CINCINNATI (AP) — Cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick got to see receiver Julio Jones' rare abilities during practice at Alabama.They've never gone head-to-head in the NFL Clayton Fejedelem Jersey , which is about to change on Sunday in Atlanta when they're paired again in a nostalgic rematch.The Falcons made Jones the sixth overall pick in 2011, when he left Alabama after his junior season. Kirkpatrick was a year behind him at Alabama, giving him a chance to cover him in practice. The Bengals took Kirkpatrick with the 17th overall pick in 2012. The Falcons (1-2) and Bengals (2-1) have played once while they were both in the NFL. The Bengals won 24-10 at Paul Brown Stadium during the 2014 season, when Kirkpatrick was on special teams only. Jones caught seven passes for 88 yards and a touchdown.Kirkpatrick won't be assigned to Jones on Sunday, but he'll likely wind up covering him on some plays, allowing them to renew their one-on-one history."I just know that competitive nature me and him had when I was down there," Kirkpatrick said. "It's like me and A.J. (Green). Sometimes me and A.J. are about to kill each other in practice."The Bengals have given up a lot of yards in their first three games, facing offenses that aren't as highly ranked as Atlanta's. Andrew Luck and Joe Flacco threw for more than 300 yards each in the Bengals' opening wins — late turnovers made the difference.Christian McCaffrey ran for 184 yards and Cam Newton ran for a pair of touchdowns in Carolina's 31-21 victory on Sunday that left Cincinnati ranked 26th in the league in defense. The Bengals are last in third downs, allowing opponents to convert 52 percent.The defense is still adapting to a new coordinator, two new position coaches, and the influx of young players over the past two seasons. The Bengals have their youngest team in coach Marvin Lewis' 16 seasons."We've got a lot of new Andrew Billings Jersey , but you've got to get it right," Lewis said Wednesday. "We do a lot of things really good. We're fifth or sixth in the league on first down. We've got to put it all together."The cornerbacks are a strength of the unit, featuring three first-round picks — Kirkpatrick, Darqueze Dennard and William Jackson. They'll get their biggest test yet on Sunday, with three former Alabama players figuring prominently.Falcons rookie receiver Calvin Ridley was the 26th overall pick out of Alabama. Ridley had seven catches for 146 yards and three touchdowns in Atlanta's 43-37 overtime loss to New Orleans on Sunday."Bragging rights and everything," Kirkpatrick said. "I'm looking forward to it. A great challenge. Julio is still my guy win, lose or draw. This week I feel like it's going to be a little extra something."NEW D-LINEMANThe Bengals put second-year defensive tackle Ryan Glasgow on injured reserve with a torn ACL suffered in Sunday's game. They signed defensive tackle Adolphus Washington off the Cowboys' practice squad. The Cincinnati native and former Ohio State player was drafted by the Bills in the third round in 2016 and played 31 games for Buffalo. He was waived on Sept. 11 and signed by the Cowboys. It's unclear whether he'll learn the defense enough to be able to blend into the Bengals' line rotation on Sunday."It's a matter of how much he can absorb, given he landed at 7:30 last night," Lewis said.GREEN HAS LIMITED PRACTICEReceiver A.J. Green had a limited practice Wednesday. He sat out the second half at Carolina with a groin/hip injury. Also limited were running back Giovani Bernard (thigh), Kirkpatrick (groin), Dennard (calf) C.J. Uzomah Jersey , linebacker Preston Brown (ankle), left tackle Cordy Glenn (knee) and defensive end Michael Johnson (knee).MIXON AND PRICE IMPROVINGRunning back Joe Mixon and rookie center Billy Price will miss their second game with injuries, but Lewis said Wednesday they're making progress and could be back within a few weeks. Mixon had knee surgery to remove torn cartilage, and Price has a sprained foot.The Debrief: Everyone is Coming Back Edition 1) Linebacker Vontaze Burfict is back, baby! The seventh-year linebacker returned on Monday after serving a four-game suspension and on Wednesday, Burfict (the soul of Cincinnati’s defense), returned to practice; He’s reportedly in great shape — though Preston Brown offers a little extra, saying that he’s “a little chubby on the side, but that’s how Tez is.” Burfict, who struggled to stay healthy during training camp and the preseason, served a four-game suspension this year for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances. Quote of the day. Marvin Lewis on Burfict’s fitness: “When he came up from behind and picked me up off the floor on Monday Jeff Driskel Jersey , I knew it could only be one person. I guess it’s time to wrestle with the bear again (chuckles).”The roster exemption question: As a roster exemption, Burfict won’t count against the 53-man roster until the team vacates a spot on their active roster. We’re assuming this will happen when Cincinnati places Tyler Eifert on Injured Reserve by the end of the week.His return can’t come soon enough: In Cincinnati’s first four games (without Burfict), their total defense ranks 29th (419.2 yards/game), their passing defense ranks 28th (303.5 yards/game), and their rush defense ranks 21st (115.8 yards/game).2) Running back Joe Mixon keeps getting closer. During Wednesday’s 45-minute locker room session between the players and Cincinnati’s media, Mixon said he’s not yet medically cleared and is aiming to return by Week 6 against Pittsburgh, if not this week. Then Mixon showed up to practice in full pads and was a limited participant on Wednesday. Injury-based news is difficult to decipher, because we don’t know who is telling the truth and the media isn’t as connected as they used to be. Basically everyone learns the truth at the same time.Since entering the league in 2013, Giovani Bernard is one of two players (Le’Veon Bell) with 3,000-plus yards rushing (3,055) and 2 Shawn Williams Jersey ,000-plus yards receiving (2,138). Bernard rushed for 130 yards (4.8 yards/carry) and caught nine passes for 52 yards — that translates to 182 yards from scrimmage on 36 touches in the two games (combined) since Mixon has been out. He’s also scored three rushing touchdowns in the past two games.However, Bernard is dealing with his own knee injury. According to the team’s injury report, Bernard didn’t practice on Wednesday; it’s believed he hurt his knee late in the game against Atlanta. If Bernard is out on Sunday against Miami and Mixon isn’t ready, Cincinnati would rely on rookie Mark Walton and veteran Thomas Rawls. 3) Center Billy Price remains in a boot for two more weeks. You hope his recovery would be more expeditious, but Cincinnati is being extremely cautious with Price after his most recent evaluation on Tuesday. He’s quick to deny any setbacks — there’s no pain nor swelling. Once the boot is discarded in two weeks, the team will re-evaluate... again.In the meantime Trey Hopkins has started the last two games at center, and his PFF grades (if you buy into such things), is relatively impressive as a pass blocker (two pressures allowed) but could use some work (actually, a LOT) as a run blocker.Bengals Injury/Practice Report Week 5POSBENGALSINJURYWEDTHURFRISTATUSPOSBENGALSINJURYWEDTHURFRISTATUSTo have with your chamomile tea (for your reading pleasure):Rebecca shares her journey down the east coast to see the Orangemen and the men that wear orange.John Sheeran’s Week 4 rookie report and weekly lineman series. Matt Minich breaks down Cincinnati’s game-winning drive against the Falcons.The Athletic’s Jay Morrison re-watches Cincinnati’s win. Anthony Cosenza reflects on the team’s win over the Falcons with some awards.The Mothership talks about how the team will “cope” with Tyler Eifert’s injury. The good news is that they’re prepared and experienced for it.Tweet Stormin’ Knowledge:
