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DECEMBER 30, 2012
TIME: 1 p.m. Sunday
PLACE: Paul Brown Stadium (Synthetic)
LOCAL RADIO: Play-by-play Dan Hoard and analyst Dave Lapham led by "Triple Cast" 700-AM WLW, 1530-AM ESPN and 102.7-FM WEBN on the 25-station Bengals radio network
NATIONAL RADIO: Sports USA Radio with Larry Kahn play-by-play, Ross Tucker analyst, Troy West sideline reporter.
TV: CBS team of Kevin Harlan play-by-play and Solomon Wilcots analyst on Channel 12 in Cincinnati, Channel 7 in Dayton, Ohio and Channel 27 in Lexington, Ky.
INJURIES
CIN: OUT: K Mike Nugent (kicking calf), CB Dre Kirkpatrick (knee) with both put on season-ending injured reserve this week. Starting CB Terence Newman (groin) and backup CB Jason Allen (hamstring) went limited and are questionable. After being limited earlier in the week, starting safety Reggie Nelson (shoulder) and third CB Adam Jones (hamstring) went full go Friday and are probable. So is RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis (illness), full go Friday after a sitting out Thursday.
BAL: Pro Bowlers NT Haloti Ngata (knee) and RG Marshal Yanda (knee, shoulder) didn't practice this week and are called questionable, but it's hard to see them playing. Starting WR Anquan Boldin (shoulder) and FB Vonta Leach (ankle) were limited Friday and are also questionable. There are seven starters and one regular that went full Friday and are called probable. But even though MLB Ray Lewis (triceps) is one of them, he's not expected to go until the playoffs.
» Complete Injury Report
THE SERIES
Ravens lead, 19-14; Bengals lead 9-7 in Cincinnati, 7-5 at PBS
NOTEWORTHY
» The 9-6 Bengals need a win over the 10-5 Ravens to make Marvin Lewis the first Bengals head coach to have three seasons of double-digit wins.
» A win would give the Bengals their first four-win December in history.
» The Bengals could have a rematch next week in one of the AFC Wild Card games in Baltimore if they lose to Baltimore and the Patriots lose at home to Miami.
» The Bengals could have a rematch of last year's Wild Card loss in Houston if the Texans lose at Indianapolis, the Pats win, and the Broncos beat the Chiefs at home.
» Right now if the No. 3 spot holds, the Bengals travel to Foxboro, Mass., to play the Patrots for the first time in the postseason. To stay at No. 3, the Patriots need a win or tie, or a Bengals win or tie. But if the Patriots beat Miami, and if Houston and/or Denver (12-3) loses, the Patriots will have a tiebreaker shot at the No. 2 or even No. 1 seed.
» The Bengals would travel to Denver next week if the Broncos lose at home to the Chiefs and New England wins.
» The Bengals are seeking their first win over Baltimore since Mike Nugent scored all their points in a 15-10 victory over the Ravens at PBS on Sept. 19, 2010. The Bengals put Nugent on season-ending injured reserve Friday.
» Cincinnati's 14 yards on 16 carries were its second-fewest rushing yards in history, next only to the four a Ravens defense coordinated by Lewis allowed the Bengals on Sept. 24, 2000 in Baltimore.
NFL RANKINGS
CIN: 12th in scoring, 20th in offense (14th rushing, 16th passing); T-8th in scoring defense, 6th in defense (8th rushing, 10th passing), 13th in turnover margin at plus-3.
BAL: 10th in scoring, 15th in offense (15th rushing, 13th passing); 12th in scoring defense, 20th in defense (24th rushing, 17th passing), 8th in turnover margin at plus-10.
COACHES
CIN: Marvin Lewis 78-80-1 regular season, 0-3 postseason in his 10th season; 10-9 vs. Ravens
BAL: John Harbaugh 59-29 in his fifth season; 6-3 vs. Lewis and Bengals
WEATHER
The National Weather Service in Wilmington, Ohio is calling for partly cloudy skies at 26 degrees with winds out of the west at about 10 miles per hour.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
» 160 - Regular-season games coached by Marvin Lewis, including Sunday
» 147 - Combined regular-season games for Bengals AFC Defensive Player of Week winners Geno Atkins, Carlos Dunlap and Michael Johnson
» 176 - Combined regular season-games coached by John Harbaugh and Pittsburgh's Mike Tomlin
» 43-35-1 - Lewis's record at home
» 3-4 - Bengals home record this season
» 5 - Catches Bengals WR A.J. Green needs to become third Bengal (T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Carl Pickens) to have a 100-catch season
» 8 - CatchesJermaine Gresham needs to break Bengals record for most catches by a tight end in a season, 71 set by Dan Ross in 1981
» 106 - Rushing yards RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis needs to become fifth Bengal (James Brooks, Corey Dillon, Rudi Johnson, Cedric Benson) to have a 1,200-yard rushing season
» 2 - Sacks Bengals need to break 2001 club season record of 48
» .5 - Sacks Bengals RE Michael Johnson needs for 10 this season, making him and Atkins first Bengals double-digit sack tandem since OLB Reggie Williams and LE Eddie Edwards in 1981
» 1 - Sacks Atkins needs for 13.5 this season, second-best season in club history next to Coy Bacon's 22 in 1976
» 188 - Bengals games played by NT Tim Krumrie
» 34.5 - Career sacks for Krumrie
» 23 - Career sacks in 47 games for Atkins
» 92 - Sack pace for Atkins in 188 games
» 96.5 - Career sacks for former Bucs DT Warren Sapp
» 8 - Points Bengals K Josh Brown needs for 1,000 in his career
» 1,399 - Combined points by last two Bengals Ks, Mike Nugent and Shayne Graham
GAME DAY ENTERTAINMENT
» JungleZone: Band – 3 Day Rule
» Anthem: Vondale Batchelor
» Honor Guard: Ohio National Guard
» Halftime: Around the League in 180 Seconds presented by Local 12, the Verizon Toss-To-Win competition in the North End Zone, a Mazda Car Giveaway, and a matchup of mascots vs. youth football players.
