WEEKLY NEWS RELEASE OCT. 13, 2015 CINCINNATI BENGALS (5-0) AT BUFFALO BILLS (3-2)

CINCINNATI BENGALS One Paul Brown Stadium Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 (513) 621-3550 administrative offices (513) 621-3570 administrative fax (513) 621-TDTD (8383) ticket office www.bengals.com WEEKLY NEWS RELEASE OCT. 13, 2015 CINCINNATI BENGALS (5-0) AT BUFFALO BILLS (3-2) Kickoff: 1 p.m. Eastern. Television: CBS broadcast with Spero Dedes (play-by-play) and Solomon Wilcots (analyst). The game will be aired in the Bengals home market on WKRC-TV (Channel 12) in Cincinnati, WHIO-TV (Channel 7) in Dayton and on WKYT-TV (Channel 27) in Lexington, Ky. Radio: Coverage on the Bengals Radio Network, led by a triple cast on Cincinnati flagship stations WLW-AM (700), WCKY-AM (ESPN 1530; all sports) and WEBN-FM (102.7). Broadcasters are Dan Hoard (play-by-play) and Dave Lapham (analyst). The game will also be broadcast to a national audience on affiliates of Westwood One Sports. Broadcasters are Kevin Lee (play-by-play) and Ross Tucker (analyst). Setting the scene: The Bengals are 5-0 and seeking this week to tie the longest unbeaten start in franchise history. But even those unambiguously positive numbers fail to tell the full story of the team s buzz factor as it prepares for a trip to Buffalo. Last week s 27-24 overtime conquest of Seattle was about as landmark as a Game 5 could be, as the Bengals rallied from a 24-7 deficit after three quarters to upend a foe that has played in the last two Super Bowls. Cincinnati won the fourth quarter 17-0 and took the win with 3:42 left in overtime on a 42-yard Mike Nugent field goal that kissed the left upright before bouncing through as good. It s early in the season, cautioned head coach Marvin Lewis. There s another big game ahead of us. Buffalo is a physical team that plays well at home. It s a long year against a lot of good teams. But even Lewis didn t fully contain the feeling that this team, with four straight playoff berths but no playoff wins, is a significantly different outfit as it goes for berth No. 5. That was a hell of a fourth and fifth quarter, and I m proud of you guys, Lewis told the players in his postgame address. We kept playing. No flinch. Today was a good step to understand that we can do that all the time. If you get in those tough situations, you can keep fighting back and make one play on top of another. We had those plays in all three phases in the fourth quarter. Buffalo is 3-2, coming off a comeback win of its own, 14-13 last week at home against Tennessee. We ll enjoy this one, said Bengals DE Wallace Gilberry, but the challenge is to stay strong every week and not take too much of a deep breath. Five-and-0 is good, but 6-and-0 sounds a lot better. The win over Seattle tied the second-largest fourth quarter deficit overcome (17 points) in Bengals history. It ended a string of 427 consecutive NFL games in which teams trailing by 17 or more in the fourth quarter had lost (more detail on that on page 3 of this release). And this one came against a two-time defending conference champion. That was meaningful to OT Andrew Whitworth and DT Domata Peko, two key veterans who led the team back to surprise success in 2011 and more success beyond after a disastrous 4-12 campaign in 2010. When you come back from 17 points down against an opponent that s used to putting teams away, it says something, Whitworth said. We ve had our share of success recently, but this is the most talented team I ve been on, and it has special guys. Seattle came in with terrific talent, but so did we. The other Bengals teams I ve been on, I m not sure we had the talent to do what we did in this game. GAME NOTES 1 WEEK 6, GAME 6 SUNDAY, OCT. 18 AT RALPH WILSON STADIUM NEXT WEEK: WEEK 7 BYE This game shows the perseverance and character we have, said Peko. I m sure we were 17 down in the third quarter, a lot of people were thinking, Well, they re going to be 4-and-1. But we had the confidence to come back. I just feel great about this group. Seattle had the ball and its 24-7 lead as the fourth quarter began. But the Bengals forced a three-and-out, and Adam Jones returned Seattle s punt 35 yards to the Seahawks 33. Four plays later, Dalton passed 10 yards to Tyler Eifert for the tight end s second TD of the game. Seattle made only one first down on its next possession, as Peko played tough against the run and DE Carlos Dunlap s pressure forced an incompletion. The Bengals responded with an 11-play, 71-yard drive on which Dalton scored a TD on a five-yard run, having changed the play call at the scrimmage line. The clock had 3:38 still remaining, and the Seahawks again went three-andout, with QB Russell Wilson sacked on third down by DT Geno Atkins. Back came the Bengals on offense for 69 yards on seven plays, with Nugent sending the game to overtime on a 31-yard field goal as time expired. In overtime, each team had the ball twice. But the Bengals second possession started in great field position, at the Cincinnati 43, thanks to a 19- yard punt return by Jones. Four plays later, including a 13-yard rush by Giovani Bernard, the Bengals were at the Seattle 24, from where Nugent knocked home the winning field goal. The series: The Bills lead, 15-13, including 9-4 as the home team. The series record includes a pair of postseason games, both wins by Cincinnati teams en route to Super Bowls in the 1980s. After the Bengals beat the Bills 21-10 in the 1988 AFC Championship game at Cincinnati s Riverfront Stadium, Buffalo came back to win the next 10 games in the series. It stands as the longest winning streak by an opponent against the Bengals. But the Bengals have won the last two meetings, 23-20 at Cincinnati in 2011 and 27-24 in overtime at Buffalo in 13. The Bengals other playoff victory over Buffalo was in a 1981 season Divisional round contest at Riverfront Stadium. The 28-21 win advanced Cincinnati into its Freezer Bowl AFC title win against San Diego. A complete recap of the series appears on page 209 of the 2015 Bengals Media Guide. Team bests from the series: Bengals MOST POINTS: 52, in a 52-21 victory at Riverfront Stadium in 1984. LARGEST VICTORY MARGIN: 31, from the 1984 victory at Riverfront. FEWEST POINTS ALLOWED: 5, in a 5-0 loss to the Bills at Buffalo in 1978. Bills MOST POINTS: 51, in a 51-24 victory at Buffalo in 1979. LARGEST VICTORY MARGIN: 27, in the 1979 game at Buffalo. FEWEST POINTS ALLOWED: 0 (twice), most recently in a 14-0 win at Cincinnati in 1980. The last meetings: Summaries of the last two Bengals-Seahawks meetings in 2011 at Cincinnati and in 13 at Buffalo are on page 16 of this news release. Records vs. Bills: On Sept. 9, 1979, Buffalo s Roland Hooks became the first opponent to score four touchdowns in a game against the Bengals. He is now one of three players to share that record, and he also shares the record for total points in a game against Cincinnati (24). On Oct. 21, 1991, Bills QB Jim Kelly became the second opponent to pass for five TDs against Cincinnati. Five players now share that record.

(Records vs. Bills, continued) On Nov. 4, 2007, Bengals WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh scored a TD vs. Buffalo, giving him at least one TD in eight straight games to open the season, the longest in Bengals history to open a campaign. He was not able to extend the streak to nine in the next game. On Nov. 21, 2010, Bills WR Stevie Johnson tied a Bengals opponents record with three TD receptions, becoming the eighth player to reach that mark against Cincinnati. No one has done it since. BENGALS-BILLS NFL RANKINGS BENGALS BILLS SCORING (AVERAGE POINTS): Points scored...4th (29.6) 9th (24.8) Points allowed...10th (20.2) T-13th (21.0) NET OFFENSE (AVERAGE YARDS): Total...2nd (421.4) 24th (328.2) Rushing...10th (124.2) 6th (128.0) Passing...5th (297.2) T-27th (200.2) NET DEFENSE (AVERAGE YARDS): Total... 21st (371.2) 16th (356.2) Rushing...18th (108.6) 3rd (82.2) Passing... 22nd (262.6) 24th (274.0) TURNOVERS: Differential... 13th (plus-two) T-9th (plus-4) Bengals-Bills connections: Bills head coach Rex Ryan coached at the University of Cincinnati as defensive coordinator from 1996-1997... Bills offensive line coach Aaron Kromer is from Sandusky, Ohio, and played and coached at Miami (Ohio) from 1990-1997... Bills LB Preston Brown is from Cincinnati (Northwest High School) and played at the University of Louisville... Bills G John Miller played at Louisville... Bills C Eric Wood is from Cincinnati Marvin Lewis has the most wins of any Bengals coach, and by a wide margin. His 105 total is good for a margin of 41 over Sam Wyche (64). Lewis record is 105-90-2 in the regular season and 105-96-2 including postseason. Lewis in 2015 extends his tenure to 13 seasons, also a Bengals record, and in April of 15, he signed a contract extension through 16. He has led the team to the postseason in five of the last six years, including four straight. The Bengals are one of only four NFL teams to be in the playoffs every year since 2011, and they are also one of only five clubs to qualify as many as five times in the last six years. In total, Lewis has coached six Bengals playoff teams, another franchise record. Paul Brown is second in the category, with three. Lewis has coached three division champions, one more than Paul Brown and Sam Wyche. The Bengals logged their third straight season of double-digit wins in 2014, finishing 10-5-1. Cincinnati closed a half-game behind Pittsburgh in the AFC North Division and went to the playoffs as the first Wild Card, falling 26-10 at AFC South champion Indianapolis. In 2013, Lewis led an 11-5 season, winning the AFC North by three games over both Baltimore and Pittsburgh. In a 2009 title season in which the Bengals swept all six division games and won the North title, Lewis was the consensus choice as NFL Coach of the Year. Lewis also led Cincinnati to an AFC North title in 2005. Lewis ranks second in the NFL in longest current tenure with one team, trailing only Bill Belichick, who is in his 16th straight season with New England. In the category of most seasons as an active NFL head coach with one or more teams, Lewis in 2014 ranks sixth. Lewis was named the ninth head coach in Bengals history on Jan. 14, 2003. In 02, he directed the NFL s fifth-ranked defense with Washington, serving as assistant head coach in addition to his role as defensive coordinator. Prior to his year with the Redskins, he was a record-setting defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens. His six seasons with the Ravens (1996-2001) included a Super Bowl victory following the 00 season. In the 00 season, Lewis Baltimore defense set the NFL record for fewest points allowed in a 16-game campaign (165), and the 00 Ravens are always included in discussions of the best singleseason NFL defenses of all time. Lewis entered the NFL as linebackers coach with Pittsburgh from 1993-95, THE HEAD COACHES (Elder High School) and played at Louisville... Bills DBs coach Donnie Henderson was a coaching consultant to Marvin Lewis in 2007... Bengals offensive line coach Paul Alexander is from Rochester, New York. Red-zone reports: The Bengals had a pretty fair day in the red zone wars last week and finished with top 10 rankings on each side of the ball for the season. The defense nabbed an interception and forced a field goal on Seattle s two offensive chances, and the Bengals offense cashed its first three possessions for TDs before happily settling for a field goal as time expired in regulation. The Bengals defense ranks third in the NFL in lowest red-zone TD percentage (36.4) and second for fewest red-zone TDs allowed (four). The offense ranks eighth in TD percentage (66.7). The offense leads the NFL in total red-zone chances (24) and ranks second in total red-zone TDs at 16, one behind Arizona. BENGALS RED-ZONE REPORT OFFENSE DEFENSE Inside-20 possessions: 24 Inside-20 possessions: 11 Total scores: 20 (83.3%) Total scores: 10 (90.9%) TDs: 16 (66.7%) TDs: 4 (36.4%) FGs: 4 (16.7%) FGs: 6 (54.5%) TD% rank: 8th TD% rank: 3rd No scores: 4 (16.7%) No scores: 1 (9.1%) BILLS RED-ZONE REPORT OFFENSE DEFENSE Inside-20 possessions: 10 Inside-20 possessions: 13 Total scores: 7 (70.0%) Total scores: 10 (76.9%) TDs: 6 (60.0%) TDs: 7 (53.8% FGs: 1 (10.0%) FGs: 3 (23.1%) TD% rank: T-13th TD% rank: T-12th No scores: 3 (30.0%) No scores: 3 (23.1%) guiding the careers of Pro Bowl selections Kevin Greene, Chad Brown, Levon Kirkland and Greg Lloyd. Born Sept. 23, 1958, in McDonald, Pa., near Pittsburgh, Lewis played linebacker at Idaho State and earned All-Big Sky Conference honors in each of his three seasons ( 78-80). He began his coaching career as an assistant at Idaho State University in 1981. Rex Ryan is in first season as Bills head coach and his sixth season as an NFL head coach. He led the N.Y. Jets from 2009-14. His first two Jets teams reached the AFC Championship game, after qualifying for the playoffs as Wild Cards. Ryan s record is 53-54, including 50-52 with the Jets. His mark includes a 4-2 record in postseason, with a 24-14 victory over the Bengals in a 2009 Wild Card game at Paul Brown Stadium. Like Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis, Ryan rose to prominence in NFL coaching circles as a successful defensive coordinator with the Baltimore Ravens. He started with the Ravens in 1999 and spent three seasons on the defensive staff with Lewis as coordinator, including the 2000 Super Bowl winners. He was the Ravens defensive coordinator from 2005-08, and was also assistant head coach in 08. He began his NFL career as defensive line coach for Arizona in 1994-95, coaching under his father, head coach Buddy Ryan. He is in his 19th year as an NFL coach. His college coaching experience includes two seasons (1996-97) at the University of Cincinnati, under head coach Rick Minter, and two seasons (1987-88) at Eastern Kentucky. A native of Ardmore, Okla., he played defensive end at Southwestern Oklahoma State. His twin brother, Rob Ryan, is defensive coordinator of the New Orleans Saints. Lewis vs. Bills: Bills lead, 5-2. Lewis vs. Ryan: Ryan leads 3-1, including 1-0 postseason, all with the N.Y. Jets. Ryan vs. Bengals: Same as Ryan vs. Lewis. 2

Get this one: How unusual was the Bengals comeback to defeat Seattle after trailing by 17 in the fourth quarter? This from Elias Sports Bureau: Since 2011, in 428 NFL games in which a team has trailed by 17 or more in the fourth quarter, the Bengals are the only team to win. With their 1-and-427 record over the span, teams trailing by 17 or more in the fourth quarter now show a winning percentage of.002. Prior to the Cincinnati-Seattle game, the last NFL contest that saw a team overcome a deficit of 17 or more in the fourth quarter was Philadelphia at the N.Y. Giants on Dec. 19, 2010. The Eagles won 38-31 in regulation after trailing 31-10 with 8:17 to play. Also, according to ESPN.com, the Bengals last week posted only the third victory in NFL history in which a team erased a fourth-quarter deficit of 17 or more to defeat a defending Super Bowl team. The other such wins were by Phoenix in 1992 over Washington and by Indianapolis over Tampa Bay in 2004. AFC North race: For the second straight week, the Bengals have a two-game lead over Pittsburgh in the AFC North Division. The Bengals and Steelers play this season on Nov. 1 at Pittsburgh and on Dec. 13 at Cincinnati. Here s the AFC North picture, looking ahead through Week 7. TEAM W-L PCT. DIV. NEXT TWO WEEKS Cincinnati 5-0 1.000 1-0... at Buffalo; BYE Pittsburgh 3-2.600 0-1... vs. Arizona; at Kansas City Cleveland 2-3.400 1-0... vs. Denver; at St. Louis Baltimore 1-4.200 1-2... at San Francisco; at Arizona (Mon.) 6-and-0? With a win this week, the Bengals can tie the franchise record for longest unbeaten start to open a season. Sam Wyche s 1988 team went 6-0 before losing 27-21 at New England. The Bengals finished 12-4 and went on to win the AFC Championship. Paul Brown s 1975 team went 6-0 before losing 30-24 at home to Pittsburgh. That club finished 11-3, for the best winning percentage in franchise history (.786) and earned a Wild Card berth. This year s Bengals are only the third Cincinnati team to start 5-0. Dalton third after gutty effort: Impressive as it was in many respects, last week s Bengals comeback win over Seattle was not a textbook exercise in offensive proficiency. The Bengals trailed 24-7 through three quarters, and Andy Dalton s passer rating at that point was 76.2, about the equivalent of C-minus. And though Dalton rallied mightily in leading the Bengals back to an overtime win his fourth-quarter passer rating was 136.7 it s not surprising that his overall passing numbers were nicked a bit. Dalton finished the game with a highly respectable 95.9 rating, but he had been riding a streak of four straight games above 115.0. That had not been done to open a season in 42 years, since John Hadl of the L.A. Rams turned the trick in 1973. The NFL tracks official passer ratings only since 1973, so had Dalton posted 115.0 last week, he d have been the only NFL QB in the record books with five straight 115 s to open a year. As it was, Dalton s 95.9 dropped his season rating to 115.6, third in the NFL behind arguably the league s current two biggest QB names, Green Bay s Aaron Rodgers (121.5) and New England s Tom Brady (117.4). For the previous two weeks, Dalton had ranked second behind Rodgers. But Brady blitzed Dallas for a 130.9 rating last week, moving ahead of Dalton into second place overall and first in the AFC. The last Bengal to win an AFC season passing title was Boomer Esiason, at a 92.1 number that sounds modest by today s standards. The last Bengal to win an NFL passing title also was Esiason, at 97.4 in 1988. Dalton s strong finish against Seattle insured that for the second straight week, he leads the NFL in fourth-quarter passing (154.7). Former Bengal Carson Palmer of Arizona is a distant second at (137.8). But Dalton s rocky first three quarters helped to insure that he would not retain the NFL lead in third-down passing that he held last week. He s now sixth on third down; with a still very good 110.8 rating. Dalton s high rank in the ratings comes from a balanced performance in relevant categories. He s second in yards (1518), despite being only 14th in attempts. He s second in average gain per attempt (9.49). He s tied for third in TDs (11) and tied for fourth in fewest INTs (two). He s fourth in differential between TD passes and INTs (nine). Andy the comeback king: Chalk up Bengals QB Andy Dalton for two superb comeback wins during the Bengals 5-0 start, the kind of wins that BENGALS NOTES 3 mark a QB as a leader and an overall winner. In Week 3 at Baltimore, Dalton was the ultimate counterpuncher. He may have seemed down for the count after the Ravens sacked him in the third quarter, forcing a fumble they returned for a TD and a 17-14 lead. But as the Cincinnati Enquirer said in a sports page one headline, When there were questions, Dalton answered. He struck back with an 80-yard TD to WR A.J. Green to erase the 17-14 deficit, and he led an 80-yard drive, all on passes, to later erase a 24-21 Baltimore lead. It provided the winning points in a 28-24 decision. Dalton has now led three straight fourth-quarter comeback wins against the Ravens, and he really did it twice, because he led the Bengals back from deficits of 17-14 and 24-21, both in the game s final seven minutes. And last week vs. Seattle, the two-time defending NFC champion and 2013 Super Bowl winner, Dalton led the Bengals back from a 24-7 deficit after three quarters to a 27-24 overtime win. He completed 13 of 15 passes for 135 yards in the fourth quarter and overtime. He threw a 10-yard TD pass to TE Tyler Eifert, scored himself on a physical five-yard run and led the team to two field goals. Asked after the game if this is the most confident you ve felt in your pro career, Dalton said: Absolutely. Every year that you play and every game you play, you hope to get better, and when you get wins like this, it adds to your confidence. I feel really good about this team and where we are. In the fourth quarter, I m walking up and down the sideline, first off saying to our defense, Let s get a stop and get the ball back. And with our (offensive) guys, we don t have to do anything but play our game. We don t have to try to make bigger plays than we need to, and I just have to get them to stick to our offense. Offensive coordinator Hue Jackson had this to say about Dalton s demeanor in the double-comeback win at Baltimore: There was a calmness. There was a veteran player who had been through the wars, who had been through a lot of things here, who looked me in the eye and said, OK, Coach, let s go. Don t even worry about it. That s how it was, and that s what I ve been looking for. So it s there. And now it will pay off for us in the long run. After the Seattle win, head coach Marvin Lewis was asked about Dalton s growth as a leader. Andy s always had that poise, Lewis said. He s had only rare occasions where he let one bad play lead to another. To me, that s what makes Andy Dalton tick. He hasn t changed, but the other guys have raised their level around him. When things don t quite go their way, they are mentally tough enough to do the things that let Andy do his thing. If a quarterback doesn t have that, that s when (the criticism) all seems to come down on him. Andy the change agent: Bengals QB Andy Dalton has great statistics this season, but much of the praise he s earning from coaches and teammates comes from something fans can t always see his knowledge of the offense and ability to successfully change or alter play calls in the huddle or at the scrimmage line. It happened again last week vs. Seattle, when Dalton audibled into the keeper that produced a five-yard TD run during Cincinnati s fourth-quarter comeback. Dalton bulled his way past a tackler into the end zone, but more than that, it was his game-sense that keyed the score. There was a good look, Dalton said. Everything was wide open on the inside, and it gave me an opportunity to just take it myself. You get these looks, you ve practiced against them throughout the week, and we got it and executed it exactly how we wanted to. In the Oct. 4 Bengals win over Kansas City, head coach Marvin Lewis said, The runs Andy got us in and out of were great. Says Dalton: It s great that the coaches have the confidence in me to let me run things out there according to how things are going. Coordinator Hue Jackson puts it like this: There used to be a time you would just play system football; whatever coach calls, that s what you do. But to be good in this league and to be really good, you have to be bright enough, smart enough and understand what you are trying to accomplish when the defense changes. Andy is well-schooled that way. That s something that takes time on his part, a lot of time on the coach s part, and he does it as well as anybody I ve ever been around. He has taken himself to another level. Dalton also is better this season improvising with his feet. In the Kansas City game, he roamed from pressure in the pocket to hit HB Rex Burkhead for a 27- yard completion and WR Brandon Tate for a 55-yard TD. In the Sept. 27

(Andy the change agent, continued) comeback win at Baltimore, he spotted HB Giovani Bernard after nearly being sacked and hit Bernard with a short pass that resulted in a big gain en route to the winning TD. Andy s playing out his mind, says WR A.J. Green. But we all know what type of guy he is. He s just like a commander out there. He knows what they are going to run, what plays to check to get us in the best play possible. We trust Andy, said TE Tyler Eifert. He s always at the facility studying. He gets us into the right play. We trust him and we know he s a great quarterback. We believe in him and that s what we expect him to do. Andy the leader: OT Andrew Whitworth has this to say about QB Andy Dalton: The thing that strikes me about No. 14 is that every single season, I see him become better at something else. This year it s been leadership and taking control. He s doing a great job with it. If he continues to lead us that way, there s plenty of talent on this side of the football for us to be really good. One of the things Andy doesn t get enough credit for is how he changes things all the time. One of the things that has made this offense successful is Andy s ability to get us into the right play. Dalton s platform for leadership includes the following other accomplishments since joining the Bengals as a second-round draft choice in 2011: He is only the second starting QB in the Super Bowl era (along with Baltimore s Joe Flacco) to lead playoff teams his first four seasons. He has never missed a start in 73 career opportunities, including postseason. His 69 consecutive regular-season starts is a Bengals record, topping 61 by Boomer Esiason from 1985-89. His regular-season winning percentage of.659 (45-23-1 record) is the best of any Bengals QB with 10 or more starts. He holds club records for passing yards (4293) and TD passes (33), both set in 2013. His career 19.0-to-1 ratio of TD passes to INTs (76-4) in the red zone ranks second among active NFL passers. He is the only Bengals passer to throw for 300-plus yards in four consecutive games (2013). Andy s excellent vacation: QB Andy Dalton s strong start to the season can be attributed in part to his spending offseason time for the second straight year with noted QB instructor Tom House. I think that s the key to a pro s pro, said head coach Marvin Lewis. A guy who wants to be at the top of his game has to spend time on himself all year long, just like a professional golfer does. They go to different people all the time, they re always searching for answers and wondering, What is out there that can make me better? You re not trying to re-invent the wheel, but thinking, What you can do to enhance the things you currently do and make you a better player, and make you more efficient at your job? Turning over those stones is an important part in Andy s maturity and development moving forward. Dalton wasn t taking a repeat course this past offseason. He was moving to a new level. I started where I left off the year before, he said. I was farther along with everything we were doing when I went back. That s where I want to be. I m able to do a lot of the more advanced stuff they have because I have a good understanding for what we are doing. It s not stuff that is strange or different. Just working core, shoulders, and getting everything working for you so you get everything into the throw. Asked where he hoped to see the sessions pay the most dividends in 2015, Dalton said: Mechanically staying sound throughout the whole year. Sometimes you get into the mid-to-late season, and you ve been so focused on defenses and the mental side of it, you may not take as much time thinking mechanically and making sure everything is in sync. That s where I m really trying to use it; to make sure I have everything going for me toward the end of the season. I feel like I ve done the stuff enough now where it s muscle memory. Talking back and forth with them, doing things, and doing them right. I ve done it enough now that it s muscle memory. Andy and the next generation: Andy Dalton has had his share of statistically rubbing elbows with the greats. In 2012, he nudged in right behind Peyton Manning and Dan Marino for most TD passes by a QB in his first two seasons. In 2013, he joined Manning (and also Cam Newton) as the only passers to top 3000 yards each of their first three seasons. He has surpassed Manning, Marino, Brett Favre and others in leading consecutive playoff finishes (four) from his rookie year onward. (And he started with a team that went 4-12 the season before). Through Week 5 of this season, he ranks third behind Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady in NFL passer rating. Is Dalton yet the equal of Marino, Manning, Favre, Rodgers etc.? Of course not. But he s 27. His time and others could be coming. You get compared to guys like Peyton, who s 39, Brady who s 38, Rodgers who s 31, Dalton says. Then there s that next group that s got to come up, and that s kind of what I m part of. My goal is to be like one of those guys whenever that time comes. Though Dalton hasn t yet won a playoff game, Manning needed his first five seasons (1998-2002) to lead the Indianapolis Colts to three playoff berths, and the Colts were eliminated in the first round all three times ( 99, 00, 02). Manning led his first playoff wins (two) in 2003, his sixth season as a Colt. Dalton passes Russell: After a long run of ranking third among active players in career ratio of red-zone TD passes to interceptions, Andy Dalton this week ranks second. Dalton had two TDs and no INTs in the red zone against Seattle last week, and he passed Seahawks QB Russell Wilson, who had no TDs and one INT. Dalton took second place, and Wilson fell to fourth, behind New England s Tom Brady. Dalton s ratio is 19.0-to-1, now trailing only Aaron Rodgers of Green Bay. Andy s performance in this area is the type of thing we ve come to expect from him, said Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis. He s not only a fine talent, but a smart player who is going to avoid the big mistake. We ve got a lot of confidence in Andy when we get the ball into scoring range. Here are the active NFL leaders in the category of TD-INT ratio on red-zone plays (minimum 25 TDs): PLAYER, CURRENT TEAM TD INT RATIO Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay... 153 5 30.6-to-1 Andy Dalton, Cincinnati... 76 4 19.0-to-1 Tom Brady, New England... 285 16 17.8-to-1 Russell Wilson, Seattle... 52 3 17.3-to-1 Alex Smith, Kansas City... 79 6 13.2-to-1 Dalton rules against NFC: Last week s win over Seattle raised QB Andy Dalton s record against NFC teams to 13-3-1, a winning percentage of.794. His three losses have come by a total of 12 points. The Bengals next game against an NFC foe will be on Nov. 22 at Arizona. Dalton s career-high passer rating of 143.9 was posted against NFC foe New Orleans last season. Here s a roundup of Dalton s history against NFC opposition: DATE OPP. RESULT COMP-ATT-YDS-TD-INT RATING 9-25-11 S.F. 49ers, 13-8 17-32-157-0-2 40.8 10-30-11 @Sea. Bengals, 34-12 18-29-168-2-2 72.2 12-18-11 @StL. Bengals, 20-13 15-26-179-0-1 62.8 12-24-11 ARIZ. Bengals, 23-16 18-31-154-2-0 92.7 9-23-12 @Wash. Bengals, 38-31 19-27-328-3-1 132.9 11-11-12 NYG Bengals, 31-13 21-30-199-4-0 127.6 12-9-12 DALL. Cowboys, 20-19 20-33-206-1-1 76.1 12-13-12 @Phil. Bengals, 34-13 13-27-127-1-0 74.2 9-8-13 @Chi. Bears, 24-21 26-33-282-2-2 97.2 9-22-13 G.B. Bengals, 34-30 20-28-235-2-1 105.5 10-20-13 @Det. Bengals, 27-24 24-34-372-3-0 135.9 12-22-13 MINN. Bengals, 42-14 27-38-363-4-0 136.2 9-14-14 ATL. Bengals, 24-10 15-23-252-1-0 116.6 10-12-14 CAR. Tie, 37-37 33-43-323-2-2 93.5 11-16-14 @N.O. Bengals, 27-10 16-22-220-3-0 143.9* 11-20-14 @T.B. Bengals, 14-13 19-27-176-1-3 60.6 10-11-15 SEA. Bengals, 27-24 (OT) 30-44-331-2-1 95.9 * Dalton s career-best rating. NFC beware The Jungle: The Bengals are 17-6-2 (.720) in their last 25 home games against NFC teams, including last week s 27-24 overtime win over Seattle. The last 24 of the 25 games have been played under head coach Marvin Lewis (16-6-2). Going back a bit farther, the Bengals are 28-13-2 (.674) at home against the NFC since 1993. 4

(Bengals notes, continued) Green s 227 tops NFL in 15: Bengals WR A.J. Green logged a career-best 227 receiving yards on Sept. 27 at Baltimore, the highest total in the NFL through Week 5 for scrimmage yards as well as receiving yards. No other receiver has topped 200 in a game. Green had six catches for 78 yards last week vs. Seattle, and for the third straight week, he ranks fourth in the NFL in receiving yards for the season (now 495). The league leader is DeAndre Hopkins of Houston (578). Green leads the team for the season in catches (31), receiving yards (495) and scrimmage yards (495). Bottom line, it s clear he s back, as good or better than ever after having his production drop off just a tad during an injury-nagged 2014 season. Through five games., Green is on pace for 99 catches, which would be his career high by one, and for 1584 yards, which would easily break the club record of 1440 set by Chad Johnson in 2007. We re winning, and we have a lot of offensive weapons, which is great, Green says. I have no worries about my numbers. I know my chances will come. It s simple on this team. When your number is called, make the play. In the Seattle game, Green had an apparent 72-yard TD catch, marked by one of his signature downfield escapes from tacklers, but the first-quarter scored was nullified by a Cincinnati holding penalty. Green s first TD in his career-high 227-yard day at Baltimore was an 80- yarder, third-longest of his career, bringing the Bengals back from a 17-14 deficit. He caught an Andy Dalton pass in stride near midfield and ran the rest of the way, eluding a couple of would-be Ravens tacklers near the Ravens 25. His second score was a seven yarder with 2:10 to play that erased a 24-21 deficit and posted the final victory margin of 28-24. Green ran a crisp route to the back left corner of the end zone, beating coverage from CB Jimmy Smith, who had intercepted a pass against him earlier in the game. Green s 227 yards, second in Bengals history to Chad Johnson s 260, topped by three his previous career high. A.J. is so competitive, and such a great team player, said QB Andy Dalton. I am so fortunate that we came here together (in 2011). He is so talented, and I m glad he is on our team. Green through 19: On Sept. 11, the Bengals signed Green to a contract extension, running through the 2019 season. Green previously had been under contract through the current season. Everyone in football, and people who follow football, know that A.J. is a special talent, said head coach Marvin Lewis. He makes plays that you wouldn t think could be made. He s an outstanding teammate and a leader you can rely on. He still has a long, great future ahead of him in Cincinnati. Green (6-4, 207; Georgia) was selected fourth overall by the Bengals in the 2011 Draft and has been a Pro Bowl player on a playoff team in each of his four seasons. Green and Dalton, also drafted in 2011, are the most productive QB- WR duo in NFL history for players in their first four seasons. Their 324 completions and 4735 yards are the most for any duo in seasons 1-4, and their 33 TD connections are tied for the most, along with Dan Marino and Mark Clayton of Miami (1983-86). Everyone knows I just want to play football, Green said. Playing in Cincinnati has been great for me and I want to stay here. So getting this done is great. I ve still got tons I want to accomplish in the NFL. Dalton and Green made four-year history: WR A.J. Green and QB Andy Dalton were the Bengals first two draft selections in 2011, and they had quite a ride for their first four seasons (2011-14). As researched by Elias Sports Bureau, they stand as the most productive QB-WR duo in NFL history for players in their first four seasons. Their 324 completions and 4735 yards are the most by any duo for seasons 1-4, and their 33 TD connections are tied for the most with Dan Marino and Mark Clayton of Miami (1983-86). Green needs 98, and on pace for 99: After missing parts of last season with injuries, Bengals WR A.J. Green is bent on having his best season ever in 2015. And if Green could just match his best-ever receptions figure 98 from 2013 he ll have the most receptions for a player s first five seasons in NFL history. The current leader in that category is Larry Fitzgerald, who caught 426 for his first five seasons with Arizona. Green, with four seasons under his belt, entered this year with 329 receptions. A total of 98 more would put him at 427, and with 31 catches in the first five games, he s on pace to finish with 99. Here s how the NFL list for receptions in seasons 1-5 will look if Green bags 98 catches this season: PLAYER RECEPTIONS A.J. Green...*427 Larry Fitzgerald... 426 Torry Holt... 423 Randy Moss... 414 Anquan Boldin... 413 Marvin Harrison... 413 Brandon Marshall... 413 * Includes projected total of 98 catches this season. Hue J. talks turkey: WR A.J. Green is a low-key personality, and he seemed sincere during August when he said he wasn t worrying much about his contract situation. But offensive coordinator Hue Jackson, known to speak plainly, said he believes Green must feel great relief over the contract extension he signed on Sept. 11. Now Green is signed through 2019, rather than having to play this season on the last year of a contract. It s great for the team, and it should make him an even better player, Jackson said. Players are human. It can scare you when your contract situation is unsettled. You can t help but worry some about getting hurt. And when you re a high-profile player like he is, everybody s always talking about your situation, putting stuff in your head about what other guys got and all that stuff. But that s all over now. Now he can just cut loose and play. Hue-J Call me crazy : How varied is the Bengals secondranked NFL offense (421.4 yards per game) under coordinator Hue Jackson? OT Andrew Whitworth puts it this way: If there s plays that exist and we don t have them in the playbook, I d like to hear about them. Last week s win over Seattle featured a couple of the oddest-looking formations the Bengals have shown this season. OTs Andrew Whitworth and Andre Smith were both split wide, on either side of the formation, in three-man pods featuring two receivers. QB Andy Dalton was in the middle, behind an offensive line featuring just the center and the two guards. And that was just the latest, of course. Earlier this season, the Bengals completed a 31-yard pass to rookie OT Jake Fisher he was the eligible big tight end in an extra-blocker formation vs. San Diego. H-back Ryan Hewitt a hybrid TE/FB is liable to show up anywhere. DT Domata Peko is occasionally used as a blocking back, and receivers have lined up in a wishbone look, with Dalton occasionally running the option. WRs Marvin Jones, Mohamed Sanu and even A.J. Green will likely get rushing attempts down the road, and Jackson has not yet in 2015 unleashed the considerable passing talents of Sanu, who is fivefor-five for his career for a 35.4-yard per-attempt average, with two TDs. This is my masterpiece, per se, with the rest of the staff, says Jackson. I think some people think I m crazy, Jackson said. That s OK. I ve been called that before. LBs coach Matt Burke may have been one of those people last spring, when the team hit the field to open offseason work. He (Jackson) is running out there, and it s zone-read and tackles out and unbalanced, Burke recalled. It s first day of spring ball, I m like, What are we doing? This is our thing, Jackson says. This is the Cincinnati Bengal thing. I m not trying to copycat anybody. This is a product of over the years. Frequent pre-snap audibles and motions are meant to get defenders thinking from the moment the Bengals break the huddle, until the ball is snapped. Defenses are too good, says Jackson, and if you let them, they will figure you out and bring your offense to a screeching halt. When you re able to do more, and guys have to be prepared for more, and defenses don t know where you are from one play to the next, it gives you a chance to have success. That s what you re seeing from our team. The days of throw it to just one guy, or just do this one way, are over, Jackson continues. If we re going to be a high-powered offense that is unpredictable and hard to stop, then we have to do a lot of things and we have to do a lot of things well. That s where we re headed. And Andy (QB Andy Dalton) is the key to that. He s the orchestrator of it all. But all the pieces have to be played in the right way and in the right spots. Thus far, we ve done an OK job of that, but we can continue to get better. Jackson doesn t specifically say it, but it seems his favorite play of the year may have been the 31-yard pass to the rookie Fisher. Now, he said with a smile, everyone we play has to practice against it. 5

(Bengals notes, continued) Craziness not over yet: Five games into the season, the wide variety of new looks from the Bengals offense (see previous item) is not about to subside. A ton, offensive coordinator Hue Jackson says, when asked how many formations he has left on his shelf. We haven t even scratched the surface. Come on now. We haven t even got close. We ve done nothing. We re just trying to get better. That s all we re trying to do. Besides having excellent overall talent, they are keeping defenses guessing. Defensive football is played by a lot of tenacious guys wanting to attack and fight and tackle, said Whitworth. And if you can get them a little bit off, sometimes that helps you. We ve just got to continue to be able to push the envelope offensively and push the aggressiveness. Pick me, Coach: Bengals offensive skill players long to be the man with the touch for coordinator Hue Jackson s inventive play calls. He keeps a few in his pocket every week, says HB Jeremy Hill. How the game is flowing determines how he pulls them out. I think it s so deceptive, because we don t even know when it s coming up, so I know the other team has no idea. If a play is called for someone else, guys wish their number was called, says HB Rex Burkhead. There is always lobbying for it. Anytime there is a trickery play or something like that, guys always want to run it. Just because they feel cool doing it. Carlos and Geno rise in sacks: Bengals DE Carlos Dunlap is tied this week for the NFL lead in sacks, sharing the top spot with Detroit DE Ezekiel Ansah at 5.0 And Bengals DT Geno Atkins is just one behind at 4.0. Atkins ranks second in the NFL in sacks by interior linemen, trailing only Gerald McCoy of Tampa Bay (4.5). Sacks have been an official NFL statistic since only 1982, and the Bengals have never had an AFC or NFL leader for a full season. The highest rank for a Bengal in the NFL has been sixth (Atkins with 12.5 in 2012), and the highest Bengals rank in the AFC has been fourth (Atkins fourth in 12, and DE Jim Skow tied for fourth in 1988 with 9.5). Dunlap is on an early pace for 16.0 sacks, which would be the most by a Bengal in the official era, topping 13.0 by DE Eddie Edwards in 1983. The Bengals have team sacks records dating to 1975, and the Cincinnati record is 22.0 by DE Coy Bacon in 76. Edwards 13.0 is second in Bengals annals. Atkins is on pace for 13.0 sacks (rounded from a projection of 12.8). Though the Bengals have not had an overall sacks season leader in conference or league, Atkins led NFL interior linemen by a wide margin with his 12.5 sacks in 2012, and Atkins tied for the league s interior line lead in 2011, when he had 7.5. Overall, the Cincinnati defense has logged nine sacks in the last two games four last week against Seattle and five the week before vs. Kansas City. The Kansas City total was the most by Cincinnati in a span of 48 games, since a sixsack effort in Game 4 of 2012 at Jacksonville. With 15 sacks for the season, tied for sixth in the NFL, Cincinnati has three-quarters as many sacks in five games as it had all last season (20). Dunlap had 1.5 sacks last week and Atkins had 1.0, and their plays were key in Cincinnati s overtime win. Dunlap had a seven-yard solo sack of Russell Wilson on a third-down play late in the third quarter. It forced a punt, keeping the Seahawks from expanding on a 24-7 lead, and the offense started Cincinnati s big comeback on the ensuing possession. And in overtime, Dunlap teamed with LB Emmanuel Lamur to sack Wilson for an eight-yard loss on third down. The Seahawks had to punt from their 14, and with a 19-yard punt return by Adam Jones, the Bengals offense started at the Cincinnati 43, needing just four plays for 23 yards to set up the winning field goal. Atkins sack also helped key the comeback. He sacked Wilson at the line of scrimmage on a third-and-four play in the fourth quarter, forcing a punt, and the offense responded with a 69-yard drive for the field goal that sent the game into overtime. On Atkins, head coach Marvin Lewis adds: I think Geno in particular has been playing the run exceptionally well. I think that always gets a little underrated in Geno s case. I thought he had an excellent year last year playing the run, and this year he came back much stronger in his lower body, and you see that in his play. He understands our run fits and what he needs to get done. If they try to single-block him in the running game, we know the ball is coming back to us. Dunlap also leads the team in total QB hits (11) and total tackles-for-loss (six). He leads the line in tackles (21), ranked fourth on the team. And though Dunlap does not have a forced or recovered fumble yet this season, he has 10 6 career forced fumbles and seven fumble recoveries, tops on the current team in both categories. Tenth-year DT Domata Peko, not usually a featured pass rusher, led the way in the Oct. 4 win vs. Kansas City with 2.0 sacks. It was the second two-sack game of his career, the first coming for him as a rookie at Denver in 2006. Peko dropped Alex Smith for losses of two and nine yards in the second quarter, both times helping stall Chiefs drives into field goal attempts. Also in the sack column this season are DE Wallace Gilberry (1.0), DE Michael Johnson (1.0), CB Adam Jones (1.0), DE Will Clark (0.5) and Lamur (0.5). Dunlap on the D-line: Last year we didn t have the rotation (of ingame personnel) that we had the few years before that, says Bengals DE Carlos Dunlap. We had some guys injured at times, and we didn t have Mike (Johnson) or Pat (Sims). And now we ve got year two from young Will (Clarke), who maybe wasn t quite ready to get his feet wet last year, and last year we had Wallace (Gilberry) playing nose in some run situations, and that s not really what we want. Having this rotation back and keeping guys healthy is going to be huge for us. And, Dunlap continued, there s Geno (Atkins). Geno s obviously got his confidence back. Coming from the first career devastating injury, it takes a little while to get that back. This year I feel like he s going to make the cuts and play on his knee like the injury never happened. Having Geno back to his normal ways, that should give us 10 sacks alone. Then hopefully I can top him. I want to lead the league. That s my goal every year. So whoever the leader is, I m trying to have one more than him. Vinny keeps the tackles coming: LB Vincent Rey has had 28 tackles in the last two games. His totals of 15 vs. Kansas City and 13 vs. Seattle are the two highest single-game totals for the Bengals this season, and his 49 tackles on the year leads second-place Rey Maualuga (33) by 16. Against Seattle, Rey also had a pass defensed against TE Luke Wilson in overtime, helping force the punt that set up Cincinnati s winning possession, and he was in coverage on intended receiver Jimmy Graham on the pass intercepted by Adam Jones in the third quarter. Rey led the Bengals last year for the season in tackles (121). Except maybe for the lack of a 6-3 frame as a linebacker, Vinny (6-0) has everything you want in a pro player, says head coach Marvin Lewis. He s got a big, strong lower body, so he s really a bigger man than he appears, and he s like a sponge. If you say something to him, he gets it right the first time and does it right. That s why he gets so many tackles. Rey s smarts were key in his biggest play of the year, a game-clinching interception on Sept. 20 vs. San Diego. Minding instructions to take deeper pass drops against QB Philip Rivers, who had big success throwing over the middle the previous week, Rey picked off a seven-yard Rivers pass intended for TE Malcolm Floyd at the San Diego 48 with just 0:53 to play, securing Cincinnati s 24-19 win. He leaped to win a contested ball with the 6-5 Floyd and held onto the ball as he came down to earth with a thud. It was a big moment, said Rey. I m just out there trying to do my job and help us get a win. And I knew, going up to get it and then coming down, If I catch this, the game s over. Off the field, Rey is as humble and down-to-earth a pro football player as you ll find. Five seasons into his NFL career, he hasn t changed from the undrafted rookie he was when he signed with the Bengals in 2010. I remember when he was a rookie on our practice squad, said Lewis. We almost lost him to Seattle. They were going to sign him, and we pulled him back from the airport. We told him, Just hang on one more week and we ll get you on our roster. He agreed to stay, and now he s in his fifth year with us. Rey is also one of the defense s primary signal-callers. I may not be the fastest, strongest, biggest guy, but one of my jobs is to make sure that everybody s on the same page, Rey said. Before the snap, if everything s 100 percent, then I have a chance. I just want everybody to be on the same page. I don t want it to be my fault. I don t want to be the reason why we re not winning that snap, that we re not competing well. Everyone has a job, and everyone s counting on me to do mine. That s why I m loud out there. Survival mode: The Bengals won last week despite allowing 169 rushing yards to Seattle s Thomas Rawls (on 23 carries). That s the most rushing yards by a player in the NFL this season. Seattle s tough, but pass pro still tied for third: The Bengals had their first rough day of the season in pass protection last week, with Andy Dalton sacked four times. But the Bengals had allowed only two sacks over

(Seattle s tough, but pass pro still tied for third, continued) the first four games, tied for first in the NFL, and this week they have dropped only to tied for third, with six total allowed. The N.Y. Jets lead with only two allowed, but the Jets had their bye last week. The N.Y. Giants are second with four allowed, and Cincinnati shares third place with Washington. The Bengals are on an early pace to allow 19 sacks for the season. That would be second-best in franchise history, behind only the record of 17, set in 2007. Many factors go into effective pass protection, and the contributions of players like H-back Ryan Hewitt, HB Giovani Bernard and TE Tyler Eifert may sometimes go undervalued. But the core of pass protection is the offensive line, which is getting the job done not only with talent, but with the way they work together. Chemistry? I m not sure I can describe it, but I just know we have it, says OL coach Paul Alexander. You want to sign guys up to your team that are natural, tough, selfless guys. I think if you get enough of guys like that together, eventually they ll mold together. They have to be smart. Our meetings are more like seminars. We kind of watch the film and throw it around and bounce ideas. You can only do that with smart guys. Andrew Whitworth has been Cincinnati s primary starting LOT since 2009, and Andre Smith has been his ROT bookend since 2011. Clint Boling has been the starting LG since 2011, and Kevin Zeitler has been at RG since 2012. The only relative newcomer in the starting five is C Russell Bodine, who s starting for his second season. Eric Winston is a veteran reserve (121 career NFL starts) who joined the Bengals last season and started the last four games and the Wild Card playoff at ROT, with Smith out due to injury. Rookie OT/G Jake Fisher has contributed as the big tight end in extra-blocker formations his 31-yard reception on Sept. 20 vs. San Diego was the longest by an NFL offensive lineman since 1988 and second-year pro T.J. Johnson backs up Bodine at center. Head coach Marvin Lewis says the starting line s chemistry is visually apparent in position meetings. They sit in meetings the way they line up, Lewis says. The center sits there in the middle, and then the right guard, the right tackle, the left guard, the left tackle all in their places. That s the way they sit, that s the way they do things, because they always have to see things the same way. When you have guys who need to work in conjunction with each other, the chemistry is not underrated. It s part of it. It s very, very important. We ve got a good group, and a strong, strong foundation in that room and in this building. Fourth in sack differential: With a plus-nine differential in sacks (15 by defense, six against offense), the Bengals rank fourth-best in the NFL this week. The top three teams are Green Bay at plus-12 (20-8), St. Louis at plus-10 (19-9) and Denver at plus-10 (22-12). Eifert on pace for history: Five games into the 2015 season, Tyler Eifert is on pace to log the most catches, receiving yards and touchdowns for a year by any Bengals tight end. Last week against Seattle, Eifert led the Bengals in receptions (eight), receiving yards (90) and touchdowns (two). He had a 14-yard TD in the first quarter and a 10-yarder in the fourth quarter. For the season he is 24-for-312 with five TDs. He s second on the Bengals behind A.J. Green in catches and receiving yards and tied for the TDs lead with HB Jeremy Hill. Eifert s TD total projects to 16, along with Hill, and 16 would tie FB Pete Johnson (1981) for the second-most season TDs by any player in Bengals history, behind only WR Carl Pickens 17 in 1995. The most season TDs by a Bengals pure TE has been nine, by Rodney Holman in 1989. (Bob Trumpy had nine TD catches in 1969, but he was listed as a TE/WR.) Eifert s yardage total projects to 998, which would break the Bengals TE record of 910 set by Dan Ross in 1988, and Eifert s catch total projects to 77, which would break Ross TE record of 71 in 88. Though the Bengals have plenty of talented skill position players vying with Eifert for the football, Eifert this week ranks tied for third among NFL TEs in catches and fourth among TEs in receiving yards. He leads all TEs in touchdowns New England s Rob Gronkowski has four but has played one less game and Eifert (also Hill) is tied for fourth among all NFL players in TDs. Eifert and Hill are among four players tied for the AFC lead in TDs. Arguably, Tyler s the best tight end I ve ever been around, says offensive coordinator Hue Jackson. He s physically tougher than people think he s tough as nails. He blocks better than people think, and of course he can catch the ball with anybody. Great hands, and great moves and speed for a guy his size (6-5, 250). The sky truly is the limit for this guy. Eifert was a Bengals first-round draft choice in 2013. T.J. Houshmandzadeh, who played 11 years in the NFL and caught 70 or more passes in six seasons, including a Bengals-record 112 in 2007, also had unusually high praise for Eifert after working with the Bengals as an intern assistant coach this past spring. Every time I see that guy run a route, I can t believe it, Houshmandzadeh said. I can t believe that man. He s too big to be moving like that. That s crazy. Eifert had a good rookie season, working with veteran TE Jermaine Gresham in a two-te base offense. He caught 39 passes for 445 yards and two TDs. But he played only eight snaps last season. On the third of his three catches for 37 yards in the season opener at Baltimore, he suffered elbow injury that would put him out for the remainder of the season. QB Andy Dalton looks forward to seeing Eifert use his many tools against smaller defenders who aren t that much faster than No. 85. He s a big matchup mismatch for us, Dalton said. The more that he can do, the better we ll be. Back at No. 1, Jones off to blazing start: You won t find many NFL players who were listed first on a depth chart for a season, then were not listed first for eight years, and then became listed first again. But such is the case for Adam Jones, running No. 1 at RCB for the Bengals. Jones, who turned 32 on Sept. 30, was last a No. 1 in 2006, when he started 15 games for Tennessee, which had made him a first-round draft choice (sixth overall) in 2005. Off-field issues and resulting suspensions sidetracked Jones career from 2007-09, and though he has been a valuable Bengal since 2010, serving as a nickel CB and dangerous kick returner, the No. 1 CB slots from then through last year were locked up by Leon Hall on one side and by Johnathan Joseph, Nate Clements and then Terence Newman on the other. Jones did start 13 games for the 2013 division champion Bengals, but they came as an injury replacement for Hall. But this year, after a 2014 season in which he played well at CB while bringing the Bengals their first-ever NFL kickoff return title (31.3 yards per return), Jones has moved ahead of Hall, whom the coaches now use in more of hybrid nickel/safety role. And Jones has more than justified the belated promotion in the season s first five games. His INT of a deflected pass against Seattle last week gave him the team lead with two, and he ranks third on the team in tackles (31) and first in passes defensed (five). His other INT came Sept. 27 at Baltimore. Jones had an equally large play with a forced fumble in the season-opening win at Oakland, helping the Bengals put the game away early. With Cincinnati leading only 10-0 a bit past the midway point of the second quarter, the Raiders appeared to gain a first down at their 46, as QB Derek Carr scrambled for a nineyard gain on third-and-nine. But it was Jones who knocked Carr out of bounds, and he also knocked the ball loose, the ball going out of bounds at the Raiders 45. That left Oakland with a fourth-and-one, and when the Raiders gambled by going for it on the next play, Cincinnati MLB Rey Maualuga stopped RB Latavius Murray for no gain. The Bengals offense then responded with a six-play drive for a 21-0 advantage. What s more, Jones hit on Carr forced the Raiders starter from the game. Matt McGloin, third-year pro from Penn State, had to finish the game for the Raiders. Better every year: The key for CB Adam Jones return to a starting spot seems to be that while he has retained much of the natural ability that made him a high draft pick 10 years ago, he has continued to learn the game a bit better every year. I would say the mental aspect of my game on defense has caught up with the physical part, Jones says. I can still run pretty fast, and my hips are pretty good. All that is still there. But I ve probably gone from a C-plus student to an A- minus as far as technique, knowing where to be, knowing when to press, what leverage to press on. When I was younger, I was playing more on talent, because I felt no one could out-run me, that I was way faster than people. I feel the same way now, but I have a guy in the back of my ear that s telling me, Yeah, you can do all that, but why not make your job easier? Jones reference is to DBs coach Vance Joseph, now in his second Bengals season after eight seasons coaching DBs with San Francisco and later Houston. I ve had a lot of cornerbacks coaches, but it s the little things he teaches, Jones said. For instance, in one call he already eliminated four routes for me when nobody else broke it down like that. I trust him. He s been straight up with me. Some coaches don t tell you honestly the truth, but V.J. is going to tell you uncut. He expects guys to do it his way... or he ll find somebody else. 7