Bengals getting impact play from Amarius Mims, Ted Karras and the offensive line

CINCINNATI (AP) — With a potential Pro Bowl right tackle, the sturdiest interior of the offensive line that Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has played behind and a reliable veteran leader at left tackle, the Bengals’ offensive line has been a strength so far this season.

Going into Sunday's game against Tennessee, the Bengals (4-2) have allowed quarterback pressures at the tenth-lowest rate in the NFL, and they’ve allowed sacks at the seventh-lowest rate.

The face of the unit has been right tackle Amarius Mims. The 2024 first-round pick has made a considerable leap in his third season in the NFL.

“It’s one of those things where it’s like I don’t have a whole lot to say about it, and that’s part of why it’s as remarkable as it is,” offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher said. “It’s just kind of becoming commonplace for him. He’ll keep working, and hopefully we keep getting the same results.”

Pitcher said that when he watched Mims’ performance against the Ravens back on tape, it felt like Mims was barely even on the screen because he was blocking edge rushers so far away from the quarterback.

Mims has always been an incredible athlete, and now his experience and time on task have allowed him to be a more consistent player.

“Amarius Mims continues to be the best tackle I’ve put my eyes on this year,” coach Zac Taylor said. “He has been dominant out there.”

Left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. faced off against former Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson last week. Hendrickson didn’t record a sack and only hit Burrow twice in the game.

“It felt good,” Brown said about his performance. “I’m looking forward to doing that no matter who we play.”

Center Ted Karras, in his 11th season in the NFL, evaluates his play as “very solid” this season. He has only allowed one sack this year, and that sack was when All-Pro edge rusher Will Anderson lined up over the center when the Bengals faced the Texans in Week 2 and bested Karras on an unorthodox play. Karras’ communication and football IQ have always been big assets for the Bengals’ offensive line.

The biggest difference on the Bengals’ offensive line this season has been what they’ve been getting at the offensive guard positions.

For years, the Bengals counted on untested young players and veteran journeymen at that position. This year, 2025 third-round pick Dylan Fairchild has taken the next step. The Bengals also re-signed veteran Dalton Risner, who has built on the success that he had with the Bengals last season.

This year, the offensive line has gelled right away.

“Let’s not forget to talk about (offensive line coach) Scott Peters,” Risner said. “He’s one of my favorite offensive line coaches I’ve had. He does a really good job. He’s a player’s coach. He has played at the highest level. He has coached at the highest level. My favorite thing about him is how he cares.”

Fairchild has done a good job of eliminating negative plays in his second year in the NFL. He was successful down-to-down as a rookie last year, but individual bad reps resulted in turnovers and ugly sacks over the course of the season. This year, he has mostly taken those plays out of his game.

“Being able to really break down from camp until now, the usage of my hands has grown significantly,” Fairchild said. “That was really important for me to work on. When I got here, coach told me you’d have to use your hands in this league. It’s made it a lot easier for me to get hands on guys and learn how to do that.”

This year, the Bengals are throwing the ball at the fifth-highest rate in the NFL and Burrow has the best completion percentage in the NFL. The success in the passing game wouldn’t be possible without the offensive line.

“We’re playing pretty good ball,” Karras said. “We’ve got good rapport with each other, and we play hard.”

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Cincinnati Bengals players take the field for warmups before an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens in Baltimore, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Cincinnati Bengals players huddle on the field during the first half of an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens in Baltimore, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

FILE - Cincinnati Bengals offensive tackle Amarius Mims (71) looks on prior to an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean,File)

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Police secured Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal on Friday as dozens of protesters gathered to demonstrate against what they perceive as the wrongful suspension of the top court’s president by the current pro-European government.

Police said they detained three people after some protesters breached the tribunal’s fence and others threw objects at officers.

Polish President Karol Nawrocki, who was flying to Senegal, said he turned his flight back because of the situation. “At ​a moment like this, the ​President must be in Poland. I ⁠am cutting short my flight ​to Senegal. I am returning,” he ​wrote on X.

Poland's top judicial bodies, including the Constitutional Tribunal, have been a major bone of contention between the current pro-European government and the main opposition party, national-conservative Law and Justice (PiS).

Critics in Poland and the European Union accuse PiS, which led the country between 2015 and 2023, of imposing political control over key judicial institutions, including the Constitutional Tribunal. The PiS reforms led the EU to impose fines on Poland.

The pro-European government of Donald Tusk came to power in 2023 with a promise to restore the independence of the judiciary. Since then, the government’s efforts have been blocked by veto by two successive presidents aligned with PiS, including Nawrocki.

The information about the suspension of the president of the Constitutional Tribunal, Bogdan Święczkowski, was published on the website of the court around 6 p.m. local time. The website of the Tribunal went down soon after so The Associated Press could not independently verify the official reasons given for his suspension.

Święczkowski became head of the Constitutional Tribunal under the PiS government, and Tusk has accused him of blocking judges elected by the parliamentary majority from taking up their posts at the tribunal.

“Restoring the rule of law is our obligation," Prime Minister Tusk wrote on X on Friday evening. "After years of lawlessness under PiS this is a difficult process, sometimes painful and it requires decisive action. There is no other way.”

Speaking about the future of the Constitutional Tribunal at Campus Polska in August, Tusk said his government had a plan to ensure the tribunal would be again staffed with lawfully appointed judges while acknowledging his methods may not be to everyone's liking.

Politicians from PiS, currently the largest opposition force, have criticized Święczkowski's suspension.

“This is a blatant, criminal attack on the constitutional order," former Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro wrote on X Friday evening. “That is why I call for resistance that will be loud, firm, solidary and fearless.”

Police officers are guarding the entrance to the Polish Constitutional Court in Warsaw, Poland, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Rafal Niedzielski) Photo taken with a smartphone.

Police officers guard the entrance to the Polish Constitutional Court in Warsaw, Poland, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Rafal Niedzielski) Photo taken with a smartphone.

Polish President Karol Nawrocki speaks at Malacañang Palace in Manila, Philippines, Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026. (Ezra Acayan/Pool Photo via AP)