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News & notes

Bengals: It took the Bengals a long time to get over that playoff loss to Pittsburgh. The trash talking on social media went on for many weeks, with neither side willing to give up the grudge. The Bengals are minding their manners heading into the rematch — for now, anyway. Nobody wanted to talk about the Steelers much on Monday, a day after Cincinnati beat the Jets 23-22 at the Meadowlands. Pittsburgh opened at Washington on Monday night. The Bengals play at Pittsburgh next Sunday in a long-awaited game. Personal fouls on Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict and cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones moved the Steelers into range for a field goal in the closing seconds of an 18-16 playoff win at Paul Brown Stadium last season. Nobody’s forgotten it, of course. They’re just keeping their thoughts to themselves for now. “I ain’t talking about Pittsburgh,” Jones yelled to a group of reporters who started to approach him in the locker room on Monday. When coach Marvin Lewis was asked about the Steelers game three times, he responded with the same six words each time. “New team,” he said. “New season. New year.”

Panthers: Coach Ron Rivera said he fully expects Cam Newton to play this Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers despite taking at least four helmet-to-helmet hits in a Week 1 loss to the Denver Broncos. Rivera said that while Newton’s body is sore, his head is fine. “He’s tough, he’s resilient and he’s moving around pretty good,” Rivera said Monday, reiterating that his QB has passed a number of concussion tests. Newton made a brief appearance in the locker room, but did not answer questions.

Vikings: Minnesota will try to keep the Green Bay Packers guessing about their starting quarterback this week. Coach Mike Zimmer said Monday he has not yet decided whether Shaun Hill will stay in the lineup or be replaced by Sam Bradford on Sunday night in the long-anticipated matchup between the border-state rivals that will break in Minnesota’s new $1.1 billion stadium. “I just figured it’d be good sports talk radio. I don’t know,” Zimmer said, adding: “Green Bay is an awfully good team. Everybody is picking them to go to the Super Bowl. We’re just trying to be in the fight, and I’ll try to keep my cards close to the vest.” Bradford had only seven days to prepare for the opener at Tennessee, after arriving in a trade with Philadelphia that was prompted by the season-ending injury to Teddy Bridgewater’s left knee. Vikings coaches have praised Bradford as a quick study, but the 15-year veteran Hill was the safe pick for the first week.

Broncos: Linebacker Brandon Marshall says he’ll kneel again for the national anthem even though he lost a second endorsement deal for joining Colin Kaepernick’s protest of social injustice. CenturyLink said Monday that the company respects Marshall’s right to express his beliefs but feels the national anthem was an inappropriate venue. So, CenturyLink terminated its six-week-old deal with Marshall, who lost his endorsement with Air Academy Federal Credit Union on Friday. Marshall, a college teammate of Kaepernick’s, took a knee during the playing of the national anthem before Denver’s 21-20 win over Carolina on Thursday night. Kaepernick refused to stand for the anthem during San Francisco’s preseason games, explaining it was to protest racial oppression and police brutality in the U.S.

Associated Press