TIME: 1 p.m. Sunday
PLACE: Paul Brown Stadium (Synthetic)
LOCAL RADIO: Dan Hoard (play-by-play) and Dave Lapham (analyst) led by "triple cast," on Cincinnati flagship stations WLW-AM (700), WCKY-AM (ESPN 1530) and WEBN-FM (102.7) on the 25-station Bengals radio network.
TV: CBS broadcast team of Ian Eagle (play-by-play), Dan Fouts (analyst), Jenny Dell (sideline reporter) on Channel 12 in Cincinnati, Channel 7 in Dayton, Ohio, and Channel 27 in Lexington, KY.
INJURIES
CIN: OUT: starting WLB Vontaze Burfict (knee) missing his sixth straight game after an Oct. 29 scope.
backup RE Margus Hunt (ankle) after getting hurt on last play of first quarter Nov. 16 in New Orleans.
DOUBTFUL: backup RE Margus Hunt (ankle) has yet to practice after getting hurt on last play of first quarter Nov. 16 in New Orleans. Backup WR and gunner James Wright (knee) didn't practice at all this week after getting hurt in the last game.
QUESTIONABLE:
Starting NT Domata Peko (elbow) went limited Friday after not working earlier in the week following last week's injury
PROBABLE: Starting WR A.J. Green (thigh) went full Friday after being limited Wednesday and Thursday. Third CB Adam Jones (concussion) went full Friday after being limited Thursday and out Wednesday. Same with backup DL Robert Geathers (hip).
PIT:
OUT: starting RT Marcus Gilbert (ankle)
DOUBTFUL: backup ROLB James Harrison (knee) after he didn't practice all week.
QUESTIONABLE: starting DT Steve McLendon (shoulder) after going full last two practices.
PROBABLE: starting QB Ben Roethlisberger went full the last two practices after bruising his throwing wrist in the second quarter last Sunday. Starting FS Troy Polamalu (illness) went full go Friday in his first work of the week.
» Complete Injury Report
THE SERIES
7-5 Steelers lead 8-3-1 Bengals at 53-34, 26-19 in Cincinnati, 12-3 at PBS
NOTEWORTHY
»» This the latest the Bengals have ever played their first game of the year against the Steelers. Until now, the latest was a prime-time win Pittsburgh at Riverfront Stadium on Nov. 18, 1990.
»» The Bengals are a half game out in the race for the AFC's top seed behind, 9-3 New England and 9-3 Denver.
»» The Bengals have the hardest remaining schedule (.625) in the AFC North. Pittsburgh is at .604, Cleveland at .563, and Baltimore at .458.
»» With last Sunday's victory in Tampa Bay, the Bengals secured their fourth straight winning season, a franchise best.
»» Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau coached in Cincinnati for 17 seasons, the last 45 games as head coach.
»» Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis, a Greater Pittsburgh native, worked under LeBeau in 1995 as his linebackers coach for the Steelers.
»» The Bengals have played the Steelers 88 times, the most of any opponent.
»» Bengals RB Jeremy Hill leads all NFL rookies with 683 yards rushing and Steelers RB Le'Veon Bell leads the AFC with 1,046 yards rushing.
»»Steelers WR Antonio Brown leads the NFL with 1,258 yards and 96 catches.
»» Bengals P Kevin Huber is second in the NFL in net punting average at 44.1 yards per punt.
»» Bengals CB Adam Jones is second in NFL kick returns with 31.4 yards per kick return and fifth in punt returns with 11.7 yards per return.
NFL RANKINGS
CIN: 18th in scoring, 18th in offense (9th rushing, 24th passing); T-10th in scoring defense, 21st in defense (25th rushing, 14th passing), T-16th in turnover margin at minus-1.
PIT: 8th in scoring, 3rd in offense (11th rushing, 4th passing); 21st in scoring defense, 12th in defense (11th rushing, 16th passing), T-22nd in turnover margin at minus-4.
COACHES
CIN: Marvin Lewis 98-93-2 in 12th season, 7-16 vs. Steelers.
PIT: Mike Tomlin 83-49 in eighth season with Steelers, 10-4 vs. Bengals and Lewis
WEATHER
According to the National Weather Service in Wilmington, Ohio, there's no chance of rain Sunday under mostly sunny skies, temperatures in the low 40s, and a northeast breeze of five to 10 miles per hour.
NUMBERS GAME
56-32-2 _ Bengals record at PBS under head coach Marvin Lewis
28-24_ Bengals record in December under Lewis
16-6 Bengals record at home in December under Lewis
10-4 _ Bengals QB Andy Dalton's record in December
5-2 _ Dalton's record at home in December
.662 Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger's winning percentage, fourth among NFL QBs with a minimum of 50 starts
.643 Dalton's winning percentage, fifth among NFL QBs with a minimum of 50 starts.
12 Combined Roethlisberger TD passes this season in Games 8 and 9
13 Dalton's TD passes this season
4.7 Bengals rookie RB Jeremy Hill's yards per rush
5.8 _ Steelers RB Le'Veon Bell's yards per rush
TIME:1 p.m. Sunday
PLACE: Paul Brown Stadium (Synthetic)
LOCAL RADIO: Dan Hoard (play-by-play) and Dave Lapham (analyst) led by "triple cast," on Cincinnati flagship stations WLW-AM (700), WCKY-AM (ESPN 1530) and WEBN-FM (102.7) on the 25-station Bengals radio network.
NATIONAL RADIO: *Sports USA Media. Larry Kahn (play-by-play), John Robinson (analyst), Troy West (sideline reporter).
*TV: CBS broadcast team of Ian Eagle (play-by-play), Dan Fouts (analyst), Jenny Dell (sideline reporter) on Channel 12 in Cincinnati, Channel 7 in Dayton, Ohio, and Channel 27 in Lexington, KY.
INJURIES
CIN:
OUT: starting WLB Vontaze Burfict (knee) missing his sixth straight game after an Oct. 29 scope.
DOUBTFUL: backup RE Margus Hunt (ankle) has yet to practice after getting hurt on last play of first quarter Nov. 16 in New Orleans. Backup WR and gunner James Wright (knee) didn't practice at all this week after getting hurt in the last game.
QUESTIONABLE: starting NT Domata Peko (elbow) went limited Friday after not working earlier in the week following last week's injury
PROBABLE: Starting WR A.J. Green (thigh) went full Friday after being limited Wednesday and Thursday. Third CB Adam Jones (concussion) went full Friday after being limited Thursday and out Wednesday. Same with backup DL Robert Geathers (hip).
PIT:
OUT: starting RT Marcus Gilbert (ankle)
DOUBTFUL: backup ROLB James Harrison (knee) after he didn't practice all week.
QUESTIONABLE: starting DT Steve McLendon (shoulder) after going full last two practices.
PROBABLE: starting QB Ben Roethlisberger went full the last two practices after bruising his throwing wrist in the second quarter last Sunday. Starting FS Troy Polamalu (illness) went full go Friday in his first work of the week.
» Complete Injury Report
THE SERIES
7-5 Steelers lead 8-3-1 Bengals at 53-34, 26-19 in Cincinnati, 12-3 at PBS
NOTEWORTHY
»» This is the latest the Bengals have ever played their first game of the year against the Steelers. Until now, the latest was a prime-time win for Bengals at Riverfront Stadium on Nov. 18, 1990.
»» The Bengals are a half game out in the race for the AFC's top seed behind, 9-3 New England and 9-3 Denver.
»» The Bengals have the hardest remaining schedule (.625) in the AFC North. Pittsburgh is at .604, Cleveland at .563, and Baltimore at .458.
»» With last Sunday's victory in Tampa Bay, the Bengals secured their fourth straight winning season, a franchise best.
»» Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau coached in Cincinnati for 17 seasons, the last 45 games as head coach.
»» Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis, a Greater Pittsburgh native, worked under LeBeau in 1995 as his linebackers coach for the Steelers.
»» The Bengals have played the Steelers 88 times, the most of any opponent.
»» Bengals RB Jeremy Hill leads all NFL rookies with 683 yards rushing and Steelers RB Le'Veon Bell leads all the AFC with 1,046 yards rushing.
»»Steelers WR Antonio Brown leads the NFL with 1,258 yards and 96 catches.
»» Bengals P Kevin Huber is second in the NFL in net punting average at 44.1 yards per punt.
»» Bengals CB Adam Jones is second in NFL kick returns with 31.4 yards per kick return and fifth in punt returns with 11.7 yards per return.
NFL RANKINGS
CIN: 18th in scoring, 18th in offense (9th rushing, 24th passing); T-10th in scoring defense, 21st in defense (25th rushing, 14th passing), T-16th in turnover margin at minus-1.
PIT: 8th in scoring, 3rd in offense (11th rushing, 4th passing); 21st in scoring defense, 12th in defense (11th rushing, 16th passing), T-22nd in turnover margin at minus-4.
COACHES
CIN: Marvin Lewis 98-93-2 in 12th season, 7-16 vs. Steelers.
PIT: Mike Tomlin 83-49 in eighth season, 10-4 vs. Bengals and Lewis
WEATHER
According to the National Weather Service in Wilmington, Ohio, there's no chance of rain Sunday under mostly sunny skies, temperatures in the low 40s, and a northeast breeze of five to 10 miles per hour.
NUMBERS GAME
56-32-2 _ Bengals record at PBS under head coach Marvin Lewis
28-24_ Bengals record in December under Lewis
16-6 Bengals record at home in December under Lewis
10-4 _ Bengals QB Andy Dalton's record in December
5-2 _ Dalton's record at home in December
.662 Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger's winning percentage, fourth among NFL QBs with a minimum of 50 starts
.643 Dalton's winning percentage, fifth among NFL QBs with a minimum of 50 starts.
12 Combined Roethlisberger TD passes this season in Games 8 and 9
13 Dalton's TD passes this season
4.7 Bengals rookie RB Jeremy Hill's yards per rush
5.8 _ Steelers RB Le'Veon Bell's yards per rush
