Posted: 5 p.m.
As of Tuesday afternoon all indications were that the University of Cincinnati had not contacted Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer about its head coaching position.
Zimmer, named Terry Bradshaw's NFL Assistant Coach of the Year by Fox Sports, interviewed a few years ago for the head coaching job at Nebraska, as well as some in the NFL and is already a hot commodity in league circles.
Zimmer, 53, is a 16-season NFL veteran who took over the Bengals defense in 2008 after it finished 27th. The club's current rank is fifth, which would be its highest finish since the 1983 team led the NFL. It would be the 11th time the Bengals have had a top 10 defense, first since a No. 9 ranking in 2001 and third since '83. If they make the postseason, it would be the first Bengals playoff team since Paul Brown's last team in 1975 to have a top 10 defense. The 11-3 Bengals secured a Wild Card with the No. 7 defense.
» The play-by-play sheet of Sunday's game in Minnesota misidentified the Bengal who false-started on the game's first snap. It was not right tackle Dennis Roland but Andrew Whitworth. The Bengals were in an unbalanced set with Andre Smith at right tackle, Roland tackle eligible and Whitworth at tight end instead of left tackle.
» Sunday showcases two of the NFL's all-time accurate field-goal kickers in No. 1 Nate Kaeding of San Diego at 86.83 percent and No. 4 Shayne Graham of Cincinnati at 84.96 percent. Graham has hit eight straight. With new long snapper Clark Harris, he is 15-for-17 with one of the misses from 51. With Brad St. Louis, Graham was 4-for-7 with two blocked.
» The Bengals went into their Nov. 1 bye week leading the NFL in red zone touchdown percentage on 16-for-23 at 69.6 percent. Since then, they are 33 percent at 6-for-18.
