Gameday Graphic for Game on 12/14/2008
The Redskins head to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals on Sunday, Dec. 14 at Paul Brown Stadium. Kickoff is 1 p.m. ET.
Paul Brown Stadium, which opened in 2000, has an artificial surface called FieldTurf. It seats 65,790.
Washington has not played a regular season game in Cincinnati since 1991, when the Redskins defeated the Bengals 34-27 at Riverfront Stadium.
Sunday's matchup is the second of two consecutive road games against AFC North opponents.
The Redskins are 1-2 in AFC North play. They defeated the Cleveland Browns 14-10 in Week 7 and lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers 23-6 in Week 9 and Baltimore Ravens 24-10 in Week 13.
The Redskins are 4-2 away from FedExField this season.
In the last five years, the Redskins are 2-9 in AFC road games.
The Redskins-Bengals game will be televised on FOX. Kenny Albert does the play-by-play call with color commentary by Daryl Johnston. Tony Siragusa serves as sideline reporter.
On radio, the game will be broadcast locally on ESPN 980. Larry Michael handles the play-by-play with color commentary by Hall of Famers Sonny Jurgensen and Sam Huff. Rick "Doc" Walker serves as sideline reporter.
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUPS
| OFFENSE | ||
| Pos. | Redskins | Bengals |
| WR | 89 Santana Moss | 85 Chad Ocho Cinco |
| LT | 74 Stephon Heyer | 76 Levi Jones |
| LG | 66 Pete Kendall | 62 Nate Livings |
| C | 61 Casey Rabach | 53 Eric Ghiaciuc |
| RG | 77 Randy Thomas | 63 Bobbie Williams |
| RT | 69 Jason Fabini | 79 Stacy Andrews |
| TE | 47 Chris Cooley | 82 Reggie Kelly |
| WR | 82 Antwaan Randle El | 84 T.J. Houshmandzadeh |
| QB | 17 Jason Campbell | 11 Ryan Fitzpatrick |
| FB | 45 Mike Sellers | 49 Daniel Coats |
| RB | 26 Clinton Portis | 32 Cedric Benson |
| DEFENSE | ||
| Pos. | Redskins | Bengals |
| DE | 99 Andre Carter | 68 Jonathan Fanene |
| DT | 96 Cornelius Griffin | 94 Domata Peko |
| DT | 64 Kedric Golston | 97 John Thornton |
| DE | 55 Jason Taylor | 98 Antwan Odom |
| SLB | 54 H.B. Blades | 93 Rashad Jeanty |
| MLB | 59 London Fletcher | 57 Dhani Jones |
| WLB | 52 Rocky McIntosh | 59 Brandon Johnson |
| LCB | 23 DeAngelo Hall | 20 David Jones |
| RCB | 22 Carlos Rogers | 29 Leon Hall |
| SS | 48 Chris Horton | 41 Chinedum Ndukwe |
| FS | 30 LaRon Landry | 26 Marvin White |
| SPECIAL TEAMS | ||
| Pos. | Redskins | Bengals |
| P | 1 Ryan Plackemeier | 19 Kyle Larson |
| K | 6 Shaun Suisham | 17 Shayne Graham |
| H | 1 Ryan Plackemeier | 19 Kyle Larson |
| LS | 67 Ethan Albright | 48 Brad St. Louis |
| KOR | 31 Rock Cartwright | 16 Glenn Holt |
| PR | 82 Antwaan Randle El | 84 T.J. Houshmandzadeh |
SERIES HISTORY
The Redskins and Bengals have played seven times in the regular season, with the Redskins holding a 4-3 series lead.
Cincinnati is 2-1 all-time at home against Washington, but the Redskins won the last meeting there, in 1991, by a 34-27 score. This will be the first regular season meeting between the two franchises at Paul Brown Stadium.
The Bengals won the last matchup 17-10 on Nov. 14, 2004, at FedExField.
In that game, the Bengals jumped out to a 17-0 lead in the first half. Mark Brunell started at quarterback for the Redskins and was 1-of-8 for six yards before getting benched for Patrick Ramsey.
Ramsey, who threw 18-of-37 for 210 yards, threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Chris Cooley to narrow the lead. He had an opportunity to drive down the field for a game-tying touchdown, but his last pass was intercepted by safety Kim Herring.
The Redskins played the Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium in 2006 preseason, losing 19-3. The Bengals lead the preseason series with a 5-2-1 mark.
TALE OF THE TAPE
| REDSKINS 2008 RANKINGS | ||
| Offense | Rank | Yards/Game |
| Total Offense | 16 | 332.5 |
| Rushing Offense | 7 | 133.5 |
| Passing Offense | 19 | 199.1 |
| Defense | Rank | Yards/Game |
| Total Defense | 5 | 282.8 |
| Rushing Defense | 10 | 95.2 |
| Passing Defense | 7 | 187.7 |
| BENGALS 2008 RANKINGS | ||
| Offense | Rank | Yards/Game |
| Total Offense | 32 | 233.9 |
| Rushing Offense | 29 | 78.4 |
| Passing Offense | 30 | 155.5 |
| Defense | Rank | Yards/Game |
| Total Defense | 24 | 348.2 |
| Rushing Defense | 23 | 125.8 |
| Passing Defense | 22 | 222.3 |
FAMILIAR FACES ON THE BENGALS
Head coach Marvin Lewis served as assistant head coach and defensive coordinator with the Redskins in 2002. He joined the Bengals as head coach in 2003.
Linebackers coach Jeff FitzGerald was a defensive assistant with the Redskins from 1998-99.
Assistant special teams-assistant linebackers coach Paul Guenther served as an offensive assistant and quality control coach with the Redskins from 2002-03.
Strength and conditioning coach Chip Morton served as a strength and conditioning coach with the Redskins in 2002.
Offensive lineman Andrew Crummey spent time on the Redskins' practice squad in 2008. He had joined the Redskins as an undrafted rookie free agent in the 2008 offseason.
Backup quarterback Jordan Palmerwas with the Redskins in 2007. The brother of Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer, Jordan was a sixth-round draft pick by the Redskins in 2007. He was released by the Redskins after training camp.
Running back Kenny Watson was with the Redskins from 2001-02. He signed with the Redskins in 2001 as an undrafted rookie and earned a roster spot coming out of preseason. In 2002, he rushed for 534 yards and one touchdown and caught 32 passes for 253 yards and one touchdown.
REDSKINS-BENGALS NEWS & NOTES
-- Zorn's First Season As Head Coach
Jim Zorn is 7-6 in his first 13 games as Redskins head coach. He is aiming to lead the Redskins to their third winning season in the last four years.
Zorn is looking to become the seventh Redskins head coach to record a winning record in his first year at the helm.
The list of first-year head coaches with winning records includes Ray Flaherty (7-5 in 1936), Dutch Bergman (6-3-1 in 1943), Dudley DeGroot (6-3-1 in 1944), Dick Todd (5-4 in 1951), Vince Lombardi (7-5-2 in 1969) and George Allen (9-4-1 in 1971).
Seven first-year head coaches finished their rookie campaign with a .500 mark, while 12 finished with a losing record.
-- Too Cool
On Nov. 7, 2004, Chris Cooley was held without a catch in the Redskins' 17-10 win over the Detroit Lions.
A week later, Cooley caught one pass, a 9-yard TD pass from Patrick Ramsey, against the Cincinnati Bengals.
It started a streak in which Cooley has now caught a pass in 69 consecutive contests for the Redskins.
A Pro Bowl selection in 2007, Cooley is second among NFL tight ends with 67 catches this year, trailing only Kansas City's Tony Gonzalez, who has 78.
Cooley's 713 receiving yards are third among NFL tight ends and his receptions of 25 yards or more rank fourth among NFL tight ends.
Since 2004, Cooley leads NFL tight ends with 1,713 yards after the catch.
-- For the Defense
In 13 games this season, Washington has played seven games against the NFL's top nine offensive units.
The defense, ranked fifth in the NFL and second in the NFC, has held 11 of 13 opponents below their current season average of yards per game.
The unit has forced opposing offenses to 3-and-outs on 45 of 141 possessions, which is second best in the NFL behind only Baltimore.
The Redskins and Pittsburgh Steelers are the only two teams that have not given up more than 25 points in a game this season.
Additionally, the Redskins' defense has only allowed 59 points in the fourth quarter tis season, an average of 4.5 per game. That's the third-lowest total behind Baltimore and Tennessee.
-- Quick Hits
Washington ranks 31st in the NFL in overall red zone scoring percentage at 76.9. But the Bengals ranked 31st in the category defensively with a 95.5 percentage.
Bengals middle linebacker Dhani Jones, who has previously played for NFC East's New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles, continues to make his home in Potomac, Md.
The Bengals are 9-2-1 in their last 12 homes games against NFC teams. Going back a bit further, the Bengals are 20-9-1 at home against the NFC since 1993.
Jason Fabini went to college at the University of Cincinnati.
-- Redskins Captains
The Redskins have elected six players as captains for the 2008 season. They wear a black "C" on their jersey during games.
On offense, Jason Campbell amd Chris Samuels are the captains.
On defense, Cornelius Griffin and London Fletcher are the captains.
On special teams, Rock Cartwright and Khary Campbell are the captains.
-- What's Next?
Washington returns to FedExField to take on NFC East rival Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Dec. 21. Kickoff is 4:15 p.m. ET.
The Redskins defeated the Eagles 23-17 at Lincoln Financial Field in Week 5 earlier this season.
