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PREVIEW
DECEMBER 13, 2009
TIME: 1 p.m.
PLACE: Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (FieldTurf)
TV: CBS team of Greg Gumbel (play-by-play) and Dan Dierdorf (analyst). Live on Channel 12 in Cincinnati, Channel 10 in Columbus, OH, Channel 7 in Dayton, OH, and Channel 27 in Lexington, KY.
RADIO: Play-by-play man Brad Johansen and analyst Dave Lapham on 700-AM (The Big One), 1530-AM (Homer) and 102.7-FM WEBN on "Triple Cast" Cincinnati flagships of the 25-station Bengals radio network.
The game can also be heard on Westwood One with Kevin Kugler (play-by-play) and Mark Malone (analyst).
INJURIES
CIN: DT Domata Peko (knee) is recovering from a scope and the hope is he'll be ready to play in the Jan. 3 finale. RB and kick returner Bernard Scott (toe) is out for the second straight week. Starting S Chris Crocker (ankle) has said he'll play but he missed the Wednesday and Thursday practices. So did backup S Kyries Hebert (knee), the special teams captain. Nickel back Morgan Trent (knee) went limited Thursday after sitting out Wednesday.
MIN: The Vikes are more dinged than the Bengals after Sunday night's loss to Arizona. Starting WR Percy Harvin (headches) and starting S Tryell Johnson (concussion) missed Wednesday and Thursday. Johnson isn't expected to play. After sitting out Wednesday, starting RB Adrian Peterson (foot/ankle) and starting RT Phil Loadholt (shoulder) were limited. Key starters who have been limited Wednesday and Thursday were G Steve Hutchinson (shoulder), DT Pat Williams (foot), TE Visanthe Shiancoe (ribs), LT Bryant McKinnie (ankle), CB Antoine Winfield (foot), and WR Bernard Berrian (hamstring). Winfield hasn't played in six games, but some in Minnesota think he might play.
» Complete Injury Report
THE SERIESTied at 5; Vikings lead at home, 4-0
NOTEWORTHY
» With a win the Bengals clinch their seventh division title and second under head coach Marvin Lewis.
» The Bengals look to join the 1975, 1981, 1988 and 2005 teams to be at least 10-3.
» The Bengals seek their first win in Minnesota after losing to quarterbacks Fran Tarkenton, Wade Wilson (twice) and Randall Cunningham. The Bengals try to beat the 40-year-old Brett Favre after losing to the 37-year-old Tarkenton and 35-year-old Cunningham.
» Twice the Bengals have played the last game of the season in the Metrodome. The loss in 1983 cost them an 8-8 record and was the last game of the Forrest Gregg era. The Christmas night loss in 1989 cost them a playoff spot and they finished 8-8.
» The Bengals are 14-12 in December under Lewis, 5-8 on the road.
» Favre has an NFL-record 490 career touchdown passes. The top three Bengals passers in history, Ken Anderson, Boomer Esiason and Carson Palmer, have 507.
» Favre leads the NFL this season in touchdown-interception differential (26-5). The Bengals picked off Favre five times in 2005, still his all-time high. None of the players in that secondary are still with the club.
» It is a battle of defenses that have been stingy at the same important things. The Bengals lead the NFL in holding foes to 32.9 percent on third down. The leader last week was Minnesota. The Vikes are now tied for third at 33.3. The Bengals have allowed the second fewest red-zone points at 113. The Vikes are fourth at 120.
NFL RANKINGS
CIN: 16th in scoring, 18th in offense (sixth rushing, 21st passing); Fourth in defense, (second rushing, 12th passing), 11th in turnover margin at plus one.
MIN: Second in scoring, Fifth in offense (11th rushing, ninth passing), eighth in defense (third in rushing, 21st passing), seventh in turnover margin at plus-7.
COACHES
CIN: Marvin Lewis 55-52-1 in regular season, 0-1 postseason in his seventh season, 1-0 vs. Vikings.
MIN: Brad Childress 34-27 in his fourth season, 0-0 vs. Bengals and Lewis.
THE WEATHER
The game is in indoors, but just for the heck of it the National Weather Service in Wilmington, Ohio is calling for partly cloudy skies in Minneapolis on Sunday with a 20 percent chance of snow and a high temperature of 20 degrees with winds out of the south at about 10 miles per hour.
