What are the Cincinnati Bengals talking about ahead of Sunday's matchup against the Detroit Lions at Paycor Stadium?

1. What is the biggest challenge facing an explosive offense like Detroit's on a short week coming off a Monday Night Football game?

"I've got a lot of respect for the job Dan (Campbell) and his staff do on offense," Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said Wednesday. "I coached Jared (Goff) for two years. I've got a ton of respect for him.

"It's a tough task and there's going to be some above the neck stuff early in the week our guys have to own. So, when we get the physical reps (Thursday) and Friday, we make the most of them because it'll be less this week than normal. I trust our guys will be able to do that."

2. The Bengals have dropped two straight since All-Pro quarterback Joe Burrow was lost for three months with a toe injury. Backup Jake Browning is completing 64 percent of his passes with three touchdowns and five interceptions in Burrow's place.

The Browns rank 32nd in total offense and 30th in passing heading into Sunday, but Taylor said Wednesday the issues they've had the last couple weeks aren't just on the quarterback. He talked about himself doing a better job first and foremost and that trickling down to everyone else on offense.

"I feel extremely confident in Jake Browning," Taylor said.

3. Bengals linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. said Cincinnati's defense isn't in panic mode despite the fact they head into Sunday ranked 30th in total defense, 30th against the pass, 26th against the run and 30th on third down. He said it was still early in the season and they are finding their identity on defense.

"We're still on the climb, still on that journey to get there, to put down the roots of what we want to be and who we're trying to be," he said this week.

4. Taylor told a story about playing the Lions in 2021 when Detroit wasn't winning football games in Campbell's first year but noticing the energy and physicality Detroit played with overall. Taylor said he couldn't help but think how Detroit was taking on the identity of their head coach in those early stages of Campbell's tenure in Detroit.

"They might not have had all the talent in the world then, and we got the best of them that day, but you could see something that was building in the future, whether people believed it at the time or not," Taylor said. "Now you're here in 2025 and they've had the success they've had over the years, the success they've had this year winning three in a row, it's a really good football team."

5. Taylor said he loves playing these kinds of games Sunday against a good team like Detroit especially when his team's back is up against the wall a little bit having lost two straight. He wants to see how his team responds and it's a good chance to see who thrives in adversity. That's been his message for the team this week.

6. Browning said Wednesday he must do a better job Sunday vs. Detroit giving wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins more opportunities to make plays on 50-50 balls on the outside, down the field and in man coverage. He lamented a few throws Monday night in Cincinnati's loss in Denver where he didn't give those receivers a better opportunity to make plays in those one-on-one situations where he feels his receivers have an edge.

7. Asked what he's seen from Detroit's defense on tape this week, Browning said one of the things that really stands out is how the Lions secondary really comes up and challenges at the line of scrimmage in the pass game. He talked about the front seven for the Lions being very good and the defensive backs being 'scrappy as hell.' He called out cornerback Amik Robertson in particular in that regard.