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NOVEMBER 8, 2010
TIME: 8:30 p.m., Monday
PLACE: Paul Brown Stadium (FieldTurf)
TV: ESPN team of Mike Tirico (play-by-play), Ron Jaworski (analyst) and Jon Gruden (analyst). Sideline reporters Michele Tafoya and Suzy Kolber. Live on ESPN and Channel 12 in Cincinnati.
RADIO: Play-by-play man Brad Johansen and analyst Dave Lapham on "triple cast" on flagships 700-AM (WLW) 1530-AM (ESPN) and 102.7-FM WEBN on the 25-station Bengals radio network. Also on CBS Radio Sports/Westwood One with Kevin Harlan play-by-play and Boomer Esiason (analyst) with Mark Malone (sideline reporter).
INJURIES CIN: DL Jonathan Fanene (hamstring) out. After not practicing all week, starting DT Tank Johnson (knee) and backup LB Roddrick Muckelroy (ankle) are questionable. Also questionable are starting WILL backer Keith Rivers (foot) and starting DE Frostee Rucker (knee). After being questionable last week, the entire secondary is healthy. S Roy Williams (knee), CB Johnathan Joseph (ankle) and S Chinedum Ndukwe (knee) are all probable after practicing full go this week. Williams has missed the last three games after spraining his knee Oct. 3 in Cleveland. Joseph has missed the last two games after suffering a high ankle sprain against Tampa Bay on Oct. 10. Ndukwe didn't play last week.
PIT: The only player on the Steelers injury report this week is starting DE Aaron Smith (triceps), out for several weeks.
» Complete Injury Report
THE SERIESSteelers lead, 48-32, 22-18 in Cincinnati, 8-2 at PBS.
NOTEWORTHY
» In their 28th appearance on Monday Night Football, the Bengals are playing the Steelers for the eighth time, their most frequent MNF foe. The Dolphins are second with four.
» The last one came on Oct. 19, 1992 at Three Rivers Stadium, a 20-0 Steelers victory in which Boomer Esiason quarterbacked the Bengals and Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis was the Steelers linebackers coach.
» The last Bengals-Steelers MNF game in Cincinnati was Oct. 13, 1986 in which Esiason engineered a 24-22 victory on 15-of-30 passing for 231 yards and two TDs while James Brooks ran for 69 yards and punter Jeff Hayes scored on a 61-yard fake punt that was at the time the longest rushing gain by a punter since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger. It has since been broken twice, most recently by Browns punter Reggie Hodges (67 yards) on Oct. 25 of this season.
» The last time the Bengals beat the Steelers in prime time was Oct. 19, 1995 in Three Rivers Stadium when quarterback Jeff Blake threw three touchdown passes in a 27-9 victory.
» Both Esiason and Blake are going to be at Monday's game and along with Carson Palmer. They are the three major Bengals quarterbacks during the last 25 years. Since 1985, Esiason started 123 games for the Bengals, Palmer is starting his 89th and Blake started 66. Jon Kitna is fourth with 46.
» The two PBS wins over the Steelers came in the last seconds. Last year, Palmer's four-yard TD pass to wide receiver Andre Caldwell with 14 seconds left put the Bengals in the lead. In 2001, Neil Rackers's field goal gave the Bengals the win in OT.
» The Steelers also have an OT win at PBS. It came in 2006 on wide receiver Santonio Holmes's 67-yard catch-and-run TD catch from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
» The '06 game was the last game of Steelers head coach Bill Cowher's 15-year tenure. In the next-to-last game of Chuck Noll's 23-year run, the Steelers beat the Bengals, 17-10, in 1991.
NFL RANKINGS CIN: 18th in scoring, 11th in offense (20th rushing, sixth passing); 19th in defense (23rd rushing, 20th passing), 10th in turnover margin at plus-4.
PIT: 16th in scoring, 27th in offense (11th rushing, 29th passing); Fifth in defense (first in rushing, 25th passing), first in turnover margin at plus-9.
COACHESCIN: Marvin Lewis 58-60-1 regular season, 0-2 postseason in his eighth season; 5-10 vs. Steelers.
PIT: Mike Tomlin 39-19 in his fourth season; 4-2 vs. Bengals and Lewis.
THE WEATHERThe National Weather Service in Wilmington, Ohio is calling for Monday night's kickoff temperature at 50 degrees and it will be in the low 40s by game's end. There is no chance of rain under clear skies with a wind out of the southwest at about six miles per hour.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS» 10 - Bengals home appearances on Monday Night Football
» 6-3 - Bengals home record on MNF
» 447 - Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson's career-high passing yards (and second most in club history) in 33-24 win over Buffalo at Riverfront Stadium in a Nov. 17, 1975 MNF game
» 197 - Yards rushing for Bills running back O.J. Simpson in the same game, the sixth most ever against the Bengals
» 440 - Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer's career-high passing yards, Nov. 12, 2006 in 49-41 loss to San Diego
» 61 - Run on fake punt by Bengals' Jeff Hayes in 1986 MNF win over Steelers, at the time the longest run by a punter since 1970 merger
» 14 - Longest run Steelers have allowed in 2010
» 1 - Run the Bengals have longer than 20 yards against the Steelers in head coach Marvin Lewis's 14 regular-seasn games against them. It was Cedric Benson's 23-yard TD run last year.
» 8 - Runs of 20 yards or more Bengals have allowed this season
» 5 - NFL-best runs of 20 yards or more Bengals allowed all last season
» 4 - Longest losing streak for Palmer (Sept. 16-Oct. 14, 2007)
» 5 - Games Bengals WR Terrell Owens has played against the Steelers
» 3 - TDs for Owens against Steelers
» 18 - Games Bengals WR Chad Ochocinco has played against the Steelers
» 3 - TDs for Ochocinco against Steelers
GAME DAY ENTERTAINMENTPlatform: 'Military'
JungleZone: Band – 'The Menus'
Premium: AT&T and Fifth Third 'Who Dey' Towels (50,000)
Honor Guard: Ohio National Guard (Field Flag)
Anthem: Vondale Batchelor
Game Ball: Cintas; Ohio National Guard
On-field Pregame: Fifth Third Bank Check Presentation (MLCF)
Halftime: University of Cincinnati Marching Band
Open Times
Parking Lots: 4:30 p.m. (4 hours prior)
Will-Call: 4:30 p.m. (4 hours prior)
JungleZone: 5:30 p.m. (3 hours prior)
Gates: 7 p.m. (1.5 hours prior)
Club Lounge: 7 p.m. (with Gates)
Pro Shop: 7 p.m. (with Gates, also open from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.)
