defense.Maybe the Patriots, who other th

CINCINNATI (AP) — A.J. Green had surgery on his injured toe. Tight end Tyler Eifert is recovering from a broken ankle. Andy Dalton is gone White Steve Grogan Jerseys , too, sidelined by a torn thumb ligament in his passing hand.What’s left of the Bengals‘ offense? Running back Joe Mixon, who’s settling into the role Cincinnati envisioned for him during last year’s draft.Mixon carried a career-high 26 times for 111 yards and had a team-high five catches during a 26-21 loss to the Chargers on Sunday, Cincinnati’s fifth in a row.With Jeff Driskel starting for Dalton and Green gone, Mixon is getting a chance to show the versatility that led Cincinnati to draft him in the second round despite the public pushback.Mixon either ran the ball or was the intended receiver on 10 of the Bengals’ first 13 plays in Los Angeles in a game plan built around the running back.“Some guys have to step up to even another level than they’re used to playing at,” Mixon said Wednesday. “I’m going to embrace it.”The Bengals (5-8) will make him the centerpiece again Sunday in their final home game against the Oakland Raiders (3-10) , who are coming off a 24-21 win over Pittsburgh .Mixon has been one of the few bright spots in an offense that’s unraveled as players got hurt, one of the few constants during a stretch of seven losses in the past eight games.“He’s a high-energy guy,” Driskel said. “He’s somebody that brings it day-in and day-out. He’s definitely somebody who we can all lean on.”The Bengals were castigated for making him the 48th overall pick last year. Mixon punched a woman in the face and was suspended for a season at Oklahoma, prompting other teams to pass on him early in the draft.Mixon played a limited role as a rookie, when he was slotted behind Jeremy Hill. Mixon had one 100-yard rushing game as Cincinnati finished 7-9.He ascended to the top spot this season Steve Grogan Jerseys 2019 , but missed two games because of knee surgery to remove torn cartilage. He ran for a career-high 123 yards against Tampa Bay and 111 against the Chargers.With a historically bad defense, the Bengals have had to play catch-up, limiting Mixon’s chances to run. He’s averaging 4.8 yards per carry, which ranks fourth in the AFC among backs with at least 100 carries.The biggest improvement in Mixon has been his discipline to follow the designed path of plays rather than improvising. He’s running behind a better offensive line, and he’s been more determined to take advantage of it.“It’s like a domino effect,” he said.If he stays healthy, Mixon will top 1,000 yards after running for only 625 — and a 3.5-yard average — last season. He’s had five games with 100 yards rushing and receiving combined, the most since Hill did it five times in 2014. BenJarvus Green-Ellis had six such games in 2012.He’ll get plenty of chances. Green had surgery on his injured toe Tuesday and won’t return, leaving Mixon as their best option in December.“We’ve got three more weeks,” Mixon said.BURFICT STILL OUTLinebacker Vontaze Burfict remained in concussion protocol on Wednesday after missing the Chargers game. Defensive end Michael Johnson also is sidelined with a concussion. Cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick was held out of practice with an ankle injury that sidelined him in Los Angeles. Left tackle Cordy Glenn had a limited practice Wednesday White Kevin Faulk Jerseys , an improvement after missing the past three games with a back injury.McRAE PRACTICINGCornerback Tony McRae was back at practice Wednesday on a limited basis. He suffered a concussion during a loss to Cleveland and was taken off the field on a back board as a precaution. He was in protocol the past two weeks. NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The big boys showed up this weekend and showed those usurpers from the wild-card round how it’s done.The top two seeds from the AFC and NFC returned to action in their comfortable home settings — ice and snow and chills be darned in the AFC — and swatted aside the survivors of the opening set of games. Only the Saints struggled against the resilient defending Super Bowl champion Eagles, and even as that game wore on, New Orleans wore out Philadelphia.Sure, the Eagles had a chance to move on even after blowing an early 14-0 lead and then being dominated for nearly three quarters. But the Saints (14-3) got through it, and they’ll likely be the better for it when they host the Rams (13-4) next Sunday.It’s certainly easier on the nerves when you pretty much blow away the opposition, as the Chiefs (13-4) and Patriots (12-5) did. The Rams never seemed threatened by the Cowboys down the stretch Saturday night. But Drew Brees and company have some evaluating and adjusting to do after the banged-up Eagles nearly pulled off another stunner.Brees is certain a lesson has been learned.“We found a bunch of ways to win during the season,” Brees said after the 20-14 victory . Every game kind of stood alone, but many of them came down to third quarter, fourth quarter, second half-type comebacks and it took everybody. It took maybe a big play on offense or a big play on defense or a big play on special teams to kind of turn the tide. But they were all great team victories and it looks like that carried over into the playoffs.”One lesson, perhaps Kevin Faulk Jerseys 2019 , from all four divisional-round contests: Balance is going to matter.We know these teams can light up the scoreboard; for the first time, the top four scoring clubs in the league make up the final four. But if you can’t play solid defense at some point, you’re probably doomed.“The only thing we’re thinking is get on the field and get back off the field,” Patriots safety Devin McCourty said after a 41-28 romp over the Chargers. “We play defense. We know how hard it is if an offense has a long drive …and if we can go and get stops and get the (New England offense) right back out there. It’s tough as a defense, for one, to get the adjustments that are happening, to catch your breath — like, you just feel like you’re out there, you’re out there.”If there’s one defense among the final four that might not be on the field for long stretches, it could be New England when it journeys to Kansas City. Not because the Patriots are staunch, but because the Chiefs have a tendency to make big plays White Tedy Bruschi Jerseys , to score quickly.New England — and New Orleans — showed tremendous aptitude for long, clock-eating drives on Sunday. The Rams have their super running back in All-Pro Todd Gurley, and a dynamic offensive scheme. No matter how it’s sliced, championship weekend is going to have a shootout taste.So let’s see who can sour that taste with a huge helping of D.Maybe the Chiefs, who romped past the NFL’s hottest team, Indianapolis, 31-13. KC is adept at rushing the passer and that seemed to be its only strength without the ball. Ask Andrew Luck and Marlon Mack, though. They’ll bear witness to the Chiefs’ ability to take control on defense.Maybe the Patriots, who other than a long TD pass to Keenan Allen in the first quarter, never were pushed by Philip Rivers and the Chargers’ offense until garbage time.Maybe the Rams, who held league leader Ezekiel Elliott to 47 yards rushing in a 30-22 victory over Dallas that was more one-sided than the score shows.And maybe the Saints Tedy Bruschi Jerseys 2019 , who yielded 153 yards in the first quarter at New Orleans, then gave up 72 in the next two periods combined.Or maybe nobody, and these two rematches of points extravaganzas will set all kinds of records.“It’s just about the approach we are taking out there,” Chiefs linebacker Anthony Hitchens said. “It’s not what coach is calling, it’s not what we are doing, it is how we are doing it. We are playing with aggressiveness, we are having fun, we are jumping around. It’s just a different type of feel and vibe from our defense. It is never too late, and we caught on at the right time, and these past couple weeks we are playing good ball and we just need to keep doing that.”Times four.