With AFC Special Teams Player of the Month Evan McPherson two field goals from breaking his Bengals' record of 21 straight, Shayne Graham has no advice for Money Mac heading into Sunday's game (1 p.m.-Cincinnati's Local 12) against the Jaguars at Paycor Stadium.
"What do you tell a guy who does better than you?" asked Graham Thursday. "I couldn't think of a better person. Whether he was a good kicker or not, just a heck of a person who just happens to be really good at kicking a football, too."
McPherson broke into the league five years ago taking advice from Graham, his coach for his last season at Florida. Now McPherson is taking the good word from Graham's coach with the Bengals for the seven seasons during which he set the current franchise mark for field-goal accuracy, special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons.
The laser-focused McPherson is a black hole when it comes to the streak.
"I don't know what I'm at. I don't t really know what the streak is," McPherson said. "I'm just going to keep kicking."
Graham very much gets it as a personal kicking coach in Grand Rapids, Mich., who also is a mental performance speaker for corporations and other groups.
Because of COVID, Graham didn't get to work with McPherson in person until just before the season, so he didn't change any technique. He doubts he would have anyway "because we're all different." But Graham did talk to him about what he did well and didn't do well during a 15-year NFL career.
"When he got to the pros, he had such a high ride that first year, I think dealing with a little bit of injuries and things like that might have even kind of given him a little thicker skin," Graham said. "He's such a physically and mentally gifted player when it comes to his confidence and his ability. Those are things you really hope to have in a kicker."
McPherson, whose streak started last season with a 43-yarder in Pittsburgh Nov. 16, has credited the second-year operation of long snapper William Wagner and holder Ryan Rehkow.
"The operation is super smooth," McPherson said after Thursday's practice. "They make it easy for me. All I have to do is worry about kicking."
While McPherson leads the NFL with five 50-yard field goals this season, he's quick to point out that Rehkow has no touchbacks in three games on 13 punts.
"That's what he went into the offseason trying to improve, and that's exactly what he's done," McPherson said.
Rehkow has also dramatically improved as a holder since his rookie year in 2024, and that's no surprise to Graham since he uses many of Simmons' holding techniques with his players.
"Darrin does a good job getting punters to understand that its 55% holding and 45% punting," Graham said. "They're not punting from as close in as much as they used to and now are more likely holding for a kick."
And McPherson, Rehkow, and Wagner have plenty of time to talk about it off the field, where McPherson says they've become good friends. Just Wednesday night, the McPhersons hosted a dinner for the three and that included three toddlers, two belonging to the hosts and one to the Rehkows.
"Ryan has been voted Father of the Year," Wagner said.
His wife may be giving Wagner a run for his money. Rehkow chalks up a lot of his holding improvement to the Jugs machine he bought in the run-up to the 2025 season. His wife has been there four of five times a week in the offseason feeding the machine so that her husband could catch and hold about 100 snaps. If she was holding Addie, now six months, her father or sisters-in-law fed the machine so Dad could hold the ball.
"The more snaps you see, the more comfortable you get," Rehkow said. "It becomes second-nature."
Sunday is a day Graham works with his players. If he can see the game, he'll watch the Bengals for the entirety. If not, he'll catch up later. But he knows.
"He'll get it." Graham said.
Dex Eyes Jax
Bengals tackle Dexter Lawrence, a Defensive Player of the Year candidate, has been talking this week about how the Bengals have made a point of emphasis of eliminating the mistakes in practice after the Steelers rushed for 138 yards on the ground last Sunday.
"We've been practicing well the last couple of days," Lawerence said. "I've watched us prepare not just this week, and this week there's an emphasis on making (fewer) mistakes in practice. Just be intentional on the little things, knocking out little mistakes and a good job."
Lawrence says the Bengals have to be aware of the Jags' slick play-action game run by "my long-lost brother," Jags quarterback Trevor Lawrence. That's a big reason the Bengals are emphasizing they must stop a physical Jags' running game rated No. 9 in the league with 5-9, 204-pound Bhayshul Tuten already with three touchdowns and averaging 4.7 yards per carry.
"A lot of scheme runs," Lawrence said. "He sees the leverage and tries to run away from it. We just have to play physical and strong and knock these guys back and we can take over the game. There's just a couple of mistakes we made (Sunday) that caused us not to come out of the side we wanted to come out on. It's all about being intentional with your work and being intentional on every down, and that's our emphasis and we're going to take care of it."
Lawrence shrugged off the social media controversy of the day with clips of Steelers guard Mason McCormick's leg hoist of him during Sunday's game that appeared to violate the agreed-upon rules of the game.
Lawrence said he's not certain if it's legal, but he did ask the officials about it a few times during the game. The only things that seemed to concern him were: "Don't let them scoop me. Don't fall."
"You've got to try something to slow me down," said Lawence of a two-sack game he also added a tackle for loss. "I don't think it's on me. I'm sure the team is taking care of all of that. But me, I've just got to go out there and play. I can't think about that."
Lawrence was on wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase's podcast and the host was surprised Lawrence played high school basketball. Not only that, he says he dunked in a game as an eighth-grader and then in high school. He's quite proud of his windmills, but even though he's not doing those now he says he can still dunk.
Lawrence says, "I can still play above the rim," which is what Bengals' foes are finding out …
Slants and Screens
In the wake of injuries to wide receivers Andrei Iosivas and Colbie Young and the re-signing of Mitch Tinsley, Chase likes where the wide receiver room is.
"From the looks of these guys, they're handling it really well," Chase said. "Colbie was making adjustments. Dohnte (Meyers) has been picking up other people's reps like had been doing it in practice. That's a good sign. Adding Mitch back to the collection because he's already been here and already knows a little of the offense, it's a perfect fit." …
The last two times these teams have met, it's been game-long fireworks. On a Monday night in 2023, Chase had 149 yards on 11 catches in a 34-31 overtime win in Jacksonville, he called "pretty fun." Last year here, he had 14 catches for 165 yards in a 31-27 win and thinks Sunday they have to be ready for "a shootout."
But he's not sure why he's had these big numbers against them. And, besides, he says, "it's more about us than them." …
Chase feels good about his offense and noted they only stopped themselves in Pittsburgh: "If we eliminate the penalties, we'll be in the position we want to be in." …
Along with Colbie Young (knee), the Bengals may have three other players that won't be able to play Sunday. Starting right guard Dalton Risner (knee), starting defensive tackle B.J. Hill (Achilles), and backup safety Kyle Dugger (quad) missed a second straight practice …
Starting cornerback DJ Turner II (ankle) suddenly surfaced on Thursday's injury report as limited …
So did backup linebacker Swayze Bozeman (groin) …
Starting safety Bryan Cook (ankle) went limited for the second straight day …
Same with starting safety Jordan Battle (hamstring) …
