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TIME: 8:25 p.m. Saturday PLACE: NRG Stadium (artificial)
LOCAL RADIO: Dan Hoard (play-by-play) and Dave Lapham (analyst) on the "triple-cast" Cincinnati flagship stations of WLW-AM (700), WCKY-AM (ESPN 1530) and WEBN-FM (102.7) on the 41-station Bengals radio network.
NATIONAL RADIO: Westwood One with Dan Miller (play-by-play) and James Lofton (analyst).
TV: NFL Network broadcast crew of Kevin Harlan (play-by-play), Rich Gannon (analyst), Stacey Dales (sideline) on Channel 12 in Cincinnati and NFL Network.
INJURIES
CIN:
DOUBTFUL: The official status won't be released until Friday but it is safe to say these guys may not go because it is so close to the game and they haven't practiced this week:
Starting WLB Vontaze Burfict (concussion), starting LG Clint Boling (shoulder), starting TE Tyler Eifert (back), backup TE Tyler Kroft (knee, ankle)
QUESTIONABLE: Starting WR A.J. Green (hamstring), limited Wednesday and Thursday, has missed what amounts to last five games. Rotational DL Wallace Gilberry (calf), who has missed last three games, limited Wednesday and Thursday, RB Jeremy Hill (knee) went limited Thursday after sitting Wednesday. The others have gone limited both days after playing Sunday, which is a good sign.
HOU:
DOUBTFUL: Starting CB Johnathan Joseph (ribs) has missed the last two games, although he did go limited earlier in the week; OLB Whitney Mercilus (back) didn't play last week and was limited.
LOOKS LIKE GOOD TO GO: Starting DE Jadeveon Clowney (elbow/wrist), K Nick Novak (oblique/back) were limited early in the week but all but played in Sunday's win over Jacksonville.
THE SERIES
The 8-6 Texans lead the 5-8-1 Bengals, 6-4; 3-2 at NRG
NOTEWORTHY
»» On Christmas Eve the Bengals are playing their Scrooges. Since the advent of the Green-Dalton Era in 2011, the Texas have beaten the Bengals in back-to-back playoff games in 2011 and 2012 and in 2015 spoiled their 8-0 start with a 10-6 Monday Night victory at Paul Brown Stadium
»» In the last 25 years, Christmas Eve has been a significant date in Bengals history starting with Super Bowl head coach Sam Wyche's resignation/firing in 1991.
»» In 1994 Doug Pelfrey kicked two field goals in the last three seconds to beat Philly for what is believed to be the first time in NFL history tying and winning field goals were kicked in the last three seconds.
»» When a win would have sent them to the 2006 playoffs, the Bengals scored a TD with less than a minute left in Denver to cut the Broncos' lead to 24-23 but the PAT snap sailed away and so did the '06 postseason.
»» In 2011 the Bengals beat Arizona at PBS to make QB Andy Dalton the first rookie quarterback in NFL history to start nine wins and throw 20 touchdown passes.
»» Dalton leads a contingent of players back to its hometown of Houston and its environs: WR Brandon LaFell, S George Iloka, and new K Randy Bullock are on the active roster. CBs William Jackson and Chykie Brown are on injured reserve and OL Trey Hopkins is on the practice squad.
»» The Texans have one player from Cincinnati: Anderson High School's Greg Mancz, the starting center for all 14 games.
»» The Bengals have seven players on their active roster from Texas, most from one state.
»» Two Bengals draft picks are injured and not expected to play. DT Devon Still, a 2012 second-rounder, is already on IR. CB Johnathan Joseph, a first-rounder from 2006, hasn't played the last two games.
NFL RANKINGS
CIN: 23rd in scoring, 12th in offense (11th rushing,15th passing); 11th in scoring defense, 21st in defense (26th rushing, 13th passing); T-13th in turnover margin at plus-2.
HOU: 28th in scoring, 26th in offense (5th rushing, 30th passing); 12th in scoring defense, 1st in defense (16th rushing, 2nd passing), 27th in turnover margin at minus-8.
COACHES
CIN: Marvin Lewis 117-109-3 in 14th season, 3-6 vs. Texans
HOU: Bill O'Brien 26-21 in second season, 1-1 vs. Lewis and Bengals.
PHILIP RIVERS WEATHER UPDATE
Perfect. Santa Claus is going to have to come through the chimney in NRG's roof.
NUMBERS GAME
.459 - Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis' regular-season road winning percentage
2 - Road wins Bengals have in 2016
4.8 - Road wins Bengals QB Andy Dalton averaged in first five seasons (2011-15)
3 - Fewest road wins in Green-Dalton Era (2013)
1 - Playing for Katy High School, Dalton first high school player to throw TD pass in Texans stadium
1-2 - Dalton's NFL record in NRG Stadium
1 - NFL start on Saturday for Texans QB Tom Savage
16 - Interceptions thrown by Texans backup QB Brock Osweiler
15 - Interceptions by Bengals, tied for third in NFL
3-2 - Lewis' record vs. QBs making first NFL start (Beat Berlin, Clauson, Manziel; lost to Flacco and Shaun Hill)
85 - Catches Bengals WR Tyler Boyd had at University of Pittsburgh in 2013 when Savage was his quarterback
21 - Third-down catches for Boyd, best among rookie receivers
34 - Combined rookie catches for Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu in 2012
15 - Boyd's third-down catches that have produced first downs, which also lead rookies
12 - Texans rookie WR Will Fuller's third-down catches that have produced first downs, runnerup to Boyd
51-5 - Catches and TDs for Bengals WR Brandon LaFell
49-4 - Catches and TDs for Lions WR Marvin Jones
0 - TDs Bengals have scored in fourth quarter of last six games
0 - TDs Bengals have scored in fourth quarter with Dalton in four games vs. Texans
70.6 - NFL-low rushing yards Texans have allowed since Week 8
108 - Yards rushing Bengals have averaged since Week 8
122.7 - Yards rushing Texans average per game
117.5 - Yards rushing Bengals allow per game
288 - Points scored by Bengals
250 - Points scored by Texans
293 - Points allowed by Bengals
294 - Points allowed by Texans
Plus-2 - Takeaway ratio for Bengals
Minus-8 - Takeaway ratio for Texans
.508 - Winning percentage of Bengals foes
.505 – Winning percentage of Texans foes
