CINCINNATI (AP) — Hines Ward was Tyler Boyd’s favorite Steelers player while he grew up in Clairton
Josh Malone Jersey White , Pennsylvania. He loved how No. 86 made the tough catches in the biggest games and helped Pittsburgh win two Super Bowls
during his 14 seasons.“He was my guy,” the Bengals receiver said. “Everything
about him was good. He was quick, aggressive, he was smart, just a guy that
everyone looked up to in the Pittsburgh area.”Boyd got to know the Steelers when
he went to Pitt, which shares Heinz Field with the Steelers. Instead of being
drafted by them in 2016, he wound up going to the rival Cincinnati Bengals, who
were looking for a slot receiver to complement A.J. Green.Boyd immediately
redirected his goal toward beating his beloved black-and-gold team. So far, he’s
0-for-4.The Bengals (4-1) have dropped six straight to the Steelers (2-2-1), a
streak that’s the talk of the town as Pittsburgh arrives for a game Sunday at
Paul Brown Stadium. Boyd has played in three of the games. All three times, he
has walked off the field watching thousands of Steelers fans twirl their
Terrible Towels — a scene he once enjoyed.“I haven’t beaten them once, so that
would mean everything to me
http://www.thebengalslockerroom.com/authentic-mark-walton-jersey ,” Boyd said. “Just with all my friends and family and fans coming to watch, I can
start bragging a little and talk a little noise and stuff.”So far, there’s been
little to talk about.Boyd had his best game against the Steelers as a rookie. He
caught six passes for 78 yards in the second game of the season, a 24-16 loss in
his return to Heinz Field. He also had a decisive fumble. He caught a pass at
the Pittsburgh 33-yard line and was stripped by James Harrison. Pittsburgh
recovered with 1:50 left, ending the Bengals’ comeback attempt.Boyd had two
catches for 13 yards in the rematch at Paul Brown Stadium, a 24-20 Steelers win
.Last year, Boyd suffered a knee injury and missed a 29-14 loss at Pittsburgh .
He had two catches for 15 yards in a 23-20 loss to the Steelers at Paul Brown
Stadium. Thousands of Steelers fans twirled their towels as Pittsburgh ran off
the field after Chris Boswell kicked a 38-yard field goal on the final play.The
scene was familiar to Boyd, who attended a handful of Steelers games as a
youth.“They were all loud and crazy, so I’m expecting that,” Boyd said. “But a
lot of games get like that at some point in the game. I think we’ll do a better
job of keeping them quiet this game.”The Bengals are counting on significant
contributions from Boyd, who is having his best season. He leads the team with
30 catches — Green is second with 26.Boyd knows many of the Steelers from his
playing days at Pitt, when they used the same stadium.“When we were at
practice
Womens Clint Boling Jersey , me and James (Conner) always talked to (Mike) Tomlin and Le’Veon (Bell) and AB (Antonio Brown),” Boyd said. “I would ask AB
how he would work a route in certain coverage, just little things like that.“I
had a good relationship with those guys when I was at Pitt. It’s fun to play
against them now.”NOTES: Running back Giovani Bernard was ruled out Friday with
a knee injury, the second game in a row he’ll miss. … Tight end Tyler Kroft also
is out with a foot injury. … Center Billy Price will miss his fourth game with a
partially torn ligament in his right foot. … Cornerback William Jackson (knee),
receiver John Ross (groin) and offensive tackle Cedric Ogbuehi (wrist) are
listed as questionable. CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Cincinnati Bengals had
limited their first two opponents to 141 rushing yards. That made what happened
in their third game all the more surprising.Christian McCaffrey ran for a
career-best 184 yards and the Panthers piled up 230 yards on the ground and got
two rushing scores from Cam Newton on Sunday in a 31-21 victory .“This is a
different style of offense and attack and you’ve got to adjust and morph and
play it and make sure we stay sound in it and play it all the time,” Bengals
coach Marvin Lewis said. “We had moments where we played it perfectly. Then we
had others where we didn’t.���The Panthers gouged the Bengals with runs up the
middle by McCaffrey, who ran free at times behind an offensive line beset with
injuries.“They switched up some run fits that we weren’t expecting,” Bengals
defensive tackle Andrew Billings said. “They did a few misdirection plays,
screens, throw backs, nothing that we shouldn’t have stopped. We just have to
get better defensively and executing.”Still
Tyler Boyd Jersey White , Cincinnati’s struggles against the run should be of some concern heading into next Sunday’s game at Atlanta, which
traditionally has one of the best running games in the NFL behind running backs
Tevin Coleman and Devonta Freeman — although Freeman has missed the last two
games with an injury.“They caught us in a couple bad positions and made plays,”
said Bengals defensive end Carlos Dunlap. “This is the NFL and their players are
going to make plays, too. You have to eliminate as many of those you can. We did
not do a good job of that today.”Some things to know from Carolina’s win over
Cincinnati:SAFETY HELP NEEDEDThe Panthers felt the loss of injured starting
strong safety Da’Norris Searcy, as fill-in Colin Jones, a special teams regular,
was beat on two touchdown passes . Jones was replaced by rookie Rashaan Gaulden
in the fourth quarter and he could be the starter coming out of the bye week if
the Panthers don’t add a veteran safety.“Colin Jones is a very physical player,
a downhill player and Gaulden has some athleticism and range,” coach Ron Rivera
said. “We decided down the stretch we were going to give Gaulden some
opportunities.”Searcy is on the IR after sustaining two concussions in five
weeks.ACTION JACKSONThe Panthers said right away they felt like they landed a
big-time player when they drafted speedy cornerback Donte Jackson in the second
round, and he’s proving GM Marty Hurney correct.Jackson has three interceptions
in the last two games, including two Sunday.“I was like, ‘I appreciate you (No.)
14
http://www.thebengalslockerroom.com/authentic-joe-mixon-jersey ,” Jackson said of Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton. “He was being very generous out
there.”Jackson’s pick at midfield with 3:33 to play set up Graham Gano’s 40-yard
field goal to make it a 10-point game and seal Carolina’s win.BOYD FILLS THE
VOIDWith A.J. Green sitting on a cooler on the sideline nursing a groin injury
in the second half and the running game sputtering, the Bengals’ turned to
receiver Tyler Boyd. Boyd did his part, finishing with 132 yards receiving and a
touchdown.He found open space when the play broke down, and Dalton found
him.“It’s backyard football,” said Dalton, who threw for 352 yards and two
scores but was intercepted four times. “Go get open. He did a great job . and
made plays.”Boyd’s 27-yard score in the third drew Cincinnati to within 28-21.
He also had a 49-yard catch for the game’s longest play.“We work on the scramble
drill,” Boyd said. “When I see him rolling out, I have to find the open space on
the field. Andy (Dalton) did a great job escaping the pocket and finding his
wide-open target.”Green said after the game he expects to play against Atlanta
on Sunday, but Lewis said it’s too early to know if his star receiver will be
ready.NOT SO STELLAR DAYS: Giovani Bernard had different results last time
Cincinnati played Carolina. Bernard rushed for an 89-yard score and a
career-best 137 yards in 37-37 tie. On Sunday, he had 61 rushing yards and a
score on 12 carries as the Bengals focused mainly on their passing game.“When
those opportunities come, we have to capitalize on them,” Bernard said.PAVING
THE WAYHaving three starters out on the offensive line didn’t prevent the
Panthers from moving the football on the ground. In fact
Jessie Bates III Jersey White , the Panthers thrived, averaging 5.6 yards per carry .“Honestly it doesn’t really matter for us whether people are praising
us or calling us a makeshift offensive line,” said center Ryan Kalil. “We have
to go to work, and we have to do our job. I’m very happy with the guys we’ve got
in the group.”Panthers tackles Matt Kalil and Daryl Williams are on the injured
reserve, while guard Trai Turner is out with a concussion. Tyler Larsen stepped
in for Turner for the second straight week, while Chris Clark and Taylor Moton
started at tackle. Cam Newton was sacked once.
