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Wednesday NFL preview: Will Bengals bench Jeremy Hill?

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NFL Nation reporters look ahead to what Wednesday has in store for each team.

AFC EAST

Buffalo Bills: The Bills will return to the practice field Wednesday, and we'll be watching to see if LeSean McCoy suits up for the session. ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter reported Monday that the Bills could rest McCoy, who has been battling a lingering hamstring injury, until he's healthy again. The Bills tried sitting out McCoy for last Wednesday's practice, but it's possible he doesn't practice -- or play -- this week at all. -- Mike Rodak

Miami Dolphins: The Dolphins desperately need starting left tackle Branden Albert (hamstring) back in the lineup. Backup Jason Fox struggled last week in a blowout loss to the Bills. QB Ryan Tannehill was sacked twice and hit eight times in the pocket. -- James Walker

New England Patriots: Wednesday will mark the Patriots' only practice during their bye week. The team will be looking to figure out where LB Jonathan Bostic, acquired in a trade from Chicago, fits in the defense. Bostic said Tuesday he's initially focusing on learning the team's philosophy on defense and special teams. -- Mike Reiss

New York Jets: After a poor rushing performance against the Eagles, the Jets will try to clean up some of the technical errors that plagued them up front. The offensive linemen need to do a better job of finishing blocks and communicating with one another. There were too many unblocked defenders last week. -- Rich Cimini

AFC NORTH

Baltimore Ravens: Ravens offensive coordinator Marc Trestman said he doesn't expect tight end Crockett Gillmore (calf) to play Thursday night at the Pittsburgh Steelers. That's a big loss; he has been Joe Flacco's second-favorite target, and the Ravens are down to two rookie backups at tight end. Second-round pick Maxx Williams, the first tight end drafted this year, should get an increased role in the passing game. -- Jamison Hensley

Cincinnati Bengals: Coaches and players on the team's offense are concerned with how poorly the rushing attack fared in Sunday's win at Baltimore when the Bengals were held to less than 90 yards. Running back Jeremy Hill averaged 1.8 yards on 12 carries, but offensive coordinator Hue Jackson indicated he has no plans of changing the rotation to get Giovani Bernard more touches. Hill still remains his starter. When the Bengals practice Wednesday, they hope Hill starts showing a glimpse of his old self. -- Coley Harvey

Cleveland Browns: The Browns have dealt with a lot in the Johnny Manziel era. Now they'll deal with TMZ, as players will probably be asked on Wednesday about the TMZ report, which claimed three offensive starters are in favor of Manziel starting over Josh McCown. -- Pat McManamon

Pittsburgh Steelers: The Steelers are technically off Wednesday, but they will be game-planning for Michael Vick's first start in the hours before Thursday night's clash with the Ravens in Heinz Field. Vick will pick plays he likes, and the Steelers will utilize his skill set. Expect Pittsburgh to move him around and get him some throws on the run with chances to break a scramble or two of his own. Should be fun to watch. -- Jeremy Fowler

AFC SOUTH

Houston Texans: Texans coach Bill O'Brien is looking to find a solution to what ails his team in the second quarters of games when they've been outscored by an average of 9.7 points, the worst mark in the NFL. "There's a lull there that we got to figure that out," he said. -- Tania Ganguli

Indianapolis Colts: The Colts are hoping tight end Dwayne Allen (ankle) and cornerback Darius Butler (hip) will be able to practice Wednesday. It's important that Allen, who injured his ankle against the Jets on Sept. 21, gets some practice time in because he's not a player who can jump right back into things during a game without some practice time first. Butler has missed the past two games with his hip injury. -- Mike Wells

Jacksonville Jaguars: DT Sen'Derrick Marks (ACL) will increase his workload at practice on Wednesday as he gets closer to making his 2015 debut. DE Andre Branch (MCL) is scheduled to be involved in Wednesday's practice, likely on a limited basis, as well. It'd be a big boost to the Jaguars' defense to have two of their starters back in the fold. -- Mike DiRocco

Tennessee Titans: The Titans practice on Wednesday before shutting it down for their Week 4 bye. Many players are already looking at Buffalo and said they intend to watch the Bills' game on Sunday against the Giants to help them get ready for Week 5's home game. -- Paul Kuharsky

AFC WEST

Denver Broncos: Broncos coach Gary Kubiak has called safety David Bruton Jr.'s work on defense so far this season "awesome." With an interception, a sack, three knocked down passes and a forced fumble, Bruton has gone from special teams ace who contributed once in a while on defense to a key contributor on the No. 1 unit in the league. Oh, and he's also tied for the team lead in special-teams tackles. -- Jeff Legwold

Kansas City Chiefs: The Chiefs are ready to get Sean Smith back in the mix after he missed the season's first three games with a suspension. The defense -- which finished last season No. 1 against the pass when Smith played all 16 games -- sorely missed the veteran CB to start the 2015 season, allowing 287 passing yards per game (28th in the NFL).  -- Adam Teicher

Oakland Raiders: The Raiders' offense has been explosive the past two weeks. It has a chance to get even more varied when rookie tight end Clive Walford gets acclimated. The third-round pick played mostly as a blocker in Week 3 in a limited role. He missed several weeks in the preseason with two injuries. Once Walford gets more comfortable, he should be a weapon in the passing game, giving Derek Carr yet another young option. -- Bill Williamson

San Diego Chargers: San Diego has just one sack in three games, tying them for last in the NFL with the Dolphins. Chargers safety Eric Weddle said the solution is a simple one -- beat the guy in front of you. "You just have to win your one-on-one battles -- that's basically it," Weddle said. "You have one-on-one battles at every line of the defense. You've got to cover someone. You've got to beat one-on-one rush. You've got to one-on-one tackle. You've got to make it, and if you don't win those battles, you're not going to have a good game." -- Eric D. Williams

NFC EAST

Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys' offense is preparing for the exotic looks New Orleans D-coordinator Rob Ryan will throw at them. While taking care of the ball is always the first order of business for a QB, Brandon Weeden will have to target his outside receivers more in an effort to force the Saints' defense to back off. If he's unable to do so, the field will continue to shrink on the Dallas offense. -- Todd Archer

New York Giants: In addition to WR Victor Cruz, who hopes to make his season debut Sunday in Buffalo, the Giants are monitoring the injury status of LT Ereck Flowers (ankle) and DE Robert Ayers (hamstring), both of whom missed last week's game. CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie cleared the NFL's concussion protocol last week and should be fine to play Sunday barring a setback. -- Dan Graziano

Philadelphia Eagles: When the Eagles begin preparing for Sunday's game at Washington on Wednesday, they'll be trying to integrate a new starter at right guard (Matt Tobin) and figure out a way to get DeMarco Murray going in the running game after Ryan Mathews' 108-yard performance Sunday. That's a tall order for a big divisional game. -- Phil Sheridan

Washington Redskins: The Redskins will miss left guard Shawn Lauvao, who was placed on season-ending IR with an ankle injury. He had a disappointing 2014 season but was off to a good start in 2015. According to ESPN Stats & Information, the Redskins averaged 5.18 yards per carry on runs to the left side in the first three games -- compared to 3.98 yards per carry a year ago. The Redskins have yet to say who will replace him, but it'll come down to three players: Josh LeRibeus, who is dealing with a calf injury, Spencer Long or rookie Arie Kouandjio. -- John Keim

NFC NORTH

Chicago Bears: Keep an eye on wide receiver Alshon Jeffery on Wednesday. Jeffery is expected to return from a hamstring injury to face the Raiders in Week 4, but he hasn't practiced since Sept. 17. It's imperative for Chicago that their No. 1 wide receiver quickly shakes off the rust. Jimmy Clausen passed for just 63 yards on nine completions vs. the Seahawks without Jeffery in the lineup. With Jay Cutler (hamstring) likely to miss another week, the Bears need all the help they can get on offense to avoid falling to 0-4. -- Jeff Dickerson

Detroit Lions: Offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi is under a lot of heat after three weeks of offensive inefficiency. Golden Tate said on 105.1 on Tuesday he has had opponents tell him they know what plays are coming, which should be a concern considering the Lions have had no run game to speak of and Matthew Stafford continues to get pummeled. There will be a lot of questions about predictability when the Lions have access on Thursday. -- Michael Rothstein

Green Bay Packers: It's going to be another challenging week for coach Mike McCarthy in terms of game planning. There's a chance he won't know whether he'll have receiver Davante Adams (ankle) until just before Sunday's game at San Francisco. -- Rob Demovsky

Minnesota Vikings: Coach Mike Zimmer has one career win against Peyton Manning, but he counts it as one of the most significant victories of his career. It came in 2006, Zimmer's final year as the Cowboys' defensive coordinator, when Manning threw two interceptions as the Cowboys beat the previously undefeated Colts. On Wednesday, Zimmer and the Vikings begin preparations to face Manning and the undefeated Broncos. -- Ben Goessling

NFC SOUTH

Atlanta Falcons: The Falcons' new depth chart lists Devonta Freeman as the starting RB for Sunday's matchup with Houston, which shouldn't come as much of a surprise, with rookie Tevin Coleman still recovering from a fractured rib. The question: Who will start once Coleman returns to full strength? If Freeman keeps putting up 100-yard, 3-TD efforts, it will be hard to take him out of the starting lineup. -- Vaughn McClure

Carolina Panthers: This will be the first look at how the Panthers will use new defensive end Jared Allen, acquired in a trade with Chicago on Monday. Luke Kuechly's injury status is also worth watching. He met with the independent physician on Tuesday, and we'll find out Wednesday if the two-time Pro Bowler's condition has improved enough to be cleared from the concussion protocol -- or at least begin to practice with a helmet. -- David Newton

New Orleans Saints: Drew Brees is expected to do some throwing during practice today for the first time since he injured his shoulder in Week 2. He's also scheduled for his weekly visit with the media afterward. Brees' status probably won't change from the "day-to-day" diagnosis we've heard for two weeks. But we should get more detail on how he's coming along as the 0-3 Saints head toward a Sunday night home date with a Cowboys team that's been hit equally hard by injuries this season. -- Mike Triplett

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: It should be interesting to see how coach Lovie Smith prepares for Cam Newton this week. Tampa Bay missed Newton both times last year; the quarterback was absent from the Week 1 meeting with a rib injury and the Week 15 matchup as he recovered from a car accident. Newton's dual-threat presence should present a challenge for the Bucs after they struggled against the run in Houston and allowed 413 total yards in a loss. Tampa Bay's defensive line, which features NFL sack leader Jacquies Smith, must generate more pressure on Sunday after totaling just one sack against Texans QB Ryan Mallett. -- Andrew Astleford

NFC WEST

Arizona Cardinals: Running back Andre Ellington and left guard Mike Iupati are supposed to begin their return to the field on Wednesday. Coach Bruce Arians said both will begin the week limited in practice and slowly work back into the rotation depending on their health. -- Josh Weinfuss

St. Louis Rams: Rams coach Jeff Fisher likes his new practice schedule in which the team practices on Tuesday because it gives players a chance to quickly turn the page. That'll be important this week. With undefeated Arizona looming on the road, Fisher and the Rams are well aware they have no time to waste. -- Nick Wagoner

San Francisco 49ers: Niners coach Jim Tomsula surprisingly acknowledged this week his team was not a "drop-back team" on offense. So why acquire a deep threat in Torrey Smith if Colin Kaepernick does not have the time to find him downfield? -- Paul Gutierrez

Seattle Seahawks: The Seahawks have done a good job of keeping their core together, but the newcomers have provided a lift early in the season. Six of the seven TDs the team has scored have come from players who were not on the roster last season. Aside from the big names such as Jimmy Graham and Tyler Lockett, Pete Carroll said he has been pleased with cornerback Cary Williams, who has played well opposite Richard Sherman through the first three games. -- Sheil Kapadia

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