Cincinnati Bengals
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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 DEC. 3, 2019 WEEK 14, GAME 13 CINCINNATI BENGALS (1-11) SUNDAY, DEC. 8 AT FIRSTENERGY STADIUM AT NEXT WEEK: CLEVELAND BROWNS (5-7) DEC. 15 VS. NEW ENGLAND GAME NOTES Kickoff: 1 p.m. Eastern. Cincinnati has allowed just one TD in the last 10 quarters, dating back to halftime of Game 10 at Oakland. And over the last two weeks, the Bengals’ 22 Television: The game will air on CBS-TV. In Cincinnati, it will be carried points allowed are the second-fewest in the NFL (among teams who have played by WKRC-TV (Ch. 12). Broadcasters are Beth Mowins (play-by-play) and Tiki both weeks) behind Buffalo (18). Barber (analyst). “We’ve been playing sound, fundamental football and going back to the basics,” said S Shawn Williams. “We played well up front (against the Jets). We Radio: The game will air on the Bengals Radio Network, led by Cincinnati just executed, and we dominated.” flagship stations WLW-AM (700), WCKY-AM (ESPN 1530; all sports) and With four games remaining in their season, the Bengals turn their attention WEBN-FM (102.7). Broadcasters are Dan Hoard (play-by-play) and Dave toward the division-rival Browns, whom they will face twice in the next four Lapham (analyst). weeks. “Just keep showing up to work and doing the things we have to do,” said HB Setting the scene: The Bengals this week travel to FirstEnergy Joe Mixon. “We have Cleveland next, and we have to go up there and take the Stadium in Cleveland on Sunday to take on the Browns in this season’s first division game. We’re looking to win against anybody — we don’t care who it is. installment of “Battle of Ohio.” Cincinnati stands at 1-11, after earning its first win We just have to bring that same mentality we did (against the Jets).” last week in a 22-6 decision over the N.Y. Jets at Paul Brown Stadium. Cleveland enters Sunday’s matchup 5-7, after falling 20-13 at Pittsburgh last The Bengals’ win over the Jets featured the return of QB Andy Dalton, who week. was back in the starting lineup for the first time after serving as a reserve for Games 9-11. Dalton completed 22 of 37 passes for 243 yards and a TD (88.0 The series: The Bengals lead 50-41 in the “Battle of Ohio” series and rating) in the win, however his have won eight of the last 11 games. Home field has been a factor over the performance may be remembered length of the series, as the Bengals lead 30-16 at home but trail 20-25 as the most for passing former Bengals road club. QB Ken Anderson for the franchise The Bengals have played more games against the Browns (91) than any foe records in career TD passes and except Pittsburgh. The Bengals have 101 all-time games against the Steelers. career completions. Dalton now More series notes: has passed for 198 TDs (Anderson ● Cleveland swept the Bengals in 2018, with a 35-20 win over Cincinnati in had 197) and 2669 completions Game 11 and a 26-18 victory in Game 15. It was the Browns’ first season sweep (Anderson had 2654). over the Bengals since 2002. “I’ve been here a long time,” Dalton said. “It means a lot to me to have the ● Cleveland’s win in Game 11 last season snapped a seven-game Bengals opportunity to break Ken’s records — I’ve known him for a while. (Setting career winning streak against the Browns. That streak, the Bengals’ longest in the records) also shows that I’ve been consistent here for a long time. I’ve been series, began with the second meeting of 2014. The Bengals’ previous longest lucky to have played on some good offenses with good players here. It’s cool to streak had been a five-game run from Game 2 of 2004 through Game 2 of ’06. break those records, and it gives me bragging rights now (laughs).” ● The Browns’ longest win streak over Cincinnati also has been seven The win will also be remembered as the first for rookie head coach Zac games, extending from Game 2 of the 1992 season through Game 2 of ’95. Taylor, who received a Gatorade shower in the game’s waning moments. ● Since the Browns’ rebirth in 1999, the Bengals lead 26-14, including 12-8 “It’s a great feeling there in the locker room,” Taylor said after the game, as as the visiting team and 14-6 as the home team. music blared in the celebratory locker room adjacent to his news conference. Complete Bengals-Browns series results entering this season are on page “These guys earned this and fought their tails off for the last nine months, waiting 207 of the Bengals’ 2019 Media Guide. for a moment like this. ... I’m proud of all of them — proud of the coaches, proud of the players for sticking together (through the 11-game losing streak) and Team bests from the series: earning this win. ... It’s emotional. You go through it with all of these guys. And to Bengals — MOST POINTS: 58, in a 58-48 victory at Paul Brown finally get it, it feels really good.” Stadium in 2004. LARGEST VICTORY MARGIN: 34, in a 37-3 win at Cleveland Players extolled Taylor after the game for keeping the team together through in 2015. FEWEST POINTS ALLOWED: 0 (four times), most recently in a 30-0 a difficult 0-11 start to the season. win in 2014 at Cleveland. “He always continued to push us,” said WR Tyler Boyd. “He never lost his Browns — MOST POINTS: 51, in a 51-45 win at Cleveland in 2007. mind, he never snapped, he never felt like we were a losing team. In spite of our LARGEST VICTORY MARGIN: 34, in a 34-0 victory at Cincinnati in 1987. record, he knew we were better than what it showed. He continued to be a great FEWEST POINTS ALLOWED: 0 (twice), most recently in an 18-0 win at head coach and put us in positions to win, and I’m sure he’ll continue to do that. Cleveland in 2001. If we go out and execute the game plan, we’ll keep getting wins.” Perhaps overshadowed in the win was the strong play of the Bengals’ The last meetings: Summaries of last season’s Bengals-Browns defense, which held the Jets to just two FGs, sacked Sam Darnold four times, meetings are on page 15 of this news release. and didn’t allow New York inside the red zone. The Bengals still enter this Sunday’s game ranked 31st in the NFL in yards allowed and 24th in points Bengals seek to regain biggest ‘Battle’ margin: With allowed, however the defense’s improvement over the last three weeks has been its two victories over Cincinnati in 2018, Cleveland whittled the Bengals’ lead of a major reason for the team’s turnaround. 11 games down to nine games in the teams’ all-time series. The Bengals — 1 — (Bengals seek to regain biggest ‘Battle’ margin, continued) 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. previous lead of 11 games after the 2017 season set the benchmark for the ● Here’s a full roundup of Bengals’ head coaches, in chronological order, biggest lead held by either side in the “Battle of Ohio” series, which began in and their records in the “Battle of Ohio:” Paul Brown (5-7), Bill “Tiger” Johnson 1970. This weekend’s game at FirstEnergy Stadium is the teams’ first meeting (3-2), Homer Rice (2-1), Forrest Gregg (3-4), Sam Wyche (10-6), Dave Shula (1- this season. 7), Bruce Coslet (2-1), Dick LeBeau (2-3), Marvin Lewis (22-10). The series began with the Browns winning six of the first seven, and their ● The Bengals are 10-7 against Browns head coaches directing their first five-game margin at 6-1, after the first meeting of 1973, stands as their largest game in the series. Browns head coaches who won their first game have been lead. The Bengals lead 49-34 since that Cleveland high-water mark. The Browns Blanton Collier (1970), Nick Skorich (’71), Sam Rutigliano (’78), Bill Belichick have not led the series since the end of 2005, when they held a 33-32 edge. (’91), Rob Chudzinski (2013) and Mike Pettine (2014). On the losing end for Since surrendering that 33-32 lead by giving up a sweep in the 2006 Cleveland have been Forrest Gregg (1975), Marty Schottenheimer (’84), Bud meetings, the Browns have twice pulled into ties — at 34-34 after game one of Carson (’89), Jim Shofner (’90), Chris Palmer (’99), Butch Davis (2001), Romeo ’07 and at 35-35 after game one of ’08. But the Browns have now endured a 12- Crennel (’05), Eric Mangini (’09), Pat Shurmur (’11), Hue Jackson (’16) and year stretch without a lead in the series. Barring possible additions to the series Gregg Williams (’18). in postseason play, the Bengals cannot surrender their series lead until after the ● Bengals coaches show a 7-2 record the first time out against Cleveland. first game of 2023, at the earliest.