Cincinnati Bengals news fired off at a rapid pace this week, mostly around injury updates for names like Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and even Sam Hubbard.
As it turns out, Higgins and Hubbard are two of the biggest names set to miss the game against the Houston Texans, while Chase is a 50-50 shot after making nice progress from his back injury.
But that’s hardly all as the weekend arrives. We’ve also got a ranking of the toughest games left on the schedule for the Bengals and how some experts are picking the Week 10 game.
Here’s a look at the must-know Bengals news, notes and quotes for November 11.
Bengals' 9 remaining games, ranked from easiest to toughest -- Bengals Wire
Ranking the nine games left for the Bengals by difficulty, with a divisional foe taking the No. 1 spot. Really, there’s nothing easy left for the Bengals on the schedule, as even the simple-looking ones appear to be trap games.
Tee Higgins, Sam Hubbard out -- Bengals Wire
Two of the team’s biggest names will miss the game against the Texans, with Higgins’ injury especially frustrating for all involved. Coming out of his breakout game last week, he suffered an injury during practice.
Myles Garrett talks Joe Burrow over Lamar Jackson -- Bengals Wire
Browns star Myles Garrett caused a frenzy this week when he said he’d take Joe Burrow over Lamar Jackson. He had to defend that comment when asked late in the week.
Myles Murphy breakout time? -- Bengals Wire
Bengals first-rounder Myles Murphy has looked really good with an increased role recently. That might expand to something even bigger this weekend with Sam Hubbard out.
Two experts pick Bengals over Texans -- ESPN
Both ESPN experts agree that the Bengals will take down the Texans, though they do point out how good the Texans have been this year as the underdog: “The Texans are 4-1 ATS as underdogs with four straight covers. They are 8-2 ATS in their past 10 games as underdogs.”
Every expert picks Bengals -- NFL.com
All five NFL.com experts pick the Bengals in this one, with this as the summary: “C.J. Stroud couldn’t be hotter. Of course, you could say the same thing about the Bengals, whose average marks in points scored (26.5) and allowed (17) over their four-game win streak indicates just how tough this assignment will be for Houston. Not that the Texans wilt easily — three of their four victories have come against teams that currently boast winning records. I’m hoping for fireworks between Stroud and Joe Burrow. But Cincinnati is an established contender in a legit groove, and it’s tough to pick against a team like that.”
Another pick for the Bengals -- CBS Sports
CBS Sports points out that the Bengals defense will give a rookie Stroud some serious problems: “This is surprisingly a good game with the way these two are playing. We expected that from the Bengals, but the Texans are a surprise team. Both C.J. Stroud and Joe Burrow have been lighting it up. But this is a big challenge for Stroud, who will see a lot of different looks from Lou Anarumo. Burrow will get the best of it.”
Bengals against the spread, too -- The Athletic
The Athletic likes the Bengals despite listing a seven-point spread: “The Bengals have won four in a row and their defense has been just as impressive as Joe Burrow. They held the Seahawks, 49ers and Bears to an average of 16 points and now get C.J. Stroud after the rookie put on a show last week. Since starting the season 1-3, the Bengals have pressured opposing QBs at the third-highest rate in the NFL (42.8 percent of dropbacks). And Stroud, despite his impressive start, is 25th in the NFL in yards per attempt under pressure (5.1). He’s No. 2 when not pressured (9.3). Meanwhile, Joe Mixon looks revitalized and should do well against a bad Texans run defense. He has 11 rushes for 5-plus yards over the past two weeks, tied for fifth in the NFL.”
