“We’re Still in the Fight,” in Muddy AFC Playoff Picture; Battle, Ossai give Bengals defense a boost; Injury update

LOU LOOK: Last week was the week that defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo scouted for young players in the secondary. Sophomore Jordan Battle split reps with veteran safety Vonn Bell in the Raiders and Ravens games, and rookie cornerback Josh Newton relieved Hilton with 13 and 19 career snaps, respectively exceeds.

Hilton continues to be their surest tackler in the secondary. Note Thursday night's tackle on the final play of the first half that kept the clock running and prevented a Baltimore field goal attempt.

According to Pro Football Focus, Hilton was their No. 1 run defender against the Ravens and Battle was their fifth leading the secondary, helping NFL rushing leader Derrick Henry rush for 68 yards on 16 carries. According to PFF, they have only missed six tackles in the last two games. In the last two games, Hilton and Battle had none.

“I think Jordan is doing well. His snaps are back in the 30s and continue to improve,” Anarumo said. “Young legs and he’s hard, you saw that. You saw him come after him. I thought we tackled Henry pretty well when it comes to tackling. We're asking him to do that. So as you progress, increase your reps.

Anarumo says Newton, TCU's fifth-rounder, will get a similar workload in LA

“He’s progressing like any rookie corner. We used him a little recently. This will only help on the road,” Anarumo said. “I love his approach, I love his mentality, I love his toughness. He is one of those people who gives everything he has, so I am happy with his position.”

But there's no question that Anarumo is looking for a more static secondary, regardless of age.

“I think at the end of the day you just want to see someone settle in and say, 'That's mine,'” Anarumo said. “But I’ll say it again. It gets boring, but it's just constant. I just want to see consistency, play in, play out. And until we get that, we’ll keep rotating.”

ANOTHER JOE: And that's exactly what Anarumo gets from his replacement Joseph Ossai. While Ossai has played 27 snaps over the last two games, the other backup player, Myles Murphy, dropped to 20 and then 14 on Thursday night. Ossai had three tackles and a single hit on Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson in Baltimore.

“Joseph Ossai, he runs around out there and sometimes attacks his own guys, but he runs around,” Anarumo said. “He gives us great effort, he gives us physicality in the run game. In my opinion, the guy has kind of elevated his game with what we're asking him to do. No setback for Myles. Still 'arrow up,' but I like what Joe is doing.”

SLOPES AND SCREENS: The Bengals reportedly had former Pro Bowl Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard visiting on Monday, but he reportedly turned down an offer. Howard is a longtime favorite of Anarumo, his secondary coach at Miami. He hasn't played since his foot injury last season…

They also reportedly hosted running back Leonard Fournette, the fourth pick in the 2017 draft. Fournette, 29, did not play this season…

The Bengals wanted to strengthen the practice squad and did so when they signed running back Gary Brightwell, a fourth-year player from the University of Arizona. He was a sixth-round draft pick of the Giants in 2021 and spent time on the Browns' practice squad this year…