The Las Vegas Raiders bring Marvin Lewis back to Cincinnati in an NFL coaching capacity for the first time since he parted ways with the Bengals in 2018, but there's more to this game than a coach seeing his former team. Jake is joined by Your Boy Q from Locked On Raiders to break down what's going on with the Raiders this year along with keys to victory as we take our first look at the Bengals' Week 9 opponent on this week's crossover.

In this week’s AFC Squad, the crew discusses the Cleveland Browns win over the Baltimore Ravens, recaps from the Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Denver Broncos wins. They also discuss the Anthony Richardson benching in Indianapolis and preview some of Week 9’s biggest games including the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins, Las Vegas Raiders and Cincinnati Bengals.

Introducing Indianapolis Colts BENCH Anthony Richardson, Ravens Diontae Johnson TRADE & New York Jets are DONE from Locked On NFL – Daily Podcast On The National Football League. Follow the show: Locked On NFL – Daily Podcast On The National Football League The Indianapolis Colts have BENCHED their second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson and will start Joe Flacco going forward. Tyler thinks this is a massive mistakes, but Luke thinks this was a necessary change for the rest of the...

Can the Cincinnati Bengals get better in 2024? The guys break down how the passing game, already a strength of the team, could potentially find improvements in-house. But there are some things that just don't seem very realistic to improve, from run blocking weaknesses to top-to-bottom issues on defense. Plus, an early look at the trade deadline that should feature activity from the Bengals, but we're prepared to be frustrated by a quiet week from the front office.

Introducing Pittsburgh Steelers STAY HOT v New York Giants, Kansas City Chiefs Are FINE & Arizona Cards Are WILD from Locked On NFL – Daily Podcast On The National Football League. Follow the show: Locked On NFL – Daily Podcast On The National Football League The Pittsburgh Steelers moved to 6-2 on the season after defeating the New York Giants on Monday Night Football. The Steelers will be a playoff team, but they cannot be trusted once they get there. The New York Giants are a flailing...

The Cincinnati Bengals have been an organizational letdown, in varying degrees, in 2024. It looks like their transition plan to go from a core that included Jessie Bates, DJ Reader, and Chidobe Awuzie on defense is failing. Maybe they're getting lapped schematically. They're losing even when Joe Burrow puts on the cape and plays well. The guys break down why it's a total organizational issue, with questions for players, development, and the team's ability to adapt after a discouraging loss to...

The Cincinnati Bengals were thoroughly outplayed for the first time this year, and dropped to 0-4 at home and 3-5 on the season. The guys react to an abysmal loss after jumping out to a 10-3 lead before getting outscored 34-7 the rest of the way. The team just isn't meeting expectations, from the front office, to the coaching staff, to the supporting cast around a QB who tried to put the team on his back, but couldn't.

This is the "make us believe" game for the Cincinnati Bengals. They've won 3 of 4 against some bad teams, and have 3 narrow losses to teams at the top of the standings. Beating the Philadelphia Eagles the way they took care of the San Francisco 49ers in 2023 would go a long way in making us believe the team is back where preseason expectations had them. The guys break down how that could happen in a game that is more likely to go down to the wire.

The Cincinnati Bengals have tied the Philadelphia Eagles twice in their last four games, which is pretty weird. But that's far from the most important story for either team as both the Eagles and Bengals are trying to sustain momentum on small win streaks against the Browns and Giants (both teams!) after disappointing starts to the season. The guys crossover with Louie DiBiase from Locked On Eagles to take a look at the biggest stories and keys to victory (Saquon Barkley, protection, fast...

In this episode of AFC Squad, the crew discusses their team’s Week 7 outcomes, their thoughts on Tua Tagovailoa’s Week 8 return, which second place teams in their AFC Divisions have the best chance at success this season, and whether or not Lamar Jackson is the better MVP candidate than Patrick Mahomes.

An 0-3 start followed by a 3-1 stretch with losses to teams at the top of the standings and wins against teams at the bottom make this Cincinnati Bengals team a bit of an enigma. They're right there with good teams in one-score losses, but haven't beaten one. The eye test says they've been a flawed rollercoaster that hasn't come all the way together, and the burden continues to feel like it's on the offense overall. So the guys break down what to make of the variables around the Bengals'...

The guys break down why Zac Taylor's offense appeared to get outcoached, why the Cincinnati Bengals' run game struggled, how they held up in protection, and how Joe Burrow against Cleveland in Week 7. Plus, we discuss what's going right on the defensive side of the ball and look for signs of sustainability.

The Cincinnati Bengals got their first win in Cleveland since 2017 and rode their defense, Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, and a Charlie Jones opening kickoff return for a touchdown to get there. The guys break down the biggest takeaways as it was another rocky performance from the offense against a defensive coordinator that has had their number.

The guys preview another must-win game for the Cincinnati Bengals - and they're going to keep having must-wins. It doesn't really even matter who the opponent is even if getting an AFC win is part of the puzzle, but this week's trip to Cleveland to face the Browns involves the Bengals need to get a monkey off their back and bring home a W from the other corner of Ohio.

In the latest AFC Squad, the crew runs down the Davante Adams trade to the New York Jets, Amari Cooper landing with the Buffalo Bills, any other teams that could be looking to make some trades at the deadline, and which teams in the AFC that currently lead the division have the likelier chance of losing the division.

The first Battle Of Ohio in 2024 features a Cleveland Browns team trying to avoid a tailspin and a Cincinnati Bengals team still in desperation mode to get back to where they thought they'd be in the preseason. The guys get into their weekly crossover with Jeff Lloyd of Locked On Browns to break down the biggest stories between Paul Brown's two franchises ahead of their Week 7 clash in Cleveland.

Lou Anarumo is rotating players in the Cincinnati Bengals defensive backfield, something he once was strongly opposed to. Jordan Battle is notably earning more trust and a bigger role, a promising development for a young player they need to step up. His emergence, a schedule of some bad offenses, and a healthy DL rotation mean could be reasons to buy a little stock in the Bengals' D. Plus, we discuss Jermaine Burton's inactive Sunday and the hope for him to contribute more as a rookie.

From Joe Burrow to playcalling and the offensive line, the guys break down why the Cincinnati Bengals offense had an uneven performance on Sunday Night Football. It was a mixed bag for most of the offense with a smattering of highlights and lowlights and everything in between. Plus, why having competent NFL linemen helped the defense put together the plays they needed to win the game.

The Cincinnati Bengals' offense was not clicking on all cylinders against a strong performance from the New York Giants defensive front. Joe Burrow wasn't at his best, the run game was stuck and both backs fumbled, but they made just enough plays with the defense holding up its end, allowing just 7 points. The guys break down why "how" they won may or may not be the most important aspect of this game as a team that hasn't lived up to expectations is still trying to find its way.

In the debut episode of Locked On AFC Squad, the New York Jets decision to fire Robert Saleh in favor of Nathaniel Hackett and Aaron Rodgers was discussed by our host of AFC team representatives. Plus, which AFC teams are on upset alert for Week 6 and which team in the AFC in the bottom of their division has the best chance to make the playoffs?

The Cincinnati Bengals need to finish games. That's a theme when you lose 4 games by a combined 15 points, and it goes for the entire team. The guys break down how the Bengals must finish better against Dexter Lawrence and the New York Giants, and where the key matchups will be for the team to take care of business and begin salvaging the season.

The guys break down the biggest stories for the Cincinnati Bengals desperately looking for the beginning of a run to salvage their season on Sunday Night Football against the New York Giants. Along with Locked On Giants' Patricia Traina, we also get into what's going on with the Giants after an encouraging Week 5 win in Seattle, and the most important keys to victory for each team.

After a 1-4 start, Cincinnati Bengals fans are ready for change. The guys break down whether the coach's seats are getting hot, and why they should be getting hot - and it's not just a 2024 issue at this point. There's still theoretically time to right the ship, but pressure is certainly mounting after another rocky start to a championship expectation season.

The Cincinnati Bengals squandered another elite game of production from Joe Burrow and the passing offense, so the guys break down the film takeaways looking for how the offense was so effective, and why the defense continues to struggle at every level, from communication breakdowns to physical limitations.

The Cincinnati Bengals continue to be a play here or there short of winning football games. Whether it was a slow start, a late interception, the mishandled hold on a potential game-winning field goal, or the defense unable to get the stops they needed in the second half, they just did enough to lose the game. The guys break down another brutal loss as the Bengals drop to 1-4 again taking defeat from the jaws of victory.