AFC North

Joe Mixon is feeling confident ahead of the Cincinnati Bengals showdown with the AFC-leading Buffalo Bills on Monday night.

"At the end of the day, what people got to realize and understand, we the big dog of the AFC, and that's just what it is," he told reporters Saturday. "For anything to happen, it goes through us."

The Bengals (11-4) are the defending AFC champions, though they are currently chasing the Bills (12-3) in the standings. And while Mixon is confident, he isn't taking the Bills lightly.

"The Bills, what better team would you be able to go up and put your best against?" he said. "It's a great opportunity for us, but at the same time, I know our guys, we [are] ready."

So are NFL fans for a clash between two of the league's best teams.

Cleveland Browns star edge-rusher Myles Garrett told reporters on Friday that head coach Kevin Stefanski's decision to keep him on the sidelines for the first series of Saturday's game against the New Orleans Saints stemmed from a "misunderstanding."

"I was sick and I didn't communicate well enough," he continued. "That's how it went down. Got to respect how [Stefanski] feels about the situation and his judgment."

#Browns Myles Garrett confirmed his 3-play benching was a misunderstanding connected to him being sick. He said it was Kevin Stefanski’s decision and he abided by it pic.twitter.com/mmjtv930sr

— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) December 30, 2022

Garrett, who missed multiple practices during the week due to an illness, added that being benched to start a game wasn't a great look on his part.

"It's just a bad look for a starter just in general," he told reporters. "So just don't put myself in that situation again."

Stefanski said the situation is in the past.

"He's done a nice job [this week]," he said. "Been good."

When he's been on the field, the 27-year-old Garrett has been superb, registering 45 tackles (15 for loss), 13.5 sacks, 22 quarterback hits, four passes defensed and two forced fumbles in 14 games. That earned him his fourth Pro Bowl selection.

It's been a bit of an odd year for both Garrett and the disappointing Browns (6-9), however. Garrett missed an early October game against the Atlanta Falcons after crashing and flipping his car on Sept. 26, though he managed to avoid serious injury.

The Browns, meanwhile, struggled to a 4-7 start under Jacoby Brissett while Deshaun Watson was suspended. Since Watson's return to the starting lineup, the team has gone 2-2, though Sunday's 17-10 loss against the Saints officially eliminated them from postseason contention.

"We're trying to figure it out all together and right now we don't really have the recipe to get wins consistently as we'd like," Garrett said. "But I think most of the pieces are here and we just have to tighten a couple of screws."

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh told reporters on Friday that star quarterback Lamar Jackson is "progressing well" but added it's a "fair assumption" that Tyler Huntley will start Week 17's matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Jackson was later ruled out for Sunday night's game.

It will be the fourth straight game Jackson has missed as he recovers from a knee injury.

Offensive coordinator Greg Roman noted Thursday that he would love to see Jackson get in some game time before the playoffs, if possible.

Ravens OC Greg Roman said he would “love to see (Lamar Jackson) get some work in” before the playoffs.

“But you can’t rush Mother Nature,” Roman said. “We have to make sure he’s right at the same time.”

Jackson has been sidelined since hurting his knee 25 days ago. pic.twitter.com/AkYpWgk9Lq

— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) December 29, 2022

Ravens OC Greg Roman said Lamar Jackson is “definitely engaged” while sidelined with a knee injury.

“With our backup QBs, we’ve been able to go 3-1,” Roman said. “I’m sure Lamar, in his own ways, is really contributing to that.” pic.twitter.com/s0pxQ7VyAw

— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) December 29, 2022

Jackson, 25, was having a solid season, throwing for 2,242 yards, 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions while completing 62.3 percent of his passes and taking 26 sacks. The Ravens are 8-4 in his starts.

With Huntley under center, the team has more than treaded water, going 2-1 when he's been called into starting duty. The 24-year-old backup hasn't been asked to do too much through the air, throwing for 528 yards, a score and two picks, but he has completed a solid 67 percent of his passes and only taken six sacks.

Harbaugh said of Huntley:

"It's never too big for him. He operates well, he makes plays while he's under pressure, duress, he manages the situations of games well. I just love the way he plays the position. I think he continues to improve every time he goes out. It's Tyler. We're past that. We're not at 'What surprises you? What impress you?' We expect him to play well."

The result has been a 10-5 Ravens team that will win the AFC North if it can win out against the Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals sit atop the division at 11-4, but the Ravens would hold the head-to-head tiebreaker against Cincy with a Week 18 win.

It remains to be seen who will be under center for the Ravens in that potentially crucial matchup.

The Baltimore Ravens are reportedly planning to resume contract talks with quarterback Lamar Jackson at the end of the 2022 season.

According to Mike Preston of the Baltimore Sun, the Ravens will attempt to work out a long-term deal with Jackson after failing to do so prior to the 2022 season. If they can't, they have the option of placing the franchise on him and paying him an estimated $45 million in 2023, or they could tag and trade him.

Jackson has missed the Ravens' last three games with a knee injury, and he has not practiced this week, meaning he is trending toward missing a fourth consecutive game when Baltimore faces the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night.

Even without Jackson, the Ravens have continued to win and remain in the AFC North divisional title race. Backup Tyler Huntley led Baltimore to a 10-9 win over the Denver Broncos after replacing the injured Jackson and also beat the Steelers and Atlanta Falcons, although he fell to the Cleveland Browns.

Despite Baltimore's success, the Ravens clearly have a far less dynamic offense when Jackson is out, as Huntley has thrown for only 341 yards, one touchdown and one interception in his three starts.

In 12 games this season, Jackson has an 8-4 record and has completed 62.3 percent of his passes for 2,242 yards, 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Most impressively, he has rushed for 764 yards and three scores as well.

While Jackson is a two-time Pro Bowler, one-time first-team All-Pro and was the 2019 NFL MVP, there are some concerns surrounding him.

Jackson has gotten the Ravens to the playoffs four times, including this season, but he only has a postseason record of 1-3.

That is something that can easily change and evolve over time, but there is also the subject of injury issues, which have cropped up over the past two seasons.

Jackson missed five games last season, which may have ultimately cost the Ravens a playoff berth, and he is now on the precipice of missing his fourth game this season.

His fearless style of play puts him in harm's way and results in him taking more hits than most quarterbacks, so it is fair to wonder if durability will continue to be a problem moving forward.

Despite that, it is difficult to envision the Ravens moving on from Jackson, as he is highly productive when healthy, and there doesn't figure to be any clear upgrade available to them in the near future.

Getting a deal done may take some compromise from both sides, but it is undoubtedly in the best interest of the Ravens to lock Jackson up as soon as possible.

The Cincinnati Bengals' trip home after Saturday's win over the New England Patriots included an unplanned stop in New York.

Per Mark Slaughter of WLWT NBC in Cincinnati and confirmed by The Athletic's Paul Dehner Jr., the Bengals' team plane had to make an emergency landing at JFK Airport in New York City due to engine trouble and change aircrafts.

One person on the plane told Slaughter the ride was a "little rough but it was okay! Landed safely."

Per WLWT, the plane landed at JFK International Airport around 8:45 p.m. local time. They are expected to takeoff in a new aircraft around 9:30 p.m. and make it back to Cincinnati tonight.

The Bengals-Patriots game at Gillette Stadium on Saturday kicked off at 1 p.m. ET. Cincinnati looked like it was going to win in a route after taking a 22-0 lead into halftime.

New England was able to fight back in the second half, scoring 18 unanswered points to make it a one-score game with six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

A fumble by Ja'Marr Chase recovered by Marcus Jones gave the Patriots' offense the ball back with a chance to take the lead. They got down to Cincinnati's five-yard line with less than one minute to play, but a Rhamondre Stevenson fumble on 1st-and-goal was picked by B.J. Hill.

The Patriots did get the ball back one more time at their own 24-yard line with 30 seconds left. They only gained 10 yards before turning the ball over on downs. Joe Burrow took a knee to run out the clock.

Even though the final score shows a close game, the Bengals continued their streak of playing at a high level. They finished with 442 yards on offense, with Burrow racking up 375 yards through the air.

Cincinnati (11-4) has won seven consecutive games since a 32-13 loss to the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football in Week 8.

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson could return from his knee injury next week, but it could come down to the team's playoff standing, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

The Ravens want to test him in "football-related movements" before clearing him to return, but Rapoport noted "a decision also could depend on where things stand in the playoff picture."

At 9-5, Baltimore is currently the No. 5 seed in the AFC. It could clinch a playoff berth in some scenarios in Week 16. The team might be more cautious with Jackson if it is already guaranteed to make the postseason and the AFC North is out of reach.

Conversely, a loss Saturday against the Atlanta Falcons could push the Ravens to use Jackson sooner.

The 2019 MVP sprained the PCL in his knee in a Week 13 win over the Denver Broncos and was later categorized as week-to-week by head coach John Harbaugh, who would not rule him out for the season. Jackson went on to miss Weeks 14 and 15, while Tyler Huntley started in his place.

Any injury to Jackson is cause for concern, especially for a Ravens squad that has relied on him heavily this year. The 25-year-old has completed 62.3 percent of his passes for 2,242 yards and 17 touchdowns against seven interceptions in 12 games. He has also rushed for 764 yards and three scores.

Baltimore is 1-1 in Jackson's absence this season, although Huntley has thrown zero touchdown passes in two starts and has only one rushing score.

The 24-year-old Utah product also started four games for Baltimore in 2021 and appeared in seven games overall. He completed 64.9 percent of his passes for 1,081 yards and three touchdowns against four interceptions, in addition to rushing for 294 yards and two scores.

Rather than test free agency this offseason, Jack Conklin has agreed to a new contract with the Cleveland Browns.

Conklin's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, told ESPN's Adam Schefter his client will receive a four-year, $60 million extension with $31 million fully guaranteed from the Browns.

Conklin began his career with the Tennessee Titans after being drafted No. 8 overall in 2016. The Michigan State alum made an instant impact as a rookie when he made 16 starts and earned a spot on the All-Pro First Team.

After injuries limited Conklin to nine games in 2018, the Titans declined to exercise the fifth-year option on his rookie deal. He played all 16 games in 2019 and was able to cash in as a free agent.

Conklin signed with the Browns in 2020. His contract was for three years, $42 million ($30 million guaranteed) and included two void years to spread out the cap hits.

Adding Conklin to the offensive line turned out to be an excellent move for Cleveland general manager Andrew Berry. He made the All-Pro First Team at right tackle in 2020.

An torn patellar tendon limited Conklin to seven games last season, but he's bounced back in 2022. The 28-year-old ranks fourth among offensive tackles in Pro Football Focus' pass-blocking efficiency metric entering Week 16.

The Browns held Conklin out for their first two games this season as he recovered from surgery to repair the patellar tendon. He has started all 12 games since making his season debut in Week 3.

The extension is fairly team-friendly for the Browns. The $60 million in total value and $31 million fully guaranteed ranks sixth among right tackles.

Cleveland is still alive in the AFC playoff race with a 6-8 record, but it needs to win each of its final three games and get a lot of help from other teams still vying for postseason positioning.

The Baltimore Ravens are closely monitoring the health of star quarterback Lamar Jackson, and for good reason. Jackson, who is dealing with a knee injury, has missed Baltimore's last two games. The Ravens are trying to keep pace with the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC North but have gone 1-1 without him, losing to the Cleveland Browns and squeaking by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Jackson's injury could also heavily impact his future in Baltimore, and not for the most obvious of reasons.

First, let's dive into what's immediately ahead and what's at stake.

Baltimore (9-5) sits a game behind Cincinnati in the AFC North, but it holds the first head-to-head tiebreaker. If the Ravens can win out at home against the Atlanta Falcons and Pittsburgh and in Cincinnati in Week 18, they'll claim the AFC North crown and host a playoff game.

It's unknown whether Jackson will make his return in Week 16.

John Harbaugh declined to say whether Ravens QB Lamar Jackson will return this week after missing two games with a knee injury.

Harbaugh said he is going to "climb behind the barricade" of not divulging injury information because of competitive reasons.

— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) December 19, 2022

Could the Ravens get past Atlanta without Jackson? Maybe, but they fell flat with Tyler Huntley under center against Cleveland. Baltimore ran the ball well but couldn't pass when it needed to. Huntley finished just 17-of-30 for 138 yards with an interception.

Unlike the Browns, Atlanta has been respectable against the run, ranking 11th in yards per carry allowed (4.3).

The Ravens cannot afford a slip-up against Atlanta, or any team, if they hope to guarantee themselves a playoff bid. Baltimore cannot clinch a playoff spot in Week 16 with a win alone. Every loss the Ravens accumulate opens the door for another team to push them out of the postseason.

This is exactly how things unfolded in 2021 when Jackson missed the final four weeks with an ankle injury (he missed a fifth during the season with an illness). The two-time Pro Bowler was injured early in Week 14, and Baltimore fell from 8-4 to 8-9 and missed the playoffs.

Things could shape up for an eerily similar run if Jackson cannot return before season's end.

Regardless of how things unfold in 2022, missing extended time late in back-to-back seasons will likely be a factor when the quarterback and the Ravens negotiate his next contract in the offseason.

Jackson is slated to become a free agent in March. According to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport, he seeks a fully guaranteed contract like the one Deshaun Watson received from the rival Browns.

"Fully guaranteed money is believed to be at the heart of the issue," Rapoport wrote in September. "Jackson is seeking as close to $230 million as possible, choosing to play on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract until he gets his desired deal."

Watson didn't play in 2021 and missed the first 11 games of this season while serving a suspension for violation of the league's personal conduct policy after 25 women filed lawsuits accusing him of sexual assault or misconduct.

Watson and the Browns faced questions about his character and his ability to be an elite franchise quarterback after a lengthy layoff when he got his deal. The only question around Jackson—who was, by the way, the unanimous 2019 MVP—is his durability. And that has only become a concern over the past two years.

Though it's not as if Jackson plays recklessly, his dual-threat play style exposes him to more contact than a traditional pocket passer might face. Some contingent of the Ravens front office might view his injury history as a reason not to guarantee the entirety of his deal.

Franchise owner Steve Bisciotti has gone on record as not being a fan of fully guaranteed deals.

"To me, that's something that is groundbreaking, and it'll make negotiations harder with others," Bisciotti told reporters in March.

In reality, though, Jackson's late-season absences tilt the leverage in his favor.

Baltimore has spent the better part of five seasons crafting an offense to suit Jackson and his unique skill set. The Ravens have eschewed a true No. 1 receiver because Jackson can dissect defenses using star tight end Mark Andrews and a handful of complementary guys. They've built a committee backfield instead of finding an All-Pro ball-carrier because Jackson is a proven 1,000-yard rusher.

J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards are fine complementary backs, but neither has proved himself to be (or remained healthy enough to be) a true featured back.

Baltimore traded a Pro Bowl offensive tackle in Orlando Brown because with Jackson's ability to escape, the line doesn't have to be elite at every position.

The problem is that the team Baltimore has constructed doesn't work without Jackson—even if the Ravens want to pretend it can.

"I've got confidence in everybody," head coach John Harbaugh told reporters Monday when asked about the offense's struggles. "We have great coaches and great players at the highest level, battling every single day to get everything as good as it can be."

It won't be as good as it can be with anyone other than Jackson under center. Games without him have proved that. Huntley can escape the pocket, be a dual threat and run Baltimore's offense, but he doesn't see the field as clearly as Jackson.

Take this missed touchdown opportunity against Cleveland as an example:

Mark Andrews hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 6, but there have been opportunities. Snoop missed a shot over the top here in the red zone. pic.twitter.com/syBsUoxXhj

— Ryan Mink (@ryanmink) December 20, 2022

Over the past two weeks, Huntley has gone 25-of-42 for 226 yards and an interception. If the Steelers hadn't lost their starting quarterback, Kenny Pickett, to a concussion in Week 14, Huntley would probably be 0-2 this season. He went 1-3 as a starter in 2021.

It's not as if the Ravens will find a suitable replacement for this offense in free agency either. Impending free agents like Geno Smith, Mike White and Jimmy Garoppolo don't come close to mirroring Jackson's skill set.

Could Baltimore try its luck in the 2023 draft? Sure, a player like Bryce Young or Anthony Richardson might become a franchise quarterback, but it's a crapshoot. Why take such a huge risk at the game's most important position when a 25-year-old franchise quarterback is in the building?

The Ravens shouldn't take that risk, and Jackson knows it. This is why he can essentially tell the Ravens, "Give me the long-term contract I want or have fun trying to rebuild without me."

And the Ravens would have to rebuild a lot to be successful with a different quarterback. It wouldn't be cheap.

Consider the cost of signing a quality dual-threat back like impending free agent Kareem Hunt and acquiring a top-end receiver like, say, DK Metcalf. Hunt has a projected market value of $6.9 million annually. Metcalf just signed an extension worth $24 million annually. Now add in the cost of a quarterback like Smith, who has a projected market value of $36.1 million annually.

That's $67 million in annual salary just to start transitioning to an offense that can be high-level without Jackson.

Or the Ravens can pay Jackson $45 million-plus annually, guarantee his contract and continue to build their offense.

The alternative to paying Jackson what he wants or starting over is using the franchise tag and locking in the Louisville product on a year-to-year basis. That might be viewed as a prudent move, given Jackson's injuries, but it's not cap-friendly.

The 2022 tag value for quarterbacks was $29.7 million. That number will rise significantly in 2023—especially if Jackson is given the exclusive tag—and would carry a minimum 20 percent raise in 2024 if he is tagged a second time.

An exclusive franchise tag for Lamar Jackson in 2023 currently calculates to $45.4M (thanks in large part to Deshaun Watson's $55M cap hit).

A tag in 2024 would then be $54.4M.

2022: $23M
2023: $45.4M
2024: $54.4M
= $122.8M

Russell Wilson just locked in $124M over that span.

— Spotrac (@spotrac) September 6, 2022

Tagging Jackson for the next two years will likely cost Baltimore $100 million in guaranteed money. Giving Watson $230 million guaranteed for an extra three seasons doesn't seem as bad in comparison—especially with quarterback contracts consistently on the rise.

This is assuming Jackson won't refuse to play on the franchise tag, which he easily could. He can point to his injuries, as well as the torn ACL suffered by Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray, and decide that it's less of a risk to sit for a year.

Watson got paid after sitting out a season, which leaves Baltimore with little leverage.

What are the Ravens going to do? Tell Jackson they're content to be an also-ran in a division poised to be dominated by Joe Burrow and the Bengals if he doesn't play? Threaten to start over and forge a more traditional offense while hoping for the best?

What the Ravens cannot do is point to their on-field success without Jackson and tell him that they don't need him. That success hasn't come, and they do.

While injuries are unfortunate and Jackson would undoubtedly rather be playing, his recent time off will work in his favor next spring. If Baltimore hopes to have the sustained success it has enjoyed with a healthy Jackson—three playoff appearances in his first three seasons—it'll have to pay the man what he wants.