CINCINNATI BENGALS One Paul Brown Stadium Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 (513) 621-3550 administrative offices (513) 621-3570 administrative fax (513) 621-TDTD (8383) ticket office www.bengals.com WEEKLY NEWS RELEASE NOV. 3, 2015 CLEVELAND BROWNS (2-6) AT CINCINNATI BENGALS (7-0) Kickoff: 8:25 p.m. Eastern. Television: NFL Network broadcast, with Jim Nantz (play-by-play), Phil Simms (analyst) and Tracy Wolfson (sideline reporter). In Greater Cincinnati, in addition to NFLN, the broadcast will be simulcast on WKRC-TV (Channel 12). Radio: Coverage on the Bengals Radio Network, led by a triple cast on Cincinnati flagship stations WLW-AM (700), WCKY-AM (ESPN 1530; all sports) and WEBN-FM (102.7). Broadcasters are Dan Hoard (play-by-play) and Dave Lapham (analyst). The game will also be broadcast to a national audience on affiliates of Westwood One Sports. Broadcasters are Ian Eagle (play-by-play) and Tony Boselli (analyst). Setting the scene: The Bengals are 7-0 for the first time in franchise history, and they took the last step in memorable fashion, with a tough and physical 16-10 comeback win at AFC North Division rival Pittsburgh. Cincinnati is now 3.5 games ahead of the second-place Steelers, the largest lead as early as Week 8 in the division s 14-year history. But of course head coach Marvin Lewis is not one to crow about such matters. After describing his happy feelings as miniscule following the team s arrival at 6-0, he told media after the Pittsburgh game: It s something to be happy about. I ll get congratulations from my boss (club president Mike Brown), and I ll give him my congratulations. And then we ll go and get ready for the Cleveland Browns. To his players, minutes earlier, Lewis had said: Well done is better than well said, please remember that. Now we re on to Cleveland. It s a very important week for us. And a short week as well. The 84th renewal of the Battle of Ohio will be played on Thursday Night Football, at Paul Brown Stadium with a national audience tuning in on the NFL Network. Last season, as Lewis will no doubt remind his team, the Browns dominated the Bengals 24-3 in a Thursday night contest at PBS. The Bengals were a never-say-die bunch at Pittsburgh. The Steelers went ahead 7-0 with a game-opening 80-yard drive, and Cincinnati did not lead until the 2:57 mark of the fourth quarter, when Andy Dalton passed on third down to A.J. Green for a nine-yard touchdown and a 13-10 lead. The Bengals extended the lead to 16-10 on a Mike Nugent field goal set up by S Reggie Nelson s second interception of the game. But it was a contest in which neither team ever led by more than one score, and to head home happy, the Bengals needed successful defense of a last-second Pittsburgh pass attempt from the Cincinnati 16-yard line. You say it didn t look good for us for 57 minutes, Dalton told media, but we were only behind by one point (7-6) for most of that, and for the rest we were only down four. So we knew we only needed one score to go ahead, and at the end of the day we found the way to win. Our defense kept stopping them and giving us chances, and it was on the offense to make something out of that. It s a big team win, the best kind of win, really. It also featured an unlikely hero. Third-year S Shawn Williams, mostly a special teams player for his first two seasons and still not a starter on defense, made the individual play of the day with a diving interception of a Ben Roethlisberger pass at the Pittsburgh 45 with 5:34 to play. NFL fans may not see a more clutch and sure-handed effort all season, as Williams snaked around intended receiver Will Johnson and made an all-hands catch just inches off the GAME NOTES 1 WEEK 9, GAME 8 THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL, NOV. 5 AT PAUL BROWN STADIUM NEXT WEEK: WEEK 10, GAME 9 MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL, NOV. 16 VS. HOUSTON ground while staying in bounds just outside the Bengals bench. Roethlisberger, in characteristic fashion, had bought time by escaping pressure and was looking downfield for somewhere to attempt a play. I didn t really think he was going to throw it, Williams said, but there it came and I got my hands on it and managed to keep control. I saw some white under my arms as I came to the ground, but I guess I got down in bounds. Then, heeding his head coach s advice about well done vs. well said, Williams told the biggest media scrum of his career: It s really nothing more than just being out there trying to make a play. No different than trying to make a tackle on kickoff coverage or throw a good block for Adam Jones on a punt return. Asked again about getting his mind around the reality of the first 7-0 start in Bengals history, Lewis ventured: It s new turf, but I don t really think too much about how we got this way. We ve done it by focusing one game, literally one snap, at a time. We trust the process of all the work we do. The guys believe in it. It s a philosophy that regardless of how things are going at the moment, we do what we do and stay true to our plan, so we can play calm at the end and hopefully make the play we need to win. So far, so good on that. And like I said, now it s on to the Browns. The series: The Browns and Bengals traded knockout blows last season, each team winning on the other s home turf. Cleveland won 24-3 at Paul Brown Stadium, and the Bengals came back for a 30-0 whitewash win on Lake Erie. The split left the Bengals with a 44-39 lead in the Battle of Ohio series. Home field has been a positive factor overall in the series, as the Bengals lead 27-15 at home but trail 17-24 as the road club. The Bengals have won 15 of the last 21 meetings and lead 16-8 in games during the tenure of Cincinnati head coach Marvin Lewis, including 9-3 at home. The Browns are the second-most frequently played Bengals opponent, with 83 games against Cincinnati entering this week. Pittsburgh (91) is first. More series notes: The Bengals longest win streak over the Browns has been five games, posted from Game 2 of 2004 through Game 2 of 06. The Browns longest win streak over Cincinnati has been seven games, extending from Game 2 of the 1992 season through Game 2 of 95. Since the Browns rebirth in 1999, the Bengals lead 20-12. The biggest lead in series history has been six games. The Bengals owned it at 42-36 before losing the next two. The Browns biggest series lead has been five games, at 6-1 in 1973. Complete Bengals-Browns series results entering this season are on page 210 of the Bengals 2015 Media Guide. Team bests from the series: Bengals MOST POINTS: 58, in a 58-48 victory at Paul Brown Stadium in 2004. LARGEST VICTORY MARGIN: 32, in a 48-16 win at Riverfront Stadium in 1978. FEWEST POINTS ALLOWED: 0 (four times), including a 30-0 win last year at Cleveland. Browns MOST POINTS: 51, in a 51-45 win at Cleveland in 2007. LARGEST VICTORY MARGIN: 34, in a 34-0 victory at Cincinnati in 1987. FEWEST POINTS ALLOWED: 0 (twice), most recently in an 18-0 win at Cleveland in 2001. The last meetings: Summaries of the last season s two Bengals- Browns meetings are on page 18 of this news release.
(Game notes, continued) Bengals look to equal biggest Battle margin: With a victory vs. Cleveland this week, the Bengals would tie the biggest lead a margin of six games held by either side in the 46-year history of the Battle of Ohio. The Bengals would be on top by 45-39 with a win. Cincinnati posted the only previous six-game lead in 2012, on top by 42-36 after that season s first meeting, but the Browns won the next two. The Browns biggest lead in the series has been five games, at 6-1 after the first meeting of 1973. Since mid- 73, the Bengals lead 43-32. The Browns have not led the series since the end of 2005, when they held a 33-32 edge. Since surrendering their last lead, in a Bengals sweep in the 2006 set, the Browns have twice pulled into ties at 34-34 after game one of 07 and at 35-35 after game one of 08. But the Browns have now endured roughly a nine-year stretch without a lead in the series. Barring possible additions to the series in postseason play, the Bengals cannot surrender their series lead until after the first game of 2017, at the earliest. The Browns could not lead again until after the second game of 17. More Bengals-Browns facts: The first-ever Bengals-Browns meeting of any kind was Aug. 29, 1970. On that Saturday, the Browns were visitors for the second preseason game of Riverfront Stadium s debut year. The Bengals won 31-24, moving to 2-0 in preseason in their new home. Also: The Bengals were 17-10 against the Browns at Riverfront Stadium/Cinergy Field. The Browns were 17-8 against the Bengals at the old Cleveland Stadium. The Bengals and Browns never played at Nippert Stadium, as Nippert was the Bengals American Football League home. The Bengals have posted 10 season sweeps, and the Browns have posted eight. The teams have split 23 times. In 1982, they played only once, with the scheduled contest at Cleveland cancelled due to a players strike. The first Bengals-Browns regular-season game at Cincinnati on Nov. 15, 1970 drew the first home crowd of 60,000 in Bengals history (60,007 at Riverfront Stadium). The Bengals won 14-10 behind a 110-yard rushing effort from QB Virgil Carter, the only 100-yard rushing game by a QB in Bengals history. The largest Bengals home crowd for a Browns game has been 66,072, on Sept. 17, 2006 at Paul Brown Stadium. That ranks as the fifth-largest crowd in Bengals history. The Browns drew the largest Bengals crowd in the Riverfront Stadium/Cinergy Field era 60,284 for a 27-24 Browns win on Oct. 17, 1971. The first Bengals-Browns regular-season game was a 30-27 Browns win at Cleveland on Oct. 11, 1970, and the attendance of 83,520 stood for some 34 years as the largest ever to see a Bengals regular-season game. It was not eclipsed until 2004, when 87,786 saw the Bengals win at Washington. The Bengals and Browns met three times in preseason at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, from 1972-74. All were Sunday afternoon games, and the Browns won two of the three. Coaches in Battle of Ohio: Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis is 16-8 overall against Cleveland, for the most total wins and best winning percentage (.667) of any Bengals head coach in the series. Lewis also has coached the most total games (24) against Cleveland. Sam Wyche is in second place in all three categories, with 10 wins, a.625 winning percentage (10-6) and 16 games. Bill Belichick has been the top Browns coach in the series, having posted an 8-2 mark against the Bengals during his 1991-95 tenure. Lewis is the only Bengals head coach whose first Cincinnati victory came against Cleveland. Lewis took over as head coach in 2003, and his first win was a 21-14 decision at Cleveland on Sept. 28 of that year. The Bengals entered that game at 0-3, but went on to finish 8-8. The six-game improvement, after a 2-14 season in 2002, was the largest in the NFL for 03, and Lewis finished second to Bill Belichick of Super Bowl champion New England in voting for the Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year award. Forrest Gregg is the only head coach to pilot both teams in the Battle of Ohio. Gregg was 1-5 as Browns coach against the Bengals from 1975-77, and he was 3-4 as Bengals coach against the Browns from 80-83. Here s a full roundup of Bengals head coaches, in chronological order, and their records in the Battle of Ohio: Paul Brown (5-7), Bill Tiger Johnson (3-2), Homer Rice (2-1), Forrest Gregg (3-4), Sam Wyche (10-6), Dave Shula (1-7), Bruce Coslet (2-1), Dick LeBeau (2-3), Marvin Lewis (16-8). 2 Records vs. Browns: The two highest-scoring games in Bengals history have each been against the Browns, both coming during Marvin Lewis tenure as head coach. On Nov. 28, 2004 at Paul Brown Stadium, the Bengals won 58-48, and the 106 total points is not only a Bengals record, it is the secondmost in NFL history, behind only 113 from Washington s 72-41 win over the N.Y. Giants in 1966. And on Sept. 16, 2007, the Bengals and Browns combined for 96 points at Cleveland in a 51-45 Browns win. More on Bengals records against the Browns: In last season s win over the Browns in Cleveland, the Bengals allowed only five first downs, fewest by an opponent in Bengals history. The 58-48 Bengals win on Nov. 28, 2004 stands as the only game in club history for Cincinnati to score in double figures in all four quarters (14-13-14-17 58). WR A.J. Green s 41-yard TD reception put the Bengals ahead to stay in the fourth quarter of the 2011 season opener at Cleveland, and it has been certified as the longest game-winning catch in NFL history by a rookie playing in his team s first game of the year. The previous long in this category was only 22 yards, and it had stood for more than 85 years, set by Jack Underwood of the Duluth Kelleys in 1924. In the final Bengals game at Cinergy Field, on Dec. 12, 1999, Cincinnati limited the Browns to the fewest rushing yards ever by an opponent. Cleveland had only 11 net yards on 11 attempts. On Dec. 21, 1980 vs. Cleveland, DE Eddie Edwards set the Bengals record for sacks in a game with five. The mark stood unchallenged for 19 years, until DE Antwan Odom tied it on Sept. 20, 2009 at Green Bay. On Nov. 25, 2001 at Cleveland, T.J. Houshmandzadeh set the Bengals record for punt return yards in a game with 126. His 86-yarder in that game ranks tied for third-longest in club history. The Bengals 23-20 overtime victory at Cleveland on Oct. 4, 2009 stands as the longest Bengals game not to end in a tie. Only four seconds remained in the overtime period when K Shayne Graham booted a 31-yard field goal to break a 20-all tie. Elapsed scoreboard clock time for the game was 74:56. The only 75- minute games in Bengals history have been two ties, in 2008 vs. Philadelphia and last year vs. Carolina. Individually vs. Browns: Current Bengals career performances while playing for Cincinnati against the Browns include: QB Andy Dalton: Eight games; 5-3 W-L record; 146-for-249 passing (58.6 percent) for 1552 yards (194.0 per game), with 11 TDs and 11 INTs (passer rating of 73.2). HB Giovani Bernard: Three games; 35 rushes for 161 yards (4.6); 13 receptions for 103 yards (7.9). Bernard did not play, due to injury, in last year s Browns win over Cincinnati. HB Jeremy Hill: Two games; 37 rushes for 203 yards (5.5); Two receptions for 10 yards (5.0); Hill had one of his several late-season breakout games against the Browns at Cleveland last year, rushing 25-for-148 with two TDs. HB Cedric Peerman: Seven games; Four rushes for six yards (1.5); Eight receptions for 76 yards (9.5); Peerman had all his receiving numbers in the 2012 game at Cleveland, and they are his career highs for both receptions and yards. HB Rex Burkhead; Two games; Seven rushes for 26 yards (3.7); Two receptions for three yards (1.5). H-back Ryan Hewitt: Two games; Three receptions for 34 yards (11.3). WR A.J. Green: Eight games; 35 receptions for 474 yards (13.5; 59.3 per game) with four TDs. WR Mohamed Sanu: Four games; Eight receptions for 54 yards (6.8), with one TD WR Marvin Jones: Four games; Three receptions for 30 yards (10.0); Jones did not play against the Browns last season, due to injuries. WR Brandon Tate: Eight games; Four receptions for 82 yards (20.5) with one TD; In 2012 at Cincinnati, Tate had a 44-yard TD reception. WR James Wright (Reserve/Injured): One game; One rush for 13 yards. TE Tyler Eifert: Two games; Four receptions for 54 yards (13.5); Eifert did not play against the Browns last season, due to injuries. Game features AFC s best in punt returns: This week s game will feature the top two punt returners in the AFC through Week 8. Cleveland WR Travis Benjamin leads the conference at 13.0 yards per return, and Cincinnati CB Adam Jones is a close second at 12.8. Benjamin has one return for a TD this season, a 78-yarder. Jones has been more of a consistent gainer, with a long of only 35 yards. Jones last season finished second in the NFL for the season in punt returns, at 12.0. Both returners will be going against what to date have been middle-of-the-
(Game features AFC s best in punt returns, continued) road punt coverage units. Cleveland ranks 14th in punt coverage, at 8.1, and the Bengals rank 15th at 8.8. Neither team has allowed a punt return TD. Benjamin and Jones rank 2-3 in the NFL this season in punt returns. The leader is Darren Sproles of Philadelphia, at 14.7. Lippincott coached at Bluffton College from 2000-02... Browns special teams assistant Shawn Mennenga coached at Western Kentucky in 1997... Browns wide receiver coach Joker Phillips coached at University of Cincinnati in 1997-98... Browns WR Brian Hartline and DB Donte Whitner played at Ohio State...Browns LB Jayson DiManche played for the Bengals in 2013 and 2014... Browns WR Andrew Hawkins played with the Bengals from 2011-14. Bengals on Thursdays: The Bengals have played 10 times previously on Thursday, posting a 5-5 record. The Bengals are 2-4 on Thursdays under head coach Marvin Lewis. Only one of the Thursday games, in 2010, was played on Thanksgiving. Here s a recap of the Bengals Thursday experience: DATE, OPP. RESULT COMMENT 9-15-83, @Cle. Browns, 17-7 Two Browns INTs off Ken Anderson 9-18-86, @Cle. Bengals, 30-13 Larry Kinnebrew rushes for three TDs 10-19-95, @Pitt. Bengals, 27-9 Bengals yield 468 yards but no TDs 12-4-97, TENN. Bengals, 41-14 Dillon rushes for NFL rookie record 246 11-30-06, BALT. Bengals, 13-7 Ravens scoreless until 1:01 remaining 11-20-08, @Pitt. Steelers, 27-10 Steelers allow only 20-for-43 rushing 11-25-10, @NYJ Jets, 26-10 Special teams help Jets erase 7-3 halftime deficit 12-13-12, @Phil. Bengals, 34-13 Cin. comes from behind with four 2nd-half takeaways 10-31-13, @Mia. Dolphins, 22-20 (OT) Dalton sacked for rare OT safety 11-6-14, CLE. Browns, 24-3 Browns plus-three on turnovers, with three INTs Home is where the wins are: The Bengals this week seek a fifth straight win at Paul Brown Stadium. Their Oct. 11 win vs. Seattle raised their record at home to 19-3-1 over their last 23 regular-season home games, a winning percentage of.848. The run dates back to a Nov. 11, 2012 win over the N.Y. Giants and includes a club-record 11-game home win streak from the last game of 2012 through the first two of 2014. And nobody loves the Paul Brown Stadium home atmosphere more than the defensive line. We always like playing in The Jungle, says DT Domata Peko. The crowd is always into it and we love pinning our ears back here and getting after the quarterback. Says DE Wallace Gilberry: A home game is like someone coming into your house. It s controlling your household, and in order to do that, you have to control the tempo of the game, control the tempo of the crowd and just apply major pressure. The atmosphere is amazing. It gives a sense of pride, and we re a prideful group. And from DE Michael Johnson: This place is loud, especially when the other guys are backed up. When a team can t use their normal cadence, it interferes with their communication, it interferes with their ability to protect the quarterback. It gives us a better jump off the ball. It can mess with teams communication, you can see it on film. Bengals-Steelers connections: Bengals K Mike Nugent and LB A.J. Hawk played at Ohio State... Bengals HB Cedric Peerman was briefly with the Browns in 2009 but did not play... Browns DL John Hughes III played at the University of Cincinnati and is from Gahanna, Ohio... Browns TE Gary Barnidge played at Louisville... Bengals OT Dan France (practice squad) is from North Royalton, Ohio... Bengals CB Troy Hill (practice squad) is from Youngstown, Ohio... Bengals assistant linebackers/quality control coach David Marvin Lewis has the most wins of any Bengals coach, and by a wide margin. His 107 total is good for a margin of 43 over Sam Wyche (64). Lewis record is 107-90-2 in the regular season and 107-96-2 including postseason. Lewis in 2015 extends his tenure to 13 seasons, also a Bengals record, and in April of 15, he signed a contract extension through 16. He has led the team to the postseason in five of the last six years, including four straight. The Bengals are one of only four NFL teams to be in the playoffs every year since 2011, and they are one of only five to qualify as many as five times in the last six years. In total, Lewis has coached six Bengals playoff teams, another franchise record. Paul Brown is second in the category, with three. Lewis has coached three division champions, one more than Paul Brown and Sam Wyche. The Bengals logged their third straight season of double-digit wins in 2014, finishing 10-5-1. Cincinnati closed a half-game behind Pittsburgh in the AFC North Division and went to the playoffs as the first Wild Card, falling 26-10 at AFC South champion Indianapolis. In 2013, Lewis led an 11-5 season, winning the AFC North by three games over both Baltimore and Pittsburgh. THE HEAD COACHES 3 BENGALS-BROWNS NFL RANKINGS BENGALS BROWNS SCORING (AVERAGE POINTS): Points scored... 3rd (28.3) T-25th (20.9) Points allowed... 7th (18.9) 26th (27.0) NET OFFENSE (AVERAGE YARDS): Total... 6th (394.0) 18th (350.4) Rushing... 14th (115.9) 31st (84.0) Passing... 7th (278.1) 9th (266.4) NET DEFENSE (AVERAGE YARDS): Total... 22nd (368.6) 30th (405.4) Rushing... 18th (110.1) 32nd (147.0) Passing... 23rd (258.4) 22nd (258.4) TURNOVERS: Differential... T-6th (plus-four) 26th (minus-four) Silver and bronze in the red zone: The Bengals rank second in the NFL this week in defensive red-zone TD percentage and third in offensive TD percentage. The defense has allowed TDs on only seven of 16 opponent opportunities (43.8 percent) and the offense has cashed 21 of 31 chances for TDs (67.7 percent). The defense is tied for first in fewest total red-zone chances allowed and second in fewest total TDs allowed. ` The offense could stand to pick up its total scores percentage, which at 80.6 ranks 28th in the NFL. The Browns defense has allowed the most red-zone chances (33) and tied for the second-most TDs (20). The Browns rank 27th in offensive TD percentage and 20th in defensive TD percentage. BENGALS RED-ZONE REPORT OFFENSE DEFENSE Inside-20 possessions: 31 Inside-20 possessions: 16 Total scores: 25 (80.6%) Total scores: 14 (87.5%) TDs: 21 (67.7%) TDs: 7 (43.8%) FGs: 4 (12.9%) FGs: 7 (43.8%) TD% rank: 3rd TD% rank: 2nd No scores: 6 (19.4%) No scores: 2 (12.5%) BROWNS RED-ZONE REPORT OFFENSE DEFENSE Inside-20 possessions: 23 Inside-20 possessions: 33 Total scores: 21 (91.3%) Total scores: 30 (86.4%) TDs: 10 (43.5%) TDs: 20 (54.5% FGs: 11 (47.8%) FGs: 10 (31.8%) TD% rank: 27th TD% rank: 20th No scores: 2 (8.7%) No scores: 3 (13.6%) In a 2009 title season in which the Bengals swept all six division games and won the North title, Lewis was the consensus choice as NFL Coach of the Year. Lewis also led Cincinnati to an AFC North title in 2005. Lewis ranks second in the NFL in longest current tenure with one team, trailing only Bill Belichick, who is in his 16th straight season with New England. In the category of most seasons as an active NFL head coach with one or more teams, Lewis in 2014 ranks sixth. Lewis was named the ninth head coach in Bengals history on Jan. 14, 2003. In 02, he directed the NFL s fifth-ranked defense with Washington, serving as assistant head coach in addition to his role as defensive coordinator. Prior to his year with the Redskins, he was a record-setting defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens. His six seasons with the Ravens (1996-2001) included a Super Bowl victory following the 00 season. In the 00 season, Lewis Baltimore defense set the NFL record for fewest points allowed in a 16-game campaign (165), and the 00 Ravens are always included in discussions of the best singleseason NFL defenses of all time. Lewis entered the NFL as linebackers coach with Pittsburgh from 1993-95,
(The head coaches, continued) guiding the careers of Pro Bowl selections Kevin Greene, Chad Brown, Levon Kirkland and Greg Lloyd. Born Sept. 23, 1958, in McDonald, Pa., near Pittsburgh, Lewis played linebacker at Idaho State and earned All-Big Sky Conference honors in each of his three seasons ( 78-80). He began his coaching career as an assistant at Idaho State University in 1981. Cleveland s Mike Pettine is in his second year as Browns head coach. His record is 9-15. With a 7-9 record last season, he led the Browns to their most wins in a season since 2007. He joined the Browns after spending 2013 as defensive coordinator at Buffalo and 2009-12 as defensive coordinator for the New York Jets. He helped his units to NFL top 10 finishes in total defense for all five of his seasons as a About that 7-and-0: The 7-0 Bengals have set a franchise record for longest unbeaten start to open a season. Two other Bengals teams went 6-0 but lost in Game 7. The Bengals have tied the franchise record for consecutive games won at any point of one season. The only other instance of seven straight wins was in 1970, the Bengals first year in the NFL after two seasons in the AFL. Paul Brown s team started 1-6 but won the last seven to claim the first AFC Central Division championship at 8-6. With a win over the Browns, the Bengals will tie the franchise mark of consecutive games won regardless of season. The record is eight, and it belongs mostly to the 1970 team. That club s seven-game win streak was extended to eight with a season-opening victory in 1971. A recap of Cincinnati s two previous 6-0 teams: Sam Wyche s 1988 team went 6-0 before losing 27-21 at New England. The Bengals finished 12-4 and went on to win the AFC Championship. Paul Brown s 1975 team went 6-0 before losing 30-24 at home to Pittsburgh. That club finished 11-3, for the best winning percentage in franchise history (.786) and earned a Wild Card berth. AFC North race: The Bengals have a 3 1/2 game lead over Pittsburgh in the AFC North Division. It s the largest lead as early as the completion of Week 8 in the division s 14-year history. Here s the AFC North picture, looking ahead through Week 10. TEAM W-L PCT. DIV. NEXT TWO WEEKS Cincinnati 7-0 1.000 2-0... vs. Cleveland (Thurs.); vs. Houston (Mon.) Pittsburgh 4-4.500 0-2... vs. Oakland; vs. Cleveland Cleveland 2-6.250 1-0... at Cincinnati (Thurs.); at Pittsburgh Baltimore 2-6.250 1-2... BYE; vs. Jacksonville BENGALS NOTES coordinator. His 2013 Buffalo defense registered a franchise-record 57 sacks, second-most in the NFL and 21 better than the previous season. Prior to joining the Jets, Pettine spent seven years (2002-08) on the staff of the Baltimore Ravens. He is a native of Doylestown, Pa. He lettered for two seasons as a free safety at the University of Virginia. His father, Mike Sr., retired in 1999 as the winningest coach in Pennsylvania high school football history, with a career mark of 326-32-4. Lewis vs. Browns: Lewis leads, 16-8. Lewis vs. Pettine: Tied, 1-1. Pettine vs. Bengals: Tied, 1-1. carom. But the first one could have proven discouraging as Dalton was picked off in the end zone on a third-and-goal play from the five by a defender (CB Antwon Blake) the quarterback didn t appear to see. It denied the Bengals their first good chance to take their first lead of the game and surely seemed all but decisive at the moment to many onlookers. But not to the Red Rifle, fortunately. Andy anticipated something in the end zone that didn t turn out to be there (on the Blake pick), said head coach Marvin Lewis, but he didn t let it get him down. And that s the way Andy has always been through his career, and of course I ve mentioned that many times. His demeanor is wonderful that way. He doesn t let a bad play affect the next play. When he really needed to, he drove us down the field and made the plays to help us win the game. In the NFL passer ratings, Dalton trails Tom Brady of New England (115.8), Aaron Rodgers of Green Bay (110.9) and Carson Palmer of Arizona (110.2). The last Bengal to win an AFC season passing title was Boomer Esiason in 1989, at a 92.1 number that sounds modest by today s standards. The last Bengal to win an NFL passing title also was Esiason, at 97.4 in 1988. Dalton led the NFL in fourth-quarter passer rating for four straight weeks leading up to last week, but his two-int fourth quarter at Pittsburgh dropped his mark to 114.6, now sixth in the league. Dalton s average gain per attempt of 8.62 yards ranks third., and he is tied for fifth in TD passes (15), though the Bengals have played one fewer game than many clubs. Bengals tie road win mark: The victory at Pittsburgh made the Bengals 4-0 on the road, tying the franchise record for consecutive road wins within a season. The record has been accomplished seven times. A win at Arizona on Nov. 22 would set a new mark at five. The Bengals record for consecutive road wins regardless of seasons is five, from the 2008 season finale through the first four road games of 09. Dalton not pretty until the end: Andy Dalton entered the Pittsburgh game as the NFL s leading passer, with a 116.1 rating. He left it in fourth place, with a still very good 107.6 mark, but who s counting rating points when the team is 7-0? Though Dalton s Pittsburgh performance included two INTs and a seasonlow 64.7 rating, he had the right stuff for the game-winning drive, passing threefor-four for 39 yards on the 45-yard TD march that ended with a nine-yard strike to WR A.J. Green and put Cincinnati ahead 13-10. His key play, even more than the TD pass, came when he avoided pressure on third-and-five from the Pittsburgh 40 and managed a shovel pass to super-quick HB Giovani Bernard, who took the ball 23 yards to the Pittsburgh 17. Do you practice a pass like that? Dalton was asked. No, Dalton replied with a shrug. Gio definitely wasn t my first option there, but it s not a hard throw to make. You just have to find the opportunity. The game-winning drive was the third this season for Dalton in the fourth quarter or overtime. Dalton now has 16 such drives in his career. Elias Sports Bureau credits quarterbacks with such drives when they lead their team either from behind or from a tie. In Dalton s case this season, all three game-winners have come with Cincinnati trailing. And it s numbers like those which mean the most to teammates. Any can t be perfect every game, said WR Marvin Jones. But he s our leader out there, and we knew what we had to do. We just needed a spark to get things rolling. We know he ll come through when we need it most. Dalton suffered both of his INTs in the fourth quarter. The second one occurred when he tried to beat double coverage on a long throw to Green, and it just wasn t to be as Green couldn t quite corral it and a Steeler nabbed it off a Pound it, baby: The Bengals rank tied for fifth in the NFL in rushing attempts per game (29.4). They rank 14th in rushing yards per game (115.9), but for now, that s an acceptable numbers juxtaposition for offensive coordinator Hue Jackson. I know we have to run the ball, and we will continue to run the ball, Jackson says. We re never going to shy away from that. Jackson, though known for his many offensive innovations, has preached stressing the run since he took over as offensive coordinator after the 2013 season. Last season, the Bengals ranked fifth in the NFL in rushing attempts and sixth in rushing yards. We can run the ball better, Jackson says. But how we run it, whether it s two backs, one back, six backs, I don t care, we ll find a way. You have to have enough attempts against really good football teams because if not, too many things can happen to your quarterback that are not fair and fun. The top three teams in rushing attempts per game are Carolina (33.3), Seattle (30.6), the N.Y. Jets (30.4), Tampa Bay (30.4). Dunlap still in sacks race: Bengals DE Carlos Dunlap played his way through an early shoulder strain in the Pittsburgh game, tying for the line lead with 58 snaps, but he did not manage a sack. Through Week 8 play, his 6.5 sacks rank fourth in the NFL in sacks per team game (0.93) and tied for fifth in total sacks. The NFL co-leaders in sacks are New England DE Chandler Jones and Houston DE J.J. Watt at 8.5, but Jones is the sole leader in sacks per team game (1.21). Sacks have been an official NFL statistic since only 1982, and the Bengals have never had an AFC or NFL leader for a full season. The highest rank for a 4
(Dunlap still in sacks race, continued) Bengal in the NFL has been sixth (DT Geno Atkins with 12.5 in 2012), and the highest Bengals rank in the AFC has been fourth (Atkins fourth in 12, and DE Jim Skow tied for fourth in 1988 with 9.5). Dunlap is on an early pace for 15.0 sacks (rounded up from a projection of 14.8). That would be the most by a Bengal in the official era, topping 13.0 by DE Eddie Edwards in 1983. The Bengals date the club s own sacks records to a starting point of 1976, and the Cincinnati record is 22.0 by DE Coy Bacon in 76. Edwards 13.0 is second in Bengals annals. Dunlap also leads the team in total QB hits (13) and total tackles-for-loss (seven). He leads the line in tackles (26), ranked tied for fifth on the team. And though Dunlap does not have a forced or recovered fumble yet this season, he has 10 career forced fumbles and seven fumble recoveries, tops on the current team in both categories. Dunlap s line mates produced three sacks at Pittsburgh one each for DT Geno Atkins, DE Michael Johnson and DE Wallace Gilberry and as a team Cincinnati has 20 sacks, fifth in the NFL in sacks per team game (2.86). Denver leads the NFL in both total sacks (29) and sacks per team game (4.14). M.L. on Carlos: Carlos Dunlap s emergence as a Bengals key player and leader has been gradual but steady. The former Florida Gator had barely turned 21 years old when Cincinnati drafted him in the second round in 2010. Asked recently to compare the Dunlap of 2015 with the Dunlap of 2010, head coach Marvin Lewis said: He does what we want to see much more often. He s matured as a man and as a player. He tries to do things the right way, and that s been key for him. Atkins tied for first inside: Bengals DT Geno Atkins had an eight-yard sack of Ben Roethlisberger in the fourth quarter last week and moved to 5.0 sacks on the season, tied with Carolina DT Kawann Short for the NFL lead among interior linemen. DTs Aaron Donald of St. Louis and Gerald McCoy of Tampa Bay are just a half-sack behind at 4.5. All of the top four are with teams that still have nine games to play. Atkins is on pace for 11.0 sacks on the season (rounded down from a projection of 11.4). Though the Bengals have not had an overall sacks season leader in conference or league, Atkins led NFL interior linemen by a wide margin with his 12.5 sacks in 2012, and Atkins tied for the league s interior line lead in 2011, when he had 7.5. On Atkins, head coach Marvin Lewis adds: I think Geno in particular has been playing the run exceptionally well. I think that always gets a little underrated in Geno s case. I thought he had an excellent year last year playing the run, and this year he came back much stronger in his lower body, and you see that in his play. He understands our run fits and what he needs to get done. If they try to single-block him in the running game, we know the ball is coming back to us. Dunlap on the D-line: Last year we didn t have the rotation (of ingame personnel) that we had the few years before that, says Bengals DE Carlos Dunlap. We had some guys injured at times, and we didn t have Mike (Johnson) or Pat (Sims). And now we ve got year two from young Will (Clarke), who maybe wasn t quite ready to get his feet wet last year, and last year we had Wallace (Gilberry) playing nose in some run situations, and that s not really what we want. Having this rotation back and keeping guys healthy is going to be huge for us. And, Dunlap continued, there s Geno (Atkins). Geno s obviously got his confidence back. Coming from the first career devastating injury, it takes a little while to get that back. This year I feel like he s going to make the cuts and play on his knee like the injury never happened. Having Geno back to his normal ways, that should give us 10 sacks alone. Then hopefully I can top him. I want to lead the league. That s my goal every year. So whoever the leader is, I m trying to have one more than him. Burfict s back: LB Vontaze Burfict ended a 15-game absence from the lineup when he returned to action last week at Pittsburgh, and he had solo tackles on Pittsburgh s first two plays. He finished the game with five tackles, tied for third on the team, and one of those included a clean second-quarter hit that knocked Pittsburgh RB Le Veon Bell from the game with a knee injury. Burfict had not played since Oct. 26 of last season, when he suffered a knee injury vs. Baltimore. He opened 2015 on the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list and rejoined the team in practice on the Thursday before the Pittsburgh game. He was activated to the roster the day before the game. He played 36 snaps at Pittsburgh, 48 percent of the defensive total, seeing more 5 action than anticipated due to a calf injury that sidelined LB Rey Maualuga in the first half. Burfict was the Bengals leading tackler by wide margins in 2012 and 13, and he was a Pro Bowl selection for 13. He admitted to being winded in the second half at Pittsburgh, but many more snaps can be forecast for him as he rounds back into full football shape. He s that bruiser, he s that attitude you need, S George Iloka said after the Steelers game. We have a lot of personalities, but we need a guy like him. I m so happy to have him back. I just have to dig down deep and push through, Burfict said. It s a long game, and it s way different from rehab. Today was my first time hitting in a long time. But I m competitive, and whoever gets the ball, I m gonna tackle. Burfict s rehab was long and difficult due to the nature of his injury (microfracture). Rehab periods often extend to a full year, and Burfict went 372 days between last year s Baltimore game and the Pittsburgh contest. I always stayed praying, Burfict said of his rehab period. There were some hard days when I didn t feel like doing rehab, but Marvin (Lewis) made sure he called me and made sure I got into the stadium. Teammates kept pushing me. They knew when I was out of it. I ve been pushed by teammates, coaches, Mr. (Mike) Brown... and I thank them for it. Pass pro third in NFL: The Bengals allowed three sacks last week, but it was only their third game of the season to allow a sack. They have allowed only nine on the season, third-fewest in the NFL behind the New York Jets (seven) and Washington (eight). The Bengals have played one fewer game than many clubs, but they also rank third in fewest sacks allowed per team game (1.29). Cincinnati s only other games with sacks allowed have been Sept. 27 at Baltimore (two) and Oct. 11 vs. Seattle (four). Cincinnati s offense has been sack-free in wins at Oakland, vs. San Diego, vs. Kansas City and at Buffalo. The Bengals are on an early pace to allow 21 sacks for the season (rounded up from a projection of 20.6). That would tie for second-fewest in franchise history, behind only the club record of 17, set in 2007. Many factors go into effective pass protection, and the contributions of players like H-back Ryan Hewitt, HB Giovani Bernard and TE Tyler Eifert may sometimes go undervalued. But the core of pass protection is the offensive line, which is getting the job done not only with talent, but with the way they work together. Chemistry? I m not sure I can describe it, but I just know we have it, says OL coach Paul Alexander. You want to sign guys up to your team that are natural, tough, selfless guys. I think if you get enough of guys like that together, eventually they ll mold together. They have to be smart. Our meetings are more like seminars. We kind of watch the film and throw it around and bounce ideas. You can only do that with smart guys. Andrew Whitworth has been Cincinnati s primary starting LOT since 2009, and Andre Smith has been his ROT bookend since 2011. Clint Boling has been the starting LG since 2011, and Kevin Zeitler has been at RG since 2012. The only relative newcomer in the starting five is C Russell Bodine, who s starting for his second season. Eric Winston is a veteran reserve (121 career NFL starts) who joined the Bengals last season and started the last four games and the Wild Card playoff at ROT, with Smith out due to injury. Winston is a possible starter this week vs. Cleveland, as Smith was sidelined with a concussion in the Pittsburgh game. Rookie OT/G Jake Fisher has contributed as the big tight end in extra-blocker formations his 31-yard reception on Sept. 20 vs. San Diego was the longest by an NFL offensive lineman since 1988 and second-year pro T.J. Johnson backs up Bodine at center. Head coach Marvin Lewis says the starting line s chemistry is visually apparent in position meetings. They sit in meetings the way they line up, Lewis says. The center sits there in the middle, and then the right guard, the right tackle, the left guard, the left tackle all in their places. That s the way they sit, that s the way they do things, because they always have to see things the same way. When you have guys who need to work in conjunction with each other, the chemistry is not underrated. It s part of it. It s very, very important. We ve got a good group, and a strong, strong foundation in that room and in this building. Third in sack differential: With a plus-11 differential in sacks (20 by defense, nine against offense), the Bengals rank third in the NFL this week. The only teams head of Cincinnati are Denver at plus-17 (29-12) and St. Louis at plus-15 (26-11). Eifert on pace for history: Seven games into the 2015 season, Tyler Eifert clearly has a chance to log the most catches, receiving yards and
(Eifert on pace for history, continued) touchdowns for a year by any Bengals tight end. Eifert had a modest output last week at Pittsburgh, catching four-for-39, but for the season he ranks second on the team in catches (32) and receiving yards (381), and he s tied with HB Jeremy Hill for the team lead in TDs (six). Eifert s TD total projects to 14 (rounded up from a projection of 13.7). The most season TDs by a Bengals pure TE has been nine, by Rodney Holman in 1989 (Bob Trumpy had nine TD catches in 69, but he was listed as a TE/WR.) Eifert s catch total projects to 73, which would break Dan Ross TE record of 71 in 1988. Eifert s yardage total projects to 871, so he needs to pick up his pace just a bit to threaten Ross Bengals TE record of 910, also set in 88. Eifert s average of TDs per team game (0.86) ranks second among NFL tight ends, trailing only New England s Rob Gronkowski (1.0). Gronkowski has seven TDs in seven games. Cleveland s Gary Barnidge ties Eifert in total TDs with six, but the Browns have played eight games, so Barnidge s TDs per team game figure is only (0.75). Covering all positions, Eifert is among six players tied for second place in the AFC for the season with six TDs each. He is tied for seventh in the NFL and just one TD short of being tied for second in the league. Arguably, Tyler s the best tight end I ve ever been around, says offensive coordinator Hue Jackson. He s physically tougher than people think he s tough as nails. He blocks better than people think, and of course he can catch the ball with anybody. Great hands, and great moves and speed for a guy his size (6-5, 250). The sky truly is the limit for this guy. The 2013 first-round draft choice showed his blocking prowess at Buffalo, with a key block on Giovani Bernard s 17-yard TD run in the second quarter. T.J. Houshmandzadeh, who played 11 years in the NFL and caught 70 or more passes in six seasons, including a Bengals-record 112 in 2007, also had unusually high praise for Eifert after working with the Bengals as an intern assistant coach this past spring. Every time I see that guy run a route, I can t believe it, Houshmandzadeh said. I can t believe that man. He s too big to be moving like that. That s crazy. Eifert had a good rookie season, working with veteran TE Jermaine Gresham in a two-te base offense. He caught 39 passes for 445 yards and two TDs. But he played only eight snaps last season. On the third of his three catches for 37 yards in the season opener at Baltimore, he suffered elbow injury that would put him out for the remainder of the season. QB Andy Dalton looks forward to seeing Eifert use his many tools against smaller defenders who aren t that much faster than No. 85. He s a big matchup mismatch for us, Dalton said. The more that he can do, the better we ll be. Touchdown tandem: Neither TE Tyler Eifert or HB Jeremy Hill scored a TD last week at Pittsburgh, but they are among six players tied for second place in the AFC for the season with six TDs each. They are tied for seventh in the NFL and just one TD short of being tied for second in the league. Atlanta s Devonta Freeman leads the NFL in TDs with 10. No other player has more than seven. Andy the comeback king: Andy Dalton s leadership of a gamewinning drive last week at Pittsburgh was his third this season in the fourth quarter or overtime. The first two came in Week 3 at Baltimore and in Week 5 vs. Seattle. At Baltimore, Dalton was the ultimate counterpuncher. He may have seemed down for the count after the Ravens sacked him in the third quarter, forcing a fumble they returned for a TD and a 17-14 lead. But as the Cincinnati Enquirer said in a sports page one headline, When there were questions, Dalton answered. He struck back with an 80-yard TD to WR A.J. Green to erase the 17-14 deficit, and he led an 80-yard drive, all on passes, to later erase a 24-21 Baltimore lead. It provided the winning points in a 28-24 decision. Dalton has now led three straight fourth-quarter comeback wins against the Ravens, and he really did it twice, because he led the Bengals back from deficits of 17-14 and 24-21, both in the game s final seven minutes. Against Seattle, Dalton led the Bengals back from a 24-7 deficit after three quarters to a 27-24 overtime win. He completed 13 of 15 passes for 135 yards in the fourth quarter and overtime. He threw a 10-yard TD pass to TE Tyler Eifert, scored himself on a physical five-yard run and led the team to two field goals. That game stands as the only time since Week 15 of 2010 in which an NFL team has won after trailing by 17 or more points in the fourth quarter. Offensive coordinator Hue Jackson had this to say about Dalton s demeanor in the double-comeback win at Baltimore: 6 There was a calmness. There was a veteran player who had been through the wars, who had been through a lot of things here, who looked me in the eye and said, OK, Coach, let s go. Don t even worry about it. That s how it was, and that s what I ve been looking for. So it s there. And now it will pay off for us in the long run. On Dalton s growth as a leader, head coach Marvin Lewis says: Andy s always had that poise, Lewis said. He s had only rare occasions where he let one bad play lead to another. To me, that s what makes Andy Dalton tick. He hasn t changed, but the other guys have raised their level around him. When things don t quite go their way, they are mentally tough enough to do the things that let Andy do his thing. If a quarterback doesn t have that, that s when (the criticism) all seems to come down on him. Andy the change agent: Bengals QB Andy Dalton has great statistics this season, but much of the praise he s earning from coaches and teammates comes from two areas not strictly stat-related 1) his improved ability to improvise when the pocket breaks down and 2) his ability to successfully change play calls in the huddle or at the scrimmage line. Dalton amply illustrated skill No. 1 on the deciding TD drive last week at Pittsburgh. He avoided pressure on third-and-five from the Pittsburgh 40 and managed a shovel pass to super-quick HB Giovani Bernard, who took the ball 23 yards to the Pittsburgh 17. Dalton got the score to go ahead 13-10 three plays later, on a nine-yard pass to A.J. Green. Also in the skill No. 1 category: On Oct. 4 vs. Kansas City, Dalton roamed away from pressure and hit completions of 27 yards to HB Rex Burkhead 55 yards to WR Brandon Tate. The pass to Tate was for a TD. And in the Sept. 27 comeback win at Baltimore, Dalton spotted Bernard after nearly being sacked and hit Bernard with a short pass that resulted in a big gain en route to the winning TD. As for skill No. 2: On Oct. 11 vs. Seattle, Dalton audibled into the keeper that produced a fiveyard TD run during Cincinnati s fourth-quarter comeback. Dalton bulled his way past a tackler into the end zone, but more than that, it was his game-sense that keyed the score. There was a good look, Dalton said. Everything was wide open on the inside, and it gave me an opportunity to just take it myself. You get these looks, you ve practiced against them throughout the week, and we got it and executed it exactly how we wanted to. After the Kansas City game, head coach Marvin Lewis said, The runs Andy got us in and out of were great. Says Dalton: It s great that the coaches have the confidence in me to let me run things out there according to how things are going. Coordinator Hue Jackson puts it like this: There used to be a time you would just play system football; whatever coach calls, that s what you do. But to be good in this league and to be really good, you have to be bright enough, smart enough and understand what you are trying to accomplish when the defense changes. Andy is well-schooled that way. That s something that takes time on his part, a lot of time on the coach s part, and he does it as well as anybody I ve ever been around. He has taken himself to another level. Andy s playing out his mind, says WR A.J. Green. But we all know what type of guy he is. He s just like a commander out there. He knows what they are going to run, what plays to check to get us in the best play possible. We trust Andy, said TE Tyler Eifert. He s always at the facility studying. He gets us into the right play. We trust him and we know he s a great quarterback. We believe in him and that s what we expect him to do. Andy the road warrior: Last week at Pittsburgh, Andy Dalton engineered his 23rd road victory. That ties him for the most road wins by any QB in his first five seasons (record kept since the 1970 merger). Dalton will have four chances to stand alone at 24 or above, those being Nov. 22 at Arizona, Dec. 6 at Cleveland, Dec. 20 at San Francisco and Dec. 28 at Denver. The other QBs with 23 road victories in their first five seasons have been Dan Marino, Ben Roethlisberger and Matt Ryan. Dalton has 13 losses on the road, and a road winning percentage of.639. Andy the leader: OT Andrew Whitworth has this to say about QB Andy Dalton: The thing that strikes me about No. 14 is that every single season, I see him become better at something else. This year it s been leadership and taking control. He s doing a great job with it. If he continues to lead us that way, there s plenty of talent on this side of the football for us to be really good. One of the