Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis, responding to Joe Mixon’s comments about not getting any second-half carries against the Pittsburgh Steelers, said the rookie running back needs to grow up.
ABC15 in Arizona reported that the 65-year-old coach has told those close to him that he plans to step down at the end of the season.
Arians, who is in his fifth season with the Cardinals, has battled health scares in recent years.
In February, Arians had surgery to remove a cancerous piece of his kidney. He was diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma on Dec. 15, three days before Arizona hosted the New Orleans Saints in its home finale, after a cancerous spot was detected on his kidney during a doctor’s visit earlier in the week. Arians said the diagnosis didn’t affect the rest of his season.
The Falcons and Bucs have lost three straight. The Panthers have lost two straight. The Saints, meanwhile, have won four in a row. Who will win the NFC South?
Bowen: Saints. That defense was gashed the first two weeks of the season, but the young secondary has developed quickly with game reps. On offense, coach Sean Payton is using that versatile combo of Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara at running back to complement Drew Brees and one of the best scripted passing attacks in the NFL. Given the issues we see with the Atlanta offense, the up-and-down season of Cam Newton and the sporadic play of the Bucs, I like the Saints to end up on top in the South.
Graziano: Panthers. As much fun as the Saints’ improved defense has been as an early-season storyline, I like Carolina’s defense as a better bet to sustain itself through the season. The Panthers have had three games this season in which they haven’t allowed an offensive touchdown. Of course, they also have had two in which they didn’t score an offensive touchdown. But the offensive consistency should improve once they find a running game, which could be as simple as feeding the ball to Christian McCaffrey between the tackles a little bit.