76-yard TD.

Lawrence threw for a touchdown and rushed for another to put the hosts ahead 28-21 with 3:10 left in the third quarter. Browning plunged into the end zone from the Jacksonville 1 early in the fourth to set up the tight finish.

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CINCINNATI – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow will miss the remainder of the season due to a wrist injury, head coach Zac Taylor announced Friday. Taylor said Burrow likely will need surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right wrist.

An MRI on Friday morning revealed the severity of the injury for Burrow, hours after he exited the Bengals’ 34-20 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in the second quarter. Burrow bent over in obvious pain after throwing a 4-yard touchdown to Joe Mixon with 5:49 remaining.

Burrow said he felt a pop in his wrist on the TD pass but was in discomfort before that play.

He said “everything that I’ve seen so far is that surgery is going to be needed.” He plans to discuss options.

The NFL is investigating the team’s reporting of Burrow’s injury status going into the game.

Burrow said on Friday he wore a compression sleeve on his wrist but was not injured until Thursday night.

“This is a completely different thing,” he said. “It’s not uncommon for guys to wear compression sleeves on the plane. When you go up to that altitude, things can swell up. This is a completely new injury.”

Burrow said he sees a lot of himself in backup Jake Browning. They are good friends, and Burrow spent part of his Friday afternoon watching film with Browning to help begin preparing him to start next week.

“No moment is too big for him. He’s a guy that’s going to continue to get better,” Burrow said.

Taylor informed the full team in a meeting on Friday.

“Disappointed for Joe,” Taylor said. “You’re around this guy every single day. You see what he puts himself through to prepare himself. To make sure he’s at his best. The players, the coaches, the organization as a whole weighs heavy on the quarterbacks.

“I told him he’s going to have a long career, this is one of the many parts of adversity you’re going to go through in your career. I think this team will respond the right way.”

Cincinnati (5-5) will look to respond against the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers on Nov. 26, presumably with Jake Browning under center. Browning took over for Burrow and completed 8 of 14 passes for 68 yards and a touchdown on Thursday.

Taylor said he isn’t worried about the injury toll and whether it is compounding for the 26-year-old Burrow.

“If he was a normal human being, you’d worried about. He’s not,” Taylor said. “He’s just built a little bit different. That’s why I’ve got confidence he’ll respond from this the right way, the right time. That’s just part of how Joe’s built.”

Before exiting, Burrow was 11-for-17 for 101 yards and the touchdown to Mixon.

Burrow has compiled the lowest passer rating since his rookie year in 2020. He has completed 244 of 365 passes (66.8 percent) for 2,309 yards and 15 touchdowns with six interceptions.

–Field Level Media

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BALTIMORE – (Staff and Wire Service Preview) – Two teams reeling from Sunday losses at home will try to regroup and claim a key AFC North win when the division-leading Baltimore Ravens host the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday night.

The Ravens (7-3) blew a golden opportunity to put more distance between themselves and the Steelers, Browns and Bengals, losing leads of 17-3 and 31-17 at home to Cleveland in a 33-31 loss. The setback snapped a four-game win streak.

Cincinnati (5-4) also had a four-game win streak snapped when they fought back from a 27-17 hole in the final three minutes, only to watch rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud lead Houston down the field for a game-winning field goal.

“We live, we grow, we get better. Every team is tested, and we’re getting tested. So I’m excited for (Thursday),” said Ravens tight end Mark Andrews, who enters Thursday just one touchdown shy of matching Todd Heap for the team’s all-time mark of 41.

The game against Cincinnati marks the end of a three-game homestand for Baltimore while Cincinnati is in a stretch of four games where Thursday is the only road contest.

Baltimore claimed a 27-24 victory at Cincinnati in Week 2.

Zay Flowers needs just one catch for 51 on the season, which would break a tie with Torrey Smith for the all-time Ravens rookie record. On defense, Ravens safety Geno Stone leads the NFL with six interceptions.

The Bengals’ defense is looking for a better effort after surrendering 17 plays of at least 20 yards in Sunday’s loss to Houston.

Both teams are also dealing with a multitude of injuries heading into a game on only three days of rest.

Ravens starting right tackle Morgan Moses (shoulder) has missed two straight games while Pro Bowl cornerback Marlon Humphrey (ankle), starting left tackle Ronnie Stanley (knee) and linebacker Trenton Simpson (concussion) left Sunday’s loss to the Browns and did not return.

“I think we’re dealing with it right now. We’ve done a good job of that,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said of the injury woes. “We’ve been on the road (a lot). We’ve (played) very tough teams in very physical games, and I feel like our guys have handled it very well.

“We have to continue to do it. That’s probably the main point right now: It’s how we handle that and how we approach it. Our job is to handle it better than our opponents do.”

The Bengals lost star edge rusher Trey Hendrickson to a hyperextended left knee when Houston receiver Noah Brown rolled into him on the play before the game-winning field goal.

Hendrickson is expected to miss Thursday’s game, while Hendrickson’s bookend, edge Sam Hubbard, is dealing with a right ankle injury and missed last Sunday’s loss.

Rookie receiver Andrei Iosivas suffered a knee injury but finished the game Sunday against Houston.

The Bengals also missed the services of star receiver Tee Higgins, who is nursing a hamstring injury suffered Nov. 8 in practice. He also sat out last Sunday’s game vs. Houston.

“You’ve got to cram a whole game plan into really about two and a half days,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said. “And so the team’s got to understand that. We walked off the field Sunday, it was a Wednesday afternoon, post-practice is really the point of the week you’re at. And so, you’ve got to get your bodies right after a physical long game like we had.

“Baltimore had the same thing. I mean, it really similar styles of games that were just played. And our guys have to get themselves ready and our coaches have to do a good job preparing them in a short span this week.”

–Field Level Media

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KANSAS CITY – (Staff and Wire Service Report by Field Level Media) – Harrison Butker kicked the Kansas City Chiefs back to the NFL Super Bowl.

Butker made a 45-yard field goal with three seconds remaining and the Chiefs beat the visiting Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 to win the AFC Championship Game for the third time in the past four seasons on Sunday.

Patrick Mahomes had 326 passing yards and two touchdowns and set up the game-winning kick on a scramble to his right with eight seconds left in the game. As he crossed the sideline, Mahomes was shoved by Joseph Ossai, resulting in a 15-yard penalty to set up Butker’s game-winning kick.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling caught six passes for 116 yards and a touchdown, tight end Travis Kelce caught seven passes for 78 yards and a touchdown and Kansas City’s defense had two interceptions and five sacks of Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.

In a 20-20 tie, Burrow and the Bengals took over at their own 12-yard line with 2:30 to play, but defensive tackle Chris Jones’ second sack of the game forced Cincinnati to punt to rookie Skyy Moore, who caught the ball at the 18 with 35 seconds left and returned it to Kansas City’s 47.

The Bengals pounced on their first takeaway and recovered momentum in the final minute of the third quarter. From the shotgun, Mahomes faked a handoff to Isiah Pacheco but as he twisted his body to the right, he lost control of the ball. Bengals defensive end Sam Hubbard came up with the ball at Kansas City’s 45.

The drive appeared to stall quickly but the Bengals went for it on fourth-and-6, and Burrow went deep for WR Ja’Marr Chase, who hauled the ball in at the 6. Two plays later, running back Samaje Perine churned into the end zone for a 2-yard score and knotted the game at 20 with 13:30 remaining.

A hobbled Mahomes operated most of the second half without multiple key receivers due to injuries. He found Valdes-Scantling one step into the center of the end zone to put the Chiefs up 20-13, hooking up on third-and-10 for a 19-yard touchdown with 4:15 left in the third quarter. The 11-play drive covered 77 yards and was extended on a 7-yard connection to Valdes-Scantling on the previous third down.

Higgins hauled in 27-yard touchdown from Burrow to the tie the game at 13. On third-and-6, Burrow lofted a pass to the front, right corner of the end zone where Higgins elevated over Chiefs rookie cornerback Jaylen Watson for the score.

Three of Kansas City’s top receivers — Mecole Hardman (pelvis), Kadarius Toney (ankle) and JuJu Smith-Schuster (knee) — exited with injuries in the first half.

Evan McPherson connected on his second field goal as time expired in the second quarter to bring the Bengals within seven points, 13-6.

Burrow was sacked four times before his fifth completion in the first half and faced constant pressure in the pocket. He was picked off three plays after the Chiefs jumped ahead 13-3 with 3:53 left in the second quarter.

On a fourth-and-1 rollout, Kelce caught his 15th career postseason TD, which tied him for second all-time with Rob Gronkowski.

–Field Level Media

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KANSAS CITY – (Staff and Wire Service Report from Field Level Media) – In the playoffs, there’s no passer like Patrick Mahomes at home.

Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs welcome the Bengals in the AFC Championship game Sunday in a repeat of the 2021 title game that sent Joe Burrow and Cincinnati to the Super Bowl. But there’s a significant twist.

Mahomes plans to play with a sprained right ankle and has lost three games in a row to the Bengals, including 27-24 on Dec. 4. His health and the groundswell of support for Burrow has the Chiefs as the underdog in the playoffs for the first time in Mahomes’ career.

Mahomes has been at his best on the big stage with 32 touchdowns (28 TD passes, four rushing) and three interceptions in 10 career home playoff starts.

The tug of war for bettors has been evident since Sunday night, when most books had the Chiefs as favorites — by 2 or 3 points — only to see the Bengals favored by 2 as a consensus by midday Monday. But with Mahomes’ status firmed up by the Chiefs and video evidence to support, the public forced a wild swing that had Kansas City favored by a point.

Burrow, mind you, is 19-5 against the spread in his last 24 games as an underdog. Cincinnati is 9-0 in its last nine as an underdog.

As of Friday morning, the Chiefs were a 1.5-point favorite and a low money line to win outright (-118 at FanDuel). By Sunday, the spread went to (-2).

The initial sprain forced him out of the Chiefs’ divisional playoff win over the Jacksonville Jaguars last week. He returned to the game with limited mobility, completing 22 of 30 passes for a season-low 195 yards with two touchdowns and was not sacked.

He’s 9-3 in 12 career playoff games with 30 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Mahomes said the injury isn’t as severe as his 2019 high ankle sprain or a toe injury two seasons ago, when he finished the season in a Super Bowl defeat at the hands of Tom Brady and the Buccaneers. The difference will be in physical limitations on his right ankle and plant leg throwing from the pocket.

Cincinnati has a 10-game winning streak and its most recent loss was to Cleveland on Halloween. Burrow would tie Russell Wilson for most wins (six) by a quarterback in their first three seasons if he can knock off the Chiefs again.

“He’s got an edge to him,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said of Burrow. “I like that in our quarterback.”

He hasn’t been intercepted in his past three playoff games. In three starts against the Chiefs, Burrow has nine TDs (one rushing), one interception and a combined passer rating of 121.

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BUFFALO – (Staff and Wire Service Report from Field Level Media) – Pro Bowl quarterbacks Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills and Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals were slated to have their epic confrontation earlier this month.

But Damar Hamlin’s cardiac arrest emergency in the first quarter of that Monday Night Football game postponed their battle after only nine-plus minutes of play.

Instead, the two talented, young – future of the NFL – quarterbacks, will have their first official duel on a much bigger stage when the second-seeded Buffalo Bills entertain the third-seeded Cincinnati Bengals in an AFC Divisional playoff game today..

Burrow guided the Bengals to the Super Bowl last season and Allen craves a similar run for the Bills. Burrow is the first Cincinnati quarterback to win playoff games in consecutive seasons while Allen is aiming to steer Buffalo into the AFC Championship Game for the second time in three seasons.

Both teams are red hot: The Bengals have won nine straight games and the Bills have prevailed eight consecutive times.

“It feels like two deserving teams,” Cincinnati coach Zac Taylor said of the matchup. “Buffalo is one of the greatest environments to play in in all of football. I’ve been there many, many times and it’s a fun environment.

“It’s a worthy playoff environment and so our guys are going to be juiced up and ready to go.”

The Bengals were the surprise team last season when they crashed the Super Bowl and lost to the Los Angeles Rams. Now they are part of a tough trio of AFC contenders along with the Bills and top-seeded Kansas City Chiefs.

“We’re in a great spot,” Burrow said. “We have great leaders in the locker room and Zac puts us in the right mindset to create positions to go and succeed. We have the utmost faith in each other to go make plays to win the game.”

Meanwhile, Buffalo has won 13 of its last 14 home playoff games after posting a 34-31 victory over the Miami Dolphins. The Bills were up 17-0 before sloppy play — they committed three turnovers — allowed the Dolphins back in the game.

“You can’t try to eliminate every single turnover and play scared,” Allen said. “We’re aggressive. We want to score touchdowns. That’s the gist of it.”

Sunday’s matchup comes 20 days after the matchup in Cincinnati in which Hamlin collapsed during the first quarter after tackling Bengals wideout Tee Higgins. He was administered CPR on the field and taken to a nearby hospital and the game was later postponed.

Hamlin has made a miraculous speedy recovery as the teams reunite for the playoff showdown.

“I’m sure it’s gonna be a little bit emotional,” Allen said of facing the Bengals. “I will say that I’ve got so much respect for the Bengals, their staff, their organization, and their players after everything that transpired. The way that we came together and kind of talked with them — they were extremely open to the whole concept of not continuing the game and making sure that we were OK.”

Also of note is that the Bills are playing in the division round for the third straight season. They went 1-1 the past two campaigns.

“We’ve been here before,” Buffalo coach Sean McDermott said. “We’ve got good experience in the divisional round. We’re grateful for that. … So, it’s the next game on our radar. And we’ve got to prepare for it.”

PROP PICKS
Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase Anytime TD (+135 at DraftKings): Chase has been the fourth-most popular Anytime TD scorer among the four games this weekend, and offers by far the biggest potential payout among the top five at the sportsbook. Chase has scored at least one touchdown in eight of 13 games this season, including six of his past eight. Buffalo ranked 26th against the pass during the regular season while allowing an average of 258.1 yards per game, and struggled to contain Dolphins rookie quarterback Skylar Thompson last weekend.

Over 49 Total Points (-110 at BetMGM): Not only are these two of the hottest teams in the league going head-to-head, it’s two of the most potent offenses in the league. Of concern with this prop are the injuries along Cincinnati’s o-line – down three starters. But Buffalo’s defense has also been vulnerable in recent weeks. The expectation here is that Burrow and Allen are trading punches for four quarters and that every offensive opportunity will need to be maximized.

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CINCINNATI – (Staff report by Field Level Media) – With the oft-injured injured Lamar Jackson out, the Baltimore Ravens reportedly plan to use both backup quarterbacks during Sunday night’s AFC wild-card game against the host Cincinnati Bengals.

Multiple reports said the Ravens will deploy the unusual strategy with Tyler Huntley and Anthony Brown, despite challenges with each.

Huntley, 24, is dealing with tendinitis in his right shoulder as well as a wrist injury. He was listed as questionable on the official injury report.

As a starter in his career, Huntley is 3-5. His injured shoulder hampered his performance this season, with Huntley completing just three passes of at least 20 yards in four starts.

When asked at Friday’s practice if he’s ready to return to the field, Huntley reported he has “no nerves.”

Just excited to get back out there after missing one week,” Huntley said. “It’s a privilege to go out there and play football and I appreciate it.”

Meanwhile, the Ravens’ other backup quarterback, Brown, 24, is an undrafted rookie who’s made only one career start, last Sunday’s 27-16 loss to the Bengals. In that game, he threw for 286 yards with two interceptions and a fumble.

The two QBs have different strengths, with Brown the better passer while Huntley is more proficient at using the same run-oriented offense as Jackson.

Ravens coach John Harbaugh has been tight-lipped about the situation, declining to name a starter after Friday’s practice.

“We’ll see when the time comes,” Harbaugh said.

Jackson, who was ruled out for a sixth straight game with a left knee injury, “suffered a PCL Grade 2 sprain, on the borderline of a strain 3” and his knee “remains unstable,” according to Jackson’s own tweet on Thursday.

The Ravens enter Sunday night’s matchup against the defending AFC champion Bengals as a heavy underdog.

–Field Level Media

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CINCINNATI – (Staff and Field Level Media Wire Service Report) – The streaking Miami Dolphins are seeking their first 4-0 start since 1995 when they visit the Cincinnati Bengals Thursday night. Miami is fresh off a 21-19 victory over the powerful Buffalo Bills and now looks to tame the defending AFC champion Bengals.

Cincinnati (1-2) dropped its first two games before bidding farewell to their Super Bowl hangover with a solid 27-12 victory over the New York Jets on Sunday.

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor is impressed with the Dolphins, who are one of two remaining unbeaten teams along with the Philadelphia Eagles.

“They’ve beaten three really good opponents — New England, Baltimore and Buffalo,” Taylor said. “They are three teams with a lot of talent, good coaches. They’re doing a lot of good things right now in all three phases. I know that our guys are really excited for the challenge.”

What’s unknown is if Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will be available. He was limited in practice Tuesday, with the team saying he has both back and ankle injuries.

Tagovailoa said Tuesday that he will play but the Dolphins haven’t yet reached that conclusion.

“I’ve been up here, getting treatment, doing everything I can to get as close to 100 percent as possible,” Tagovailoa said. “That means, after all of this, staying as long as I have to until these (training staffers) have to go home.”

Tagovailoa said he doesn’t have a head injury. During Sunday’s game against the Bills, he was examined for a head injury and passed the concussion protocol. The swiftness in which he passed resulted in the NFL Players Association asking the NFL to investigate the situation.

Complicating matters is the short week. Miami head coach Mike McDaniel said Tuesday that Tagovailoa would be listed as questionable in a normal week.

Instead, backup Teddy Bridgewater is being prepared to play, with McDaniel saying he’d like to make a decision on Tagovailoa’s availability on Wednesday or possibly Thursday morning.

“I can tell in his voice, he’s literally going to do everything he can and in his power, so I know that he’s going to do everything you can to play,” McDaniel said. “So I’ll know that if he doesn’t play that it literally was not possible and we’re just taking measures accordingly for Teddy beyond that. But I’m happy with the way he’s so far progressed and feel very optimistic because of how he’s going about it.”

Tagovailoa has passed for 925 yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions during the 3-0 start. The passing game was pumped up with the offseason acquisition of receiver Tyreek Hill from the Kansas City Chiefs and results have followed: Jaylen Waddle (342) ranks second in the NFL in receiving yards and Hill (317) is third.

The Bengals are shooting to get to .500 after a slow start that included losses to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys.

Joe Burrow passed for 275 yards and three touchdowns against the Jets. He was only sacked twice after being dropped 13 total times in the two setbacks.

Burrow didn’t have a completion over 24 yards in the first two games. But against the Jets, he tossed a short pass that Tyler Boyd turned into a 56-yard touchdown and completed a 45-yard pass to Tee Higgins.

“I just think we’ve got to get those guys opportunities, no matter the coverage,” Burrow said. “They are just so good that we’ve got to find ways to get them the ball down the field, whether they’re open or not because they are going to make plays for us.”

Cincinnati running back Joe Mixon (ankle) is fit to play, according to Taylor. Defensive tackle D.J. Reader (knee) will miss at least a month. Tight end Drew Sample (knee) and offensive tackle La’el Collins (back) did not participate in Tuesday’s practice.

Waddle (groin) is among the other Dolphins dealing with injuries. Cornerback Xavien Howard (groin, glute) also is ailing.

The Dolphins hold a 17-7 series lead in the regular season.

–Field Level Media

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