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 AUG. 5, 2019 PRESEASON GAME 1 CINCINNATI BENGALS SATURDAY, AUG. 10 AT ARROWHEAD STADIUM AT NEXT WEEK: PRESEASON GAME 2 KANSAS CITY CHIEFS AUG. 15 AT WASHINGTON GAME NOTES Kickoff: 8 p.m. Eastern. return to the lineup and welcome rookie second-round pick Drew Sample, who was noted by analysts as one of the most complete tight ends in April’s draft. Television: Live coverage on the Bengals Preseason Network with And C Billy Price, Cincinnati’s first-round pick a year ago, leads a revamped broadcasters Mike Watts (play-by-play), Anthony Munoz (analyst) and Marisa Bengals offensive line. Contipelli (sideline reporter). The network is led by flagship WKRC-TV (CBS On the defensive side, coordinator Lou Anarumo takes the reigns of a Channel 12) in Cincinnati. Also on the network are WKEF-TV (ABC Ch. 22) in talented group headlined by a pair of 10th-year defensive linemen in DE Carlos Dayton, WSYX-TV (ABC Ch. 6) in Columbus, WLIO-TV (FOX Ch. 8.2) in Lima, Dunlap and DT Geno Atkins, who enter 2019 ranked second and third WDKY-TV FOX Ch. 56) in Lexington, Ky. and WDRB-TV (FOX Ch. 41) in respectively on the Bengals’ all-time sack list. They’re joined by a cast of young Louisville, Ky. and productive players, including DEs Carl Lawson and Sam Hubbard, and DTs Ryan Glasgow and Andrew Billings. At LB, veterans Nick Vigil and Preston Radio: The game will air on the Bengals Radio Network, led by Cincinnati Brown lead a group that includes rookie third-round pick Germaine Pratt. flagship stations WCKY-AM (ESPN 1530; all sports) and WEBN-FM (102.7). Perhaps the deepest area of the team is the secondary, which is led by CBs Broadcasters are Dan Hoard (play-by-play) and Dave Lapham (analyst). William Jackson III, Dre Kirkpatrick, Darqueze Dennard and B.W. Webb. At the safety positions, Shawn Williams enters his fourth year as the No. 1 SS, and Setting the scene: The Cincinnati Bengals take the field for the first 2018 second-round pick Jessie Bates III, the team’s leading tackler a year ago, time under first-year head coach Zac Taylor on Saturday when they travel to again mans the No. 1 FS spot. Kansas City to take on the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in the 2019 preseason opener. Taylor and his staff face a formidable challenge out of the gate in the The series: Kansas City owns its preseason series against Cincinnati defending AFC West Division champion and conference runner-up Chiefs, with an impressive 9-0 record. The teams’ last preseason meeting was in 2017, who boasted the league’s top offense and NFL MVP (QB Patrick Mahomes) a when the Chiefs won 30-12 in preseason Game 2 at Paul Brown Stadium. year ago. In regular season, the Bengals lead the series 15-14 and have won four of Taylor was hired as Cincinnati’s 10th head coach on Feb. 4, after the the last five meetings. In the most recent contest, in Week 7 last season, the Bengals parted ways with longtime head coach Marvin Lewis. The last time a Chiefs earned a 45-10 victory over the Bengals at Arrowhead Stadium. Bengals team took the field without Lewis as head coach was Dec. 29, 2002, The Bengals’ first game of any kind was against the Chiefs, in Cincinnati’s when Dick LeBeau was at the helm. Close observers will also note the inaugural preseason contest, played on Aug. 3, 1968 at Nippert Stadium on the significance of that date because Cinergy Field (previously known as Riverfront University of Cincinnati campus. The Chiefs won, 38-14. Stadium), the longtime home of the Bengals and Cincinnati Reds, was imploded The Bengals began regular-season play in 1968 as co-members with early that morning on the northern bank of the Ohio River. Kansas City in the American Football League’s Western Division, and the teams Much has changed since 2002 of course, but to those familiar with the played each other twice in both 1968 and ’69. goings-on at Paul Brown Stadium, much is different from just last season. Taylor has introduced a bevy of alterations, including an expanded coaching staff, new decor in the players’ facilities, improved room configurations in the coaches’ BENGALS-CHIEFS 2018 NFL RANKINGS office areas, and a new approach to team practices and meetings. Ask any BENGALS CHIEFS Bengals veteran, and they’ll immediately note the team’s new atmosphere SCORING (AVERAGE POINTS): under Taylor. Points scored................................................ 17th (23.0) 1st (35.3) “I think he’s done great,” said QB Andy Dalton. “From the day he stepped in Points allowed .............................................. 30th (28.4) T-13th (26.3) here, you felt the change. Obviously he had a plan for what he wanted, and NET OFFENSE (AVERAGE YARDS): they’re doing it.” Total ........................................................... 26th (310.8) 1st (425.6) Added WR A.J. Green: “Playing with Coach Lewis, it was all about the Rushing ....................................................... 21st (105.1) 16th (115.9) defense. You didn’t show up the defense at practice. But at OTA No. 1 (this Passing ....................................................... 24th (205.6) 3rd (309.7) year), Zac was like, ‘We’re going to kick the defense’s butt.’ That’s what we like NET DEFENSE (AVERAGE YARDS): to hear on offense. I love the way he teaches. He’s not yelling at you — he’s Total .......................................................... 32nd (413.6) 31st (405.5) teaching every little detail and having you understand why we run it a certain Rushing ...................................................... 29th (137.8) 27th (132.1) way.” Passing ...................................................... 32nd (275.9) 31st (273.4) Taylor, a standout collegiate QB from the University of Nebraska who earned TURNOVERS: his stripes in the NFL as a quarterbacks coach, will call the offensive plays for Differential .............................................. T-15th (plus-1) 6th (plus-9) the Bengals this season, and he’ll have a considerable amount of talent at his disposal when doing so. Bengals-Chiefs connections: Bengals DE Jordan Willis is from Dalton and Green enter their ninth NFL seasons and look to continue their Kansas City (Rockhurst High School) and played at Kansas State University ... climb up the team’s record charts. HB Joe Mixon is coming off a 1000-yard Chiefs TE Travis Kelce played at the University of Cincinnati ... Bengals head season in which he led the AFC in rushing, and fellow HB Giovani Bernard coach Zac Taylor played for Butler County (Kan.) Community College in 2004 ... returns as one of the top dual-threat RBs in the NFL. WR Tyler Boyd, fresh off a Bengals CB KeiVarae Russell was originally a third-round draft pick of the Chiefs 1000-yard receiving season and contract extension, joins Green and a cast of in 2016 ... Bengals CB Davontae Harris is from Wichita, Kan. (Wichita South young receivers poised to make their mark. TEs Tyler Eifert and C.J. Uzomah High School) ... Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy played for the — 1 — (Bengals-Chiefs connections, continued) Johnson (66) for the Bengals’ all-time lead. ● Green has 63 total TDs, one short of WR Carl Pickens and RB James Bengals from 1995-98 ... Chiefs T Dino Boyd played at the University of Brooks (both with 64) for third place all-time. FB Pete Johnson (70) is the Cincinnati ... Chiefs running backs coach Deland McCullough briefly played with Bengals’ all-time leader. the Bengals in 1996 and ’97. McCullough also played (1991-95) and coached *—The NFL has counted sacks as official statistics since 1982. However, the (’10) at Miami (Ohio) University. ... Chiefs RB Carlos Hyde is from Cincinnati and Bengals have sack statistics compiled since 1976 and recognize those sacks played at Ohio State University ... Chiefs LB Darron Lee attended New Albany recorded from ’76-81 in its records. Thus, please note that, because the NFL has (Ohio) High School and played at Ohio State University ... Chiefs T Ryan Hunter sacks statistics for all teams only since 1982, the Bengals’ sack statistics for played at Bowling Green State University ... Chiefs S Harold Jones-Quartey is players whose careers included seasons prior to ’82 will not be included in from Columbus, Ohio (Horizon Science Academy) and played at the University of league information. Findlay ... Chiefs WR Cody Thompson played at the University of Toledo ... Chiefs DB D’Montre Wade played at Murray State University ... Chiefs TE Deon Bengals’ 2018 O exceled in red zone: The Bengals’ Yelder is from Louisville, Ky. ... Bengals special teams coordinator Darrin offense last season scored TDs on 32 of its 45 trips to the red zone, good for a Simmons is from Elkhart, Kan., and played (1993-95) and coached (’96) at the 71.1 percentage that ranked third in the NFL. It was the Bengals’ best red-zone University of Kansas ... Bengals wide receivers coach Bob Bicknell coached for ranking at year’s end since the 2013 season, when they ranked second with a the Chiefs from 2007-09 ... Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo 73.9 percentage. coached at Bowling Green State University from 1996-97 ... Chiefs linebackers Of Cincinnati’s 32 red-zone TDs, 20 came by pass and 12 came via the coach Matt House coached at the University of Kentucky from 2016-18 ... Chiefs running game. Five of the passes went to WR Tyler Boyd, five went to WR John defensive backs/cornerbacks coach Sam Madison played at the University of Ross III, four went to WR A.J.