Bengals rookie quietly in line for a much bigger role entering Week 11
One most welcome surprise for the Cincinnati Bengals in recent weeks has been the transformation of their running game. Unfortunately, the bye week, a second-time opponent in the Pittsburgh Steelers, and a key injury could derail all that prior momentum.
Not that the Steelers have a stupendous defense, but if Pittsburgh can score at will like many Bengals opponents have this season, ageless wonder Joe Flacco will be forced to air it out a lot and render Cincinnati's offense one-dimensional.
To help Flacco avoid a quadragenarian shootout versus Aaron Rodgers, the Bengals need to play keep-away and lean on the run. Can they count on a rookie sixth-round pick to help the cause?
Bengals rookie Tahj Brooks could be thrust into major duty after Samaje Perine injury
Former Texas Tech tailback Tahj Brooks slid all the way to the 193rd overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Bengals happily scooped up the productive ball-carrier then, as a deep running back class was part of the reason for Brooks' tumble down the board.
Any hopes Brooks had of substantial playing time early on were dashed when Cincinnati could run the ball whatsoever. Chase Brown was averaging around two yards per carry. Brooks has only managed six carries for 18 yards in his young career thus far.
But aging vet Samaje Perine and Brown suddenly became a phenomenal 1-2 punch of late. It's a bummer that Perine will be out for Week 11 with an ankle injury, as the team confirmed on Friday.
Perine is a savvy back who still has more explosiveness than you'd think at 30 years old. The good news is, the Bengals' disreputable offensive line has rallied from early adversity to pave lots of running lanes, which should open things up for Brown against Pittsburgh.
When the Steelers and Bengals met in Week 7, Brown had 108 yards on only 11 carries. The question is, does Brooks have the vision and conviction to hit the hole without hesitating, and produce like a solid RB2?
That much is unclear. What is clear is that Brooks should have the chance to prove himself. Maybe Zac Taylor won't trust him with a lot of reps, but Brown's health should take priority.
Plus, Brooks did have quite a run at the end of his college days, rushing for over 1500 yards in each of his last two seasons with 27 touchdowns on the ground in that span.
It'd just be nice to see a Cincinnati rookie do well. Watching Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter try to play NFL linebacker has been a disaster and a big reason why the defense is so bad. Maybe Brooks will provide hope that this latest underwhelming draft class can turn into something salvageable and respectable for the Duke Tobin-led scouting department.
I'll play you out with some Brooks Texas Tech highlights rather than any more depressing Bengals personnel fodder.
Jets Drop Much-Needed Positive Garrett Wilson Update
The New York Jets faced off against the New England Patriots on Thursday night without their top receiver in Garrett Wilson.
Wilson was officially placed on the Injured Reserve on Thursday afternoon, which means he will miss at least the next three games for the team after the Patriots game. A stint on the IR means you miss a minimum of four games and the first for Wilson was against the Patriots.
After losing against New England, the Jets sit at 2-8 on the season. New York's next three games are against the Baltimore Ravens, Atlanta Falcons, and the Miami Dolphins. There's an argument that all three are winnable. The Ravens are 4-5 and Lamar Jackson's health is in question. Miami is 3-7 and is not even close to full strength at this point. The Falcons are 3-6 and have been struggling recently. All in all, all three are winnable.
The Jets got some good news
But, will Wilson return even though the playoffs are a pipe dream at this point? Jets head coach Aaron Glenn was asked on Friday if he thinks Wilson will play again this season.
"I do," Glenn said. "I do. But, again, a lot of that has to do with the (doctors). Him being on this short-term IR, obviously he gets to come back after four games. So, hopefully, he will be back with us."
At a time in which there is a lot of bad news around the franchise, this is the type of update that can at least be considered good news. Wilson is a certified star in the wide receiver room and had a great start to the season before a knee injury negatively impacted his season.
Wilson now has missed three games and got re-injured in his return against the Cleveland Browns without making a catch. Despite this, he's leading the team with 59 targets, 36 catches, 395 receiving yards, and four receiving touchdowns.
No matter what happens over the next three weeks, at least there is something to look forward to with the expected return of Wilson.
