Sixteen NFL regular-season games left. Twenty-nine games total. Let’s dig in … • Joe Burrow said it a couple weeks back. And now his head coach is echoing him.

In this case, it came on New Year’s Eve at his weekly news conference, offering a resolution for an ownership group that has allowed stars Jessie Bates, DJ Reader and others to leave in recent seasons while facing another round of negotiations with star receivers Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase this offseason.

Four weeks ago, the Cincinnati Bengals' playoff hopes seemed all but over as they sat at a dismal 4-8, coming off a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and many