News

VS.

PREVIEW
OCTOBER 25, 2009

TIME: 4:15 p.m., Sunday

PLACE: Paul Brown Stadium, FieldTurf

TV: Fox team of Sam Rosen (play-by-play), Tim Ryan (analyst), Laura Okmin. Live on Channel 19 in Cincinnati, Channel 28 in Columbus, OH, Channel 45 in Dayton, OH, and Channel 56 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 Sports USA Radio Network. Larry Kahn (play-by-play), John Robinson (analyst), Troy West (analyst).

INJURIES
CIN: RT Andre Smith foot (out). RE Antwan Odom (Achilles) out and on IR. SS Roy Williams (forearm) has missed two of the last three games and didn’t practice at all this week and is doubtful. DT Domata Peko (knee) didn’t practice the first part of this week but practiced fully Friday and listed as probable. DT Tank Johnson (foot) is probable, as are RB Brian Leonard (groin) and DL Frostee Rucker (ankle), both of whom practiced all this week after missing last week’s game.

CHI: Starting defensive tackle Tommie Harris (knee) didn’t practice Wednesday and Thursday. Harris gets Wednesdays off a lot of times to rest a troublesome knee, but this is the first Thursday he’s missed this season. Backup safety Josh Bullocks (ankle) and backup cornerback Corey Graham (ankle) were limited Wednesday and Thursday. Complete Injury Report

THE SERIES: Bengals lead, 5-3; Bears lead, 2-1, in Cincinnati, 1-0 at PBS.

NOTEWORTHY
» The Bengals haven’t lost back-to-back home games within 10 days of each other since Marvin Lewis has been the coach. That’s a total of 11 times. The last time the Bengals took a double dip at PBS was Dec. 2-9, 2001, when they lost to the Bucs and Jaguars by a combined seven points. 
 
» ’01 was the last time the Bears came to PBS and they fired the only shutout the Bengals have suffered in this building, 24-0.

» No Bengals player is left from that game on Oct. 21. WR Chad Ochocinco was on the roster but didn’t play with a fractured left clavicle he suffered the week before.

» A rookie RB named Anthony Thomas did the deed that day with 188 yards on the ground for the Bears.

» The last time the Bengals played the Bears, Cincinnati won, 24-7, at Soldier Field on Sept. 25, 2005, Cedric Benson’s rookie season. He didn’t play in the game and Bears RB Thomas Jones had 106 yards on 27 carries.

» Benson’s best year in Chicago was 2007, when he had 747 yards on 214 carries. Bears running back Matt Forte is on pace for 784 yards on 229 carries.

» Benson is on pace for 1,416 yards on 339 carries this season. Thomas Jones, now with the Jets, is on pace for 1,283 yards on 256 carries. His best season with the Bears was in 2005 with 1,335 on 315 carries.

» Lewis 5-0 against NFC North teams and 9-2-1 at PBS against the NFC.

» QB Carson Palmer has thrown three touchdown passes in each of those games against the NFC North and has 15 touchdowns compared to six interceptions in the five games.

» The game displays two of the game’s more accurate kickers in Cincinnati’s Shayne Graham and Chicago’s Robbie Gould. Graham is fourth all-time at 84.76 and Gould is third at 85.93. They’ve never kicked against each other. Gould signed with the Bears the week after they played the Bengals in ’05.

» Graham’s 50-yarder last Sunday, his only field goal attempt with new long snapper Clark Harris, was his first 50-yarder since Nov. 5, 2006 (51-yarder in Baltimore) and first attempt from that distance since 2007.

NFL RANKINGS
CIN: Tied for 20th in scoring, 17th in offense (14th rushing, 19th passing); 19th in defense, (11th rushing, 28th passing), tied for 21st in turnover margin at minus three. CHI: 13th in scoring, 19th in offense (27th rushing, 16th passing), 13th in defense (6th rushing, tied for 14th passing), tied for 16th in turnover margin at minus-one.

COACHES
CIN: Marvin Lewis 50-51-1 regular season, 0-1 postseason in his seventh season, 1-0 vs. Bears.

CHI: Lovie Smith 50-39 in his sixth season, 0-1 vs. Bengals and Lewis.

THE WEATHER
The National Weather Service in Wilmington, Ohio is calling for partly sunny skies with game-time temperatures of 58 and 60 by the end of the game with winds out of the south at 5-10 miles per hour, and virtually no chance of rain.

GAME DAY ENTERTAINMENT
Anthem: Vondale Batchelor
Halftime: University of Cincinnati Marching Band
Honor Guard: 178th Fighter Wing
Game Ball: P&G
Giveaway: Pink Ribbons given inside gates
Flyover: WPAFB