PLAYER NOTES
–RB Giovani Bernard may miss his fourth straight game with a knee injury as he spent Wednesday on the rehab field, which is where he was a week ago. He was initially injured in Week 4 when he started in place of Joe Mixon, who was recovering from knee surgery at the time.
–LB Vontaze Burfict did not practice Wednesday as he recovers from a hip injury that forced him out of the second half in Kansas City. It remains to be seen if he sits out. Asked how Burfict is playing this season compared to previous years, especially after four missed tackles in Kansas City, head coach Marvin Lewis kept his comments brief on the topic. “He has not played as well as he played in the past,” Lewis said. “It’s not relevant.”
–C Billy Price continued to make progress with his sprained foot as he was a limited participant in practice Wednesday. It seems after the bye week on Nov. 11 is a more realistic return date for the rookie, who will miss his sixth straight game if he sits out vs. Tampa Bay.
–CB Darqueze Dennard could be out for the second straight game as he did not practice Wednesday. Dennard was injured early in the Week 6 loss to Pittsburgh.
–WR John Ross did not participate in practice Wednesday due to a groin injury that reportedly will sideline him for a few weeks. On Tuesday, NFL Network reported the severity of the injury but the Bengals did not confirm it Wednesday. It has been an injury-plagued beginning of his career for the 2017 No. 9 overall pick, who was injured most of this season. In five games this year, he has seven catches for 79 yards and two touchdowns.
–CB Dre Kirkpatrick did not practice Wednesday due to an Achilles injury. He recorded four tackles Sunday at Kansas City and would likely be questionable for the Tampa Bay game.
–TE Jordan Franks was added to the active roster from the practice squad due to Cincinnati’s sudden depth problem at the position. Franks is an undrafted free agent out of Central Florida and the rookie appeared in four preseason games. He was among Cincinnati’s cuts to 53 and then returned as a member of the practice squad.
–LB Brandon Bell was signed to the practice squad Wednesday. He was an undrafted free agent out of Penn State in 2017 and spent the first 13 games of his rookie campaign on the practice squad. He appeared in the final three games and recorded seven tackles on defense and three on special teams. He was among Cincinnati’s cuts to 53 before the season and did not latch on with another team.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: WR Tyler Boyd did little last week against Kansas City (granted nobody did much of anything well), but he finished with three catches and 27 yards in the 45-10 loss. While teams focus on A.J. Green, the Bengals will be counting on Boyd to run effective routes and be more like the player who totaled a pair of 100-yard receiving games in Weeks 3 and Week 4. Since his 11-catch, 100-yard game on Sept. 30, Boyd has 14 catches and 133 yards.
GAME PLAN: The Bengals did not spread the ball around enough against Kansas City but then again they did little correctly. The Bengals are hoping to do it again, especially since they succeeded in doing so in their wins. In their first three wins, the Bengals spread it around to eight different receivers. The Bengals are also playing a team without stud linebacker Kwon Alexander, who is out for the season with a torn ACL. Alexander’s absence gives the Bengals a chance to incorporate running back Joe Mixon, assuming the offensive line can block effectively. In three games back from knee surgery, Mixon has 207 rushing yards on 46 carries.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH
–Bengals LT Cordy Glenn vs. Buccaneers DE Jason Pierre-Paul. Glenn is coming off a flawless night of blocking and now gets a chance to duplicate it against one of the league’s hottest defenders. Pierre-Paul has a sack in six straight games and his 21 pressures lead the Bucs and are also the same amount Pro Football Focus says Glenn has yielded. Unlike other defensive linemen, Pierre-Paul does not move around often and since 92 percent of his snaps have been from the right side, it seems likely he will be attempting to get by Glenn’s blocking more often than not.
–Bengals DBs vs. Buccaneers WR DeSean Jackson. Whoever plays will keep a watchful eye on Jackson. The secondary is another banged-up area and Jackson always remains a threat assuming the ball can be thrown his way. Jackson thrived on deep balls with QB Ryan Fitzpatrick but since Week 2, he has only caught one of seven deep balls thrown his way. Regardless of negative trends for Jackson, he is someone for the Bengals to be wary of.
