It isn’t every day a football coach, especially an interim one, gets called “CRAZY” by the President of the United States. That is what happened to Mike Kafka of the New York Giants on Sunday when he made a hotly-debated fourth-down decision late in an overtime loss to the Detroit Lions. Asked about being harpooned by the President, Kafka didn’t seem to mind the second-guess. Rather, he seemed to enjoy the attention. “This is one of the coolest things that, I mean just for me, being in this position, you get the opportunity to make tough calls. For me, that’s awesome. I love it,” Kafka said. “You get it down the wire, two-minute, end of game, when you got to make a tough call, that’s where, to me, I feel like that’s a huge responsibility and something I enjoy doing, I like being that point person to do that. “So, everyone’s going to have an opinion. That’s okay. That’s okay. I’m going to do the best I can for myself, for the team first, to give us an opportunity to win the game. And whatever that call, whoever it was, a player, a coach, my aunt and uncle, my dad, like I heard it from everybody. And that’s okay. They can have their opinions, and I respect that. But I’m going to do what’s best for the team, try to do what’s best for the team.” Kafka wants an aggressive “let’s go win it” mentality. “Whether it’s winning the game on the last play of the game, being aggressive, going for two if we get an opportunity, whatever that situation is, that’s where we got to thrive and that’s where we got to turn the table in terms of our team is when it’s nut cutting time, when it’s time down at the end of the game, when we got to make a play, we’re going to be aggressive to go make the play to win it,” Kafka said. “And I want our guys thinking that way. I don’t want our guys thinking like, hey, we shouldn’t do this or do that. Like, let’s go win it. And that’s going to be our mentality. “So when we get down there, that’s really how we’re prepping. That’s how we’re practicing. And that’s how we’re talking with the players. That’s a language that we’re using across really the organization and across the team.” Kafka downplays Malik Nabers’ criticism President Trump wasn’t the only high-profile person to criticize Kafka’s end-of-game decision-making on Sunday. Giants star wide receiver Malik Nabers, on IR with a torn ACL, tweeted and quickly deleted comments wondering if the Giants were actually trying to lose the game. “I didn’t see the tweet,” said Kafka, adding he has not spoken to Nabers about it. “I didn’t see what he said, so I don’t necessarily have a comment on it, but I just, I think players can obviously respond any way they want to anything they want,” Kafka said. “But if it’s something that’s detrimental to the team, we’ll address it in-house and talk through it and move on.” Kafka did also reveal that Nabers is back with the team as he continues to rehab from his knee surgery. He had spent the first few weeks rehabbing in Dallas. What is the plan for Jaxson Dart? Somewhat like last week, the Giants are in limbo at quarterback. Jaxson Dart is practicing, and he was a full participant on Wednesday, but still has not cleared the NFL’s concussion protocol. Kafka said both Dart and Jameis Winston will get reps until the Giants get clarity from the independent neurologist on whether or not Dart will be cleared to play. Kafka was clear that Dart will play against the New England Patriots on Monday if he is cleared in time. “If he’s ready to play, like just any player, if they’re ready to play, then we have a plan for him, then we’ll put him in,” Kafka said. “He saw the doctors the doctors that he needed to see last week, and he’ll see the doctors that he needs to see this week and just continue to keep on progressing through.” See More:
NY Giants coach Mike Kafka unfazed by the President calling him ‘crazy’
2025 NFL Week 13 Preview
PFF’s Dalton Wasserman and Trevor Sikkema preview every Week 13 matchup on the NFL schedule.
Bengals Podcast: Defense Getting Better
It’s almost Thanksgiving, and Matt and Willie have a cornucopia of thoughts on the state of the Bengals. Join us and follow on Bleav for all the latest Bengals news and takes. Matt and Willie are thankful for a defense that is finally showing life. In this episode of Matt and Willie Know Ball, the […] It’s almost Thanksgiving, and Matt and Willie have a cornucopia of thoughts on the state of the Bengals. Join us and follow on Bleav for all the latest Bengals news and takes. Matt and Willie are thankful for a defense that is finally showing life. In this episode of Matt and Willie Know Ball, the ball-knowers tackle the defense. Is the linebacker a deep-fried turkey or a delicious turducken of talent with all the fixins? Just like when the parade is ending and pregame has begun, things seem to be trending in the right direction. Barrett Carter shook off his missed-tackle woes and had 16 total tackles this week. Carter has been calling the defensive shots and taking every single defensive snap since usurping Logan Wilson. Not unlike cranberry sauce in the shape of a can, he may be criminally underrated for what he has done as a rookie and the career trajectory he is currently projecting. Like a forgotten side dish, it’s better late than never for Myles Murphy. Over the last two weeks, he has really flashed. With both Trey Hendrickson and Shemar Stewart out, Murphy has seen a lot more action. He has taken advantage of this, looking good against both the run and the pass and producing a sack. I’ll take seconds of that. McKinnley Jackson has finally been promoted from the kiddie table and is making me wonder why he spent so much time on the inactive list. You can pass the masked potatoes, but you aren’t getting anything past Jackson in the run game. He anchors down like Uncle Ricky on the La-Z-Boy, and he isn’t going anywhere. Deep in the back of the refrigerator, the Bengals found some leftovers that still had some flavor. No, not the scalloped potatoes, Jalen Davis. Moving Davis up from the practice squad rounded out the Bengals’ secondary menu very nicely. He played a large role on the defense last week and showed no signs of spoilage. Tryptophan aside, people are sleeping on this Bengals run game. Chase Brown and, more importantly, this offensive line have really caught their stride. New offensive line coach Scott Peters is looking like a great hire. Now, can they keep it up as Joe Burrow looks to make his return on Thursday night? Burrow will have his work cut out for him if he hopes to get the Bengals’ season back on track. Black Friday may be coming up, but the Bengals’ win/loss record is so deep into the red that it will take them until New Year’s to get them out. Oh well, the Rose Bowl is a better parade anyway. Be sure to subscribe to Bleav in Cincy to hear the latest from the whole crew on everything Cincinnati Bengals! In addition to Matt and Willie Know Ball, you’ll hear from the Orange and Black Insider, Bengal Jim and Friends, and Three-and-Out. Who Dey! See More: Cincinnati Bengals podcasts
Zach Sieler nominated for Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award
On Wednesday morning, the nominees for the 2025 Art Rooney Sportmanship Award were released for all 32 teams in the National Football League. Miami’s nominee was defensive tackle Zach Sieler. The Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award is given each year to a player who demonstrates outstanding sportsmanship on the field including fair play, respect for opponents, […] On Wednesday morning, the nominees for the 2025 Art Rooney Sportmanship Award were released for all 32 teams in the National Football League. Miami’s nominee was defensive tackle Zach Sieler. The Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award is given each year to a player who demonstrates outstanding sportsmanship on the field including fair play, respect for opponents, and integrity in competition. This award is voted on by NFL players. The winner receives the recognition, but also a $25,000 donation from the NFL Foundation to a charity of that player’s choice. The Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award has been around since 2014 when Larry Fitzgerald of the Arizona Cardinals was the first recipient. Since then, ten more players have been recognized, yet no Dolphins players have walked away with the hardware as of yet. Two Carolina Panthers players have won the award — linebacker Luke Kuechly in 2017 and quarterback Teddy Bridgewater in 2020. Last year, Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was nominated for the award, however Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen was the league-wide winner. In 2023, former Dolphins tight end Durham Smythe was the team’s nominee, while in 2022, fullback Alec Ingold got the nod for Miami. See More: Miami Dolphins News
Lions News: National predictions for Detroit Lions vs. Green Bay Packers
Gather ye stuffed turkey hats, the Thanksgiving Day game in Detroit is back again. A holiday tradition for many families here in Michigan, the Detroit Lions will welcome the Green Bay Packers to a rematch on their home turf on Thursday afternoon. The Week 1 loss to the Packers 27-13 sent many into a tailspin […] Gather ye stuffed turkey hats, the Thanksgiving Day game in Detroit is back again. A holiday tradition for many families here in Michigan, the Detroit Lions will welcome the Green Bay Packers to a rematch on their home turf on Thursday afternoon. The Week 1 loss to the Packers 27-13 sent many into a tailspin that was quickly corrected the following week and basically each week since. The Lions are looking to settle the score, but a few national NFL analysts and writers aren’t quite sure they can pull it off. Here are your Week 13 predictions, thoughts, and score predictions: CBS Sports’ John Breech: Packers 20, Lions 17 “If this turns into a defensive battle, I think the Packers win. If this turns into a shootout, I think the Lions win. In their past nine Thanksgiving games, the Lions haven’t topped 25 points a single time, so I’m going to go ahead and say a shootout doesn’t happen. Turkey won’t be the only thing swallowed on Thursday, Goff is going to get swallowed up by the Packers defense.” Sporting News’ Bill Bender: Lions 28, Packers 20 “This is more about the Packers’ offense. Will Matt LaFleur be as aggressive as he was the last time Green Bay played Detroit on Thanksgiving? Injuries to Tucker Kraft and Josh Jacobs have slowed down that offense, which has averaged 17.5 points the last four weeks. Jordan Love has a 91.8 passer rating for his career against the Lions.” USA TODAY’s Tyler Dragon: Lions 28, Packers 24 “Detroit’s offensive line and defense are an issue right now. The Packers already beat the Lions and have the defense that can cause them problems. However, I believe Jahmyr Gibbs will feast on the Packers and be the difference.” Finally, six of the NFL experts who were polled at ESPN think the Lions will pull off a win, three did not. And onto the rest of your notes. Heads up Eminem fans heading to the game tomorrow: There will also be a special holiday-themed menu at Ford Field featuring classic Turkey Legs, and two new additions for this year: Fourth & Feast Fries and the Jahmyr Gibbs Spin Dash Combo. The City of Detroit put together some info on the holiday road closures, transportation suggestions, and parking options. If you can find a spot, metered street parking is free all day Thursday and Friday. This is an interesting take. The Lions posted an awesome view of the Jake Bates 59-yarder, including the Giants’ reactions. See More:
Eagles-Cowboys Film Review: An offense with no true identity
Well, last week I went mad at the Philadelphia Eagles’ offense. This week, I’m not as angry as you may expect. I try to judge with process over results, and I think the offense did make ‘some’ improvements in the pass game this week. I probably have low standards at this point, though. The run […] Well, last week I went mad at the Philadelphia Eagles’ offense. This week, I’m not as angry as you may expect. I try to judge with process over results, and I think the offense did make ‘some’ improvements in the pass game this week. I probably have low standards at this point, though. The run game, on the other hand… yikes. On the other hand, this might be the most frustrating offensive film of the season because, for the first quarter, the Eagles actually looked like the offense we all thought they could be. The opening script was genuinely excellent. Once they were up 21–0, the offense completely stalled with seven straight failed drives and the familiar themes of poor run-game structure, protection breakdowns, penalties, awkward spacing, and confused identity returned. Ugh. Offense This opening touchdown is the best representation of how well the Eagles started. They finally stretched the Dallas Cowboys horizontally and created a simple picture here for Hurts. Hurts read the safety dropping immediately, pulled the trigger, and the ball was out nice and early. This is what the passing game should look like. They did a much better job isolating AJ Brown and using more 3×1 sets rather than living in 2×2 sets. The run game is fundamentally broken. There is no rhythm, no sequencing, no identity, and certainly no cohesion up front. Barkley had nowhere to go from the first snap, with defenders consistently in the backfield before he even hit the line of scrimmage. He may have had a couple of plays he would want back, but he is categorically NOT the problem with the run game. The Cowboys’ five-man fronts were not some unpredictable surprise. After trading for Quinnen Williams, they showed these looks repeatedly against the Raiders but the Eagles looked completely unprepared for them. This was an offensive line getting physically dominated, and a run scheme that did nothing to help them. There are too many bad individual performances, but I still think the scheme is predictable, and it’s not helping them out. Remember when we ran Duo against the Giants, and it worked really well? Now we’ve just stopped doing it? The few times the Eagles injected designed quarterback runs into the game, the offense looked dangerous again. The QB draw out of empty remains one of the only consistently effective run plays they have, because it manufactures a numbers advantage and forces the defense into conflict. Hurts’ power on these plays is still elite, and this one again created a real spark. But this remains a situational tool rather than a core component of the offense, and the staff clearly remains reluctant to lean into it. It is the cleanest answer to fix the run game, but it also exposes Hurts to hits. Still, when your base run game is completely non-functional, it becomes harder and harder to justify not using it more. I maintain that I think Hurts needs to be a bigger part of this run game moving forward in the big games. The early aggression in the passing game continued with this ball to DeVonta Smith. The deep shot Hurts missed a few snaps earlier didn’t discourage them, and the offense stayed vertical. They were far more aggressive than they were against the Lions. What a ridiculous catch. Smith won at the catch point like he always does with absurd body control. This is the kind of design we’ve all been waiting for. The Eagles use alignment and angles to create easier blocks for their players (look how easy it is for Dallas Goedert to ‘pin’ here. But it also highlights the offensive inconsistency. They ran this once successfully and then never came back to it. The Eagles routinely find things that work and then disappear from them entirely. It is maddening. I mentioned Duo earlier, but remember when we played the Broncos and ran loads of RPOs? We’ve just stopped doing them, too. The offense is so random. As the game progressed, the familiar issues kept reappearing. The Eagles continued asking linemen to win blocks they cannot win in this scheme. This is an impossible block for Cam Jurgens. He’s not playing well, but this is impossible. He’s never reaching Quinnen Williams here. This play is never going to work. The Eagles must audible out of this, but of course, they get to the line with barely any time left, so they rarely have time to get out of these bad looks. Almost every run looked like someone losing at the point of attack. This isn’t a Barkley problem; it’s a structural one. There are still way too many zone runs and not enough variety. Defenses have realised they are running Counter more often now and are adjusting. We adjust too late. The passing game tightened once the Eagles went up 21–0. I’ll be honest, I don’t entirely blame the design of the offense here. They continued to call some downfield plays. However, Hurts’ early aggression and decisiveness softened. This play shows him hesitating just long enough for the window to close. I don’t think he suddenly got scared, but the offense as a whole clearly shifted to a “don’t mess this up” mindset rather than continuing to hunt for explosive plays. This comes from the top down. Despite not taking the shot, I think this could have been completed still if AJ Brown ran hard enough to clear the deep safety out. But the Eagles receivers don’t run clear-out routes hard. We’ve seen this all season long. The second half was full of these almost-plays. This out to AJ Brown is a perfect example. When the offense
NY Giants injuries: Jaxson Dart, Dexter Lawrence updates, latest news
New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence will not practice on Wednesday ahead of the Week 13 matchup against the New England Patriots due to an elbow injury, head coach Mike Kafka announced before practice. Quarterback Jaxson Dart is still in the NFL concussion protocol, but will be a full practice participant. Lawrence had a season-ending dislocated elbow last season. His 2024 season has not been up to the standard he set the last three seasons. Perhaps we can now infer that a lingering elbow issue might be part of the cause. Lawrence played only 36 of 69 defensive snaps on Sunday against the Detroit Lions, 53%. That is far below the 70% or more he usually plays, and Kafka indicated after the game that Lawrence was “nicked up” and the Giants were managing his snaps. Kafka had said Lawrence was in tears on the sideline because of his inability to play more, especially not being on the field in overtime on Jahmyr Gibbs’ 69-yard game-winning touchdown run. Dart has missed two games since being concussed Week 10 against the Chicago Bears. Being a full practice participant might be the final step before clearing the protocol. See More: New York Giants injuries
Eagles News: Tank Bigsby time?
Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles news and links … Eagles-Bears preview: Five things to watch – PhillyVoice1) Maybe it’s time for Tank? The Eagles’ historic rushing attack of 2024 has been non-existent for most of 2025. The offensive line hasn’t played as well as we’ve been accustomed to, the offensive staff lacks creativity, and […] Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles news and links … Eagles-Bears preview: Five things to watch – PhillyVoice 1) Maybe it’s time for Tank? The Eagles’ historic rushing attack of 2024 has been non-existent for most of 2025. The offensive line hasn’t played as well as we’ve been accustomed to, the offensive staff lacks creativity, and we may not see the quarterback get involved heavily in the run game until the games really start to matter in the playoffs. But what is also probably true is that Saquon Barkley does not have the same explosiveness that he did in 2024. We can all see that, right? And Barkley is also on the injury report this week with a groin injury. Earlier this season, the Eagles traded a couple of draft picks for Tank Bigsby, who busted as a kick returner, but who has shown some legitimate juice when he has gotten opportunities in the regular offense. During his time with the Eagles this season, Bigsby had 18 carries for 164 yards (9.1 yards per carry). I cut up video of those carries. Bigsby has fresh legs. Barkley does not, coming of a season in which he had 482 touches. Bigsby is playing better right now, and Barkley could use some rest. It’s also worth noting that there should be opportunity in the run game against this Bears defense, which is allowing 138.1 rushing yards per game (28th in the NFL), and will be thin at linebacker. […] There’s a chance the Bears could be starting their LB4 (D’Marco Jackson) and LB6 (Amen Ogbongbemiga) in this game. The Eagles must find a way to run the ball against this defense. Fran’s film review: What’s up with Saquon Barkley and the Eagles’ putrid rushing attack – PHLY Teams are loading the box against Saquon at a higher rate, and the blocking just simply has not been as good. When you pair that with the unwillingness to involve the quarterback in the run game to level out the playing field, numbers-wise, Barkley has had a tough go of things. The blocking inside has not been as good (0.8 yards before contact per carry difference from last year to this year), which has caused him to bounce things a bit more often (leading to the high Rushing Efficiency number). As far as yards before and after contact … I have always viewed Barkley as a ‘velocity’ runner. He is similar to Derrick Henry in that way. If you get to him early, before he builds momentum, you really limit his effectiveness. If he’s not at top speed he struggles to break tackles. If he gets rolling, that’s when he’s tough to bring down. Without as much room to run this year, we’ve seen those numbers go down. Barkley is still forcing missed tackles at a high rate! It’s just that he is facing that contact before or at the line of scrimmage, before he gets to top speed. The lower baseline lowers the ceiling. A lot of these numbers were due to regress, regardless. Barkley was hitting on an explosive runs at a rate that had never been seen before. The problem is that they regressed past the mean, as the Eagles have turned from a phenomenal rushing team into a below average rushing team. That has had a huge impact on the offense as a whole. Can they turn it around for the stretch run? Time will tell. Eagles issue estimated injury report ahead of Bears game – BGN The Eagles listed three players under FULL PARTICIPATION: Adoree’ Jackson, Willie Lampkin, and Myles Hinton. Jackson is listed with “gameday concussion protocol evaluation” (first time I’ve seen that one) as opposed to “concussion.” It was deemed that Jackson did NOT suffer a concussion in the Eagles’ Week 12 loss despite being evaluated for one. Jackson being available to start on the outside allows the Eagles to keep Cooper DeJean at nickel cornerback instead of moving him to the outside and playing Michael Carter II in the slot. So, that’s good news for the secondary outlook. Bears vs. Eagles Injury Report: Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon Full Participants – Windy City Gridiron OL Theo Benedet (quad), DB Kyler Gordon (calf), RB Travis Homer (hamstring/knee), DB Jaylon Johnson (groin), and RB Kyle Monangai (knee) were all estimated to be full participants. That is encouraging to see as Bears fans continue to hold out hope that both Gordon and Johnson can make a return for the Eagles game, giving the defense a much-needed boost. Sydney Brown feels ready for his starting opportunity | Bears vs. Eagles Daily Updates – PE.com 7:18 PM: Safety Sydney Brown will enter a starting role with rookie Andrew Mukuba expected to miss some time. Mukuba has been a starter in Philadelphia’s secondary this season and had come on in recent weeks, with Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio noting his lack of mistakes. Now, it’s time for Brown, a third-year player, to step into the action. “I’m ready,” he said on Tuesday. “I feel like I’ve been ready since [Training] Camp. I think I’ve been prepared since I got here. I’ve had a couple setbacks in the past. It’s just been something to work back from, but I think I’ve been ready to go since I came here.” Brown has played 36 games since getting drafted in the third round in 2023, making seven starts and nabbing two interceptions, including a 99-yard pick-six as a rookie. He plays a physical brand of football and can deliver some big-time hits. Brown will start alongside Reed Blankenship, someone he has spent a lot of time around, something he thinks will
Fantasy Football WR Report: Man, zone coverage performance ahead of NFL Week 13
This fantasy football report is an extension of PFF wide receiver grades, which also detail how receivers perform against man and zone coverages. Keenan Allen should be the Chargers‘ top target this week: Allen has been the team’s go-to option against zone coverage and draws a great matchup to deliver a worthy fantasy performance. Rashee Rice has been on fire against zone coverage: Rice has quickly moved to second among wide receivers in fantasy success against zone, and he draws a positive matchup to deliver once again this week. Get PFF+ for 40% off: Use promo code BLACKFRIDAY to unlock the PFF Player Prop Tool, Premium Stats, fantasy dashboards, the PFF Mock Draft Simulator, industry-leading fantasy rankings and much more — everything you need to win your season. Estimated Reading Time: 35minutes This fantasy football report will build on PFF wide receiver grades against man and zone coverages. By providing additional fantasy-related details, including opponent coverage tendencies, we’ll look to find one more edge to help dominate fantasy leagues this season. JUMP TO A TEAM: ARZ | ATL | BLT | BUF | CAR | CHI | CIN | CLE | DAL | DEN | DET | GB | HOU | IND | JAX | KC | LVR | LAC | LAR | MIA | MIN | NE | NO | NYG | NYJ | PHI | PIT | SF | SEA | TB | TEN | WSH Arizona Cardinals Week 13 opponent: Tampa Bay Buccaneers Man coverage rate: 23.8% (14) Zone coverage rate: 70.6% (17) Versus man Player Routes run Receptions Receiving yards Target rate PPR points FF PTS/RR Zay Jones 41 4 40 17.1% 8.0 0.20 Greg Dortch 36 3 43 8.3% 13.3 0.37 Andre Baccellia 2 0 0 0.0% 0.0 0.00 Michael Wilson 71 10 170 22.5% 27.0 0.38 Simi Fehoko 3 0 0 0.0% 0.0 0.00 Xavier Weaver 14 0 0 7.1% 0.0 0.00 Marvin Harrison Jr. 50 7 101 26.0% 23.1 0.46 Versus zone Player Routes run Receptions Receiving yards Target rate PPR points FF PTS/RR Zay Jones 132 8 143 6.8% 22.3 0.17 Greg Dortch 165 24 149 17.0% 50.9 0.31 Andre Baccellia 24 1 5 4.2% 1.5 0.06 Michael Wilson 344 37 364 15.4% 79.4 0.23 Simi Fehoko 22 0 0 0.0% 0.0 0.00 Xavier Weaver 88 3 24 6.8% 5.4 0.06 Marvin Harrison Jr. 272 27 424 17.6% 87.4 0.32 The Buccaneers have played man and zone coverages at league-average rates this season. They are a bottom-six defense in yards allowed per coverage snap (7.02) and yards allowed per coverage target (8.9) while in zone but rank closer to average in most man-coverage metrics. Marvin Harrison Jr. has a chance to return this week. While Michael Wilson has been excellent in his absence, Harrison is the team leader in success against both man and zone and would likely see the target rate swing back in his favor if he is on the field. Atlanta Falcons
3 key players to watch for Cincinnati Bengals vs. Baltimore Ravens
The 3-8 Cincinnati Bengals are basically to the point of the season where all they can do is play spoiler for other teams. With a short week, they play in Baltimore on Thanksgiving night. The Ravens have climbed all the way back to sharing the division lead at 6-5 with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Who will […] The 3-8 Cincinnati Bengals are basically to the point of the season where all they can do is play spoiler for other teams. With a short week, they play in Baltimore on Thanksgiving night. The Ravens have climbed all the way back to sharing the division lead at 6-5 with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Who will need to have a big game for the Bengals to come away winners in Baltimore? Joe Burrow Burrow is expected to make his return to the starting lineup this Thursday. While the record doesn’t show it, Joe Flacco played admirably filling in for Burrow since they traded for him. With that said, this team would have had a lot better chance to win late with Joe Burrow behind center the last two games. Some people will be rooting for draft position. For me, I will be gladly cheering on Joe Burrow’s return to the lineup. These players only have so many games in their career, I will choose to enjoy watching a player of his caliber, as long as I possibly can. McKinley Jackson Jackson has gone from inactive to looking like a very solid rotational defensive tackle over the past couple of weeks. During his nineteen snaps played on Sunday, he graded out as one of the top players on the defense, per PFF. He had an overall grade of 81.2. His run defense grade of 71.3 was the third-best among the defensive linemen. The two others above him were Joseph Ossai (77.1) and BJ Hill (71.9). The Bengals will be going up against the rushing attack of Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, and the rest of the Baltimore running game. They will need Jackson, along with the rest of the defensive line to step up in a big way. Kris Jenkins Sticking with second-year defensive tackles, Kris Jenkins will need to help contain Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson. He was drafted because of his ability to help stop the run while at Michigan. That has been inconsistent for the majority of his two seasons with the Bengals so far. Jenkins did produce three pressures during the game against the New England Patriots. In another lost season, hoping to see some of these young defensive players trend upwards is something to continue watching for. See More: Cincinnati Bengals Analysis