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SEPTEMBER 16, 2012
TIME: 1 p.m. Sunday
PLACE: Paul Brown Stadium (Synthetic)
LOCAL RADIO: Play-by-play Dan Hoard and analyst Dave Lapham led by 1530-AM ESPN and 102.7-FM WEBN on the 25-station Bengals radio network.
TV: CBS broadcast team of Bill Macatee play-by-play and Steve Tasker analyst. Channel 12 in Cincinnati, Channel 7 in Dayton, Ohio, Channel 27 in Lexington, Ky.
INJURIES
CIN: CB Dre Kirkpatrick (leg) out; LE Carlos Dunlap (knee), who hadn't practiced since the injury in the Aug. 10 preseason opener, returned to practice this week Wednesday and Thursday in limited fashion. Same with RB Bernard Scott (hand), who has only practiced limited the last few weeks since he got hurt the first week of August. WILL LB Thomas Howard (knee) was injured during Thursday's practice and placed on Injured Reserve on Friday. No 2 tight end Donald Lee (quad) hasn't practiced since being a surprise Monday night scratch. CB Jason Allen (quad), who didn't play any preseason games and sat Monday night, has been limited this week. So has rookie S George Iloka (ankle) after getting hurt Monday night. CB Adam Jones went full Thursday after missing Wednesday with an illness.
CLE: For the second straight week, the Bengals face a foe with virtually no injury issues. The only players that didn't go Thursday and are expected to be out were backup SLB James-Michael Johnson (ribs) and backup FS Ray Ventrone (hand). The only starters limited Thursday and expected to go were LT Joe Thomas (knee) and TE Benjamin Watson (thigh)
» Complete Injury Report
THE SERIES
Bengals lead, 41-36, 25-14 at home, 8-4 at PBS, 17-10 at Riverfront.
NOTEWORTHY
» The game comes five years to the day the Browns stunned the Bengals in Cleveland, 51-45, for the most points they've ever scored in the series behind Derek Anderson's five TD passes on a day Cincinnati's Carson Palmer threw six.
» A Bengals victory over the Browns would give Cincinnati the biggest lead by either team in the 43-year history of the rivalry at six games.
» The biggest Browns lead is also at five games when they won six of the first seven games.
» The last time the Browns opened a Paul Brown Stadium season was Sept. 17, 2006, when the Bengals won, 34-17, before the fifth-biggest PBS crowd and biggest to see the Browns (66,072) behind Palmer's 352 passing yards and running back Rudi Johnson's 145 rushing yards, his fourth straight game of at least 126 vs. the Browns.
» Bengals 2006 third-round pick Frostee Rucker returns to PBS as the Browns starting right end. The last former Brown to start for the Bengals against Cleveland, former safety Chris Crocker, was a third-round pick of Cleveland in 2003.
» Now center Jeff Faine, a first-round pick of the Browns in 2003, takes that role when he starts for the Bengals this Sunday.
NFL RANKINGS
CIN: Tied for 29th in scoring, 20th in offense (ninth rushing, 26th passing); 29th in scoring defense, 29th in defense (22nd rushing, 28th passing), tied for 24th in turnover margin at minus-2.
CLE: Tied for 25th in scoring, 32nd in offense (16th rushing, 32nd passing); Tied for ninth in scoring defense, 31st in defense (27th rushing, 27th passing), tied for 10th in turnover margin at plus-1.
COACHES
CIN: Marvin Lewis 69-75-1 regular season, 0-3 postseason in his 10th season, 13-5 vs. Browns.
CLE: Pat Shurmur 4-13 in second season, 0-2 vs. Bengals and Lewis.
WEATHER
The National Weather Service in Wilmington, Ohio is calling for no chance of rain, mostly sunny with temperatures in the upper 70s and barely any wind at five miles per hour.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
» 26 - Games the Bengals have played against the Browns since Cleveland came back into the NFL in 1999
» 17-9 - Bengals record vs. Browns since '99
» 16 - 100-yard rushers by Bengals vs. Browns since '99
» 14-2 - Bengals record vs. Browns with 100-yard rusher
» 5 - Different 100-yard rushers vs. Browns (Corey Dillon, Rudi Johnson, Kenny Watson, Cedric Benson, Larry Johnson)
» 151 - Yards by Bengals WR A.J. Green vs. Browns in two games last season
» 151 - Yards passing by Browns QB Colt McCoy at PBS last season
» 11 - Browns starting QBs against head coach Marvin Lewis in his 19th game vs. Cleveland
» 4 - Starting QBs Lewis has used vs. Cleveland (Jon Kitna, Carson Palmer, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Andy Dalton)
» 1 - Opening Day rookies starting at QB for Browns (Brandon Weeden)
» 15 - Rookies on Browns roster
» 10 - Rookies on Bengals roster
» 11 - Second-year players on Browns roster
» 6 - Second-year players on Bengals roster
» 200 - NFL regular-season games for K Phil Dawson, most-tenured Brown
» 119 - NFL regular-season games for LE Robert Geathers, most-tenured Bengal
» 166 - NFL regular-season games for CB Nate Clements, most on Bengals
GAME DAY ENTERTAINMENT
» JungleZone: Band – My Sister Sarah
» Anthem: Brotherhood Singers
» Honor Guard: Ohio HWY Patrol
» Halftime: Verizon "Toss to Win" challenge in the North end zone; Local 12 highlight package, "Around the League in 180 Seconds"; Ohio University Marching Band
»Pregame: Honorary Game Captain, Alfonso Cornejo
