–Wide receiver A.J. Green’s dramatic 13-yard catch was not the only thing to have Cincinnati buzzing. So was the performance of wide receiver Tyler Boyd, who continued his terrific start by getting 11 catches for 100 yards. Two of those catches were on fourth-down conversions, including the first one where he got slightly nicked up. So far, Boyd leads the team with 349 receiving yards and his 26 catches are second on the team. In his rookie season, he made 54 receptions for 603 yards and last year he finished with 22 catches for 225 yards in 10 games. “Tough. He’s a tough guy. I’ve seen him grow,” Green said.
–Week 4 was significantly different for wide receiver John Ross, whose effort was questioned last week in Carolina. This time, Ross caught a 39-yard touchdown pass and then made a nice stretching catch along the sideline. Although he had two receptions for 52 yards, his contribution did not go unnoticed, especially after he came back after appearing to pull a muscle.
“I think criticism comes as a part of it,” Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said. “You just don’t worry about it you just put your blinders on and play football. Just keep getting better. We have a lot of young guys and it shows. We keep working hard to overcome it. With that comes ability.”
Ross rebounded nicely after a pregame chat with Bengals all-time leading receiver Chad Johnson. “He just told me to go out and enjoy the game. Have fun,” Ross said. “I also talked to T.J. (Houshmandzadeh) today. They had such great careers here. For them to want to help me feels great.”
–Cincinnati’s defense has made stops at various important times so far but should be enhanced with the return of linebacker Vontaze Burfict from a four-game suspension for PED use. Cincinnati’s defense has faltered against the run and intermediate passing routes and the numbers show that. “It means a lot for us to find a way to win this game and get to 3-1,” linebacker Preston Brown said. “To get some guys back from injury next week and get Vontaze (Burfict) back next week, it’ll be exciting.”
–Is running back Joe Mixon returning Sunday from arthroscopic surgery on time? The answer is maybe based on head coach Marvin Lewis playing coy with the media at practice Wednesday. Mixon underwent the minor procedure to get his knee cleaned out Sept. 15 and the Bengals said the timeline was two to four weeks. So, when asked about Mixon’s possible but likely return, Lewis spoke in codes, saying: “The sun is up. It’s a bright sunny day out there. Joe has worked hard.” As for Mixon’s take: “When they clear me, I’m ready.”
BY THE NUMBERS: 113 — While the offense is humming along nicely, that represents the number of points allowed by the Bengals through Week 4, good for 23rd in the league. The Bengals allowed 495 yards on Sunday and allowed the Falcons to convert 11 of 15 third downs.
34 — Cincinnati has scored points in their last 34 trips inside the red zone. It is the longest streak in the NFL, five ahead of New England. The streak dates back to Week 9 of last season and the Bengals have scored 25 touchdowns on those trips.
