Updated: 8:20 p.m.
Like they did before selling out the Denver, Houston and Baltimore games this season, the Bengals received a 24-hour extension to Friday at 1 p.m. by which a sellout must be reached to permit local television coverage of Sunday's 1 p.m. game against Detroit at Paul Brown Stadium. Any team that has received an extension has sold out the game, but there have been 14 non-sellouts this season in Jacksonville, Oakland and Detroit.
The club, which was about 5,000 tickets shy Thursday morning, made up some ground to get an extension and is between 3-4,000 short.
"We hope to avoid a blackout," said Andrew Brown, Bengals ticket sales manager in a press release. "But we will need strong closing sales to clear the remaining ticket inventory."
The Bengals have sold out their last 50 regular-season and postseason games, setting a franchise record for consecutive sellouts. The former record was 43, set at Riverfront Stadium from 1988-1992.
If the Detroit game is sold out by 1 p.m. Friday, it will be televised live in the Bengals home market on Fox affiliates WXIX-TV (Channel 19) in Cincinnati, WRGT-TV (Channel 45) in Dayton, Ohio, and on WDKY-TV (Channel 56) in Lexington, Ky.
To purchase tickets, fans may call the Bengals Ticket Hotline at 866-621-TDTD (8383). The Hotline will be open until 8 p.m. today, from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m. on Friday, and from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Saturday.
Also, tickets are available online 24 hours per day by clicking here.
Whether it's on TV or not, it is looking more and more like no one is going to see rookie running back Bernard Scott (toe). He and rookie center Jonathan Luigs (back) didn't dress for Thursday's practice.
The Bengals had pretty much the same injury report as Wednesday, but defensive tackle Orien Harris (illness) joined Scott, Luigs and defensive tackle Domata Peko (knee) on the sidelines. Running back Cedric Benson (hip) and WILL linebacker Keith Rivers (calf) are back practicing full go. The following were limited: Wide receiver Laveranus Coles (chest), safety Kyries Hebert (hip), defensive tackle Tank Johnson (knee), SAM linebacker Rey Maualuga (foot), defensive lineman Frostee Rucker (neck), cornerback Morgan Trent (knee).
WEATHER CHECK: The National Weather Service in Wilmington, Ohio is calling for no chance of rain under mostly sunny skies in Cincinnati for Sunday's game with a kickoff temperature of 40 degrees and a wind out of the south at five miles per hour.
