STEELERS vs BENGALS
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2008
KICKOFF -- 8:15 P.M.
NATIONAL COVERAGE ON NFL NETWORK
LOCAL TELEVISION LINEUP
WPCW-TV - PITTSBURGH'S CW
LOCAL LINEUP
7:00 - 8:00 PM The McDonald's Steelers Kickoff pre-game show
Hosted by Bob Pompeani and Edmund Nelson
8:00 - 11:00 The NFL Network on WPCW-TV
Steelers vs. Bengals
11:00-Midnight The Verizon Wireless Extra Point
Post-Game Show featuring:
Bob Pompeani and Edmund Nelson
Mike Tomlin's Press Conference in its entirety
Player Interviews, Stats and Highlights
Steelers (7-3) vs. Bengals (1-8-1)
Pittsburgh Steelers (7-3) vs. Cincinnati Bengals (1-8-1)
Date: Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008
Kickoff: 8:15 p.m. (ET)
Site: Heinz Field (65,050) • Pittsburgh, Pa.
Playing Surface: Grass/DD Grassmaster
TV Coverage: NFL Network (locally Pittsburgh CW)
Announcers: Bob Papa (play-by-play) Cris Collinsworth (color analyst)
Local Radio: Steelers Radio Network WDVE-FM (102.5)/WBGG-AM (970)
Announcers: Bill Hillgrove (play-by-play) Tunch Ilkin (color analyst) Craig Wolfley (sideline)
A Look at the Coaches
Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin
Overall Regular-season Record: 17-9 (.654)/second season
Regular-season Record at Pittsburgh: 17-9 (.654)/second season
Playoff Record/Years: 0-1/one year
Cincinnati Bengals Head Coach Marvin Lewis
Overall Regular-season Record: 43-46-1 (.483)/sixth season
Regular-season Record at Cincinnati: 43-46-1 (.483)/sixth season
Playoff Record/Years: 0-1/one year
Series History
Series History: Series began in 1970
Overall: Pittsburgh leads 46-30
At Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh leads 24-13
At Cincinnati: Pittsburgh leads 22-17
Neutral Sites: n/a
Last Regular-Season Meeting: Oct. 19, 2008 (in Cincinnati) Pittsburgh 38, Cincinnati 10
Postseason Series: Pittsburgh leads 1-0 (postseason record not included in overall series record) Pittsburgh owns a 46-30 all-time record against the CincinnatiBengals in the regular season, including a 22-17 record atCincinnati and a 24-13 mark at home...Pittsburgh has won eightof the past 10 games against the Bengals and 11 of the past15...the Steelers have won their last six games at Cincinnati andnine of their last 10 road games in the series...Cincinnati lastposted a home win against Pittsburgh, 26-23 in overtime, onDec. 30, 2001...the Steelers’ 22 road victories all-time against theBengals are second-most against any opponent in the team’shistory...Head Coach Mike Tomlin is 3-0 against theBengals...Bengals’ Head Coach Marvin Lewis, the Steelers’linebackers coach from 1992-95, is only 3-9 against his formerteam...Steelers’ RB Willie Parker has four 100-yard games versusthe Bengals, tied with the Browns for most among opponents.
Steelers-Bengals Connections
Steelers-Bengals Connections: Several Steelers have ties to the Bengals and the Cincinnati area. Steelers with connections to the Bengals include head coach Mike Tomlin, who spent two seasons as the defensive backs coach at the University of Cincinnati. Defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau, who was an assistant coach with the Bengals from 1980- 91 and 1997-00 and was the team’s head coach from 2000-02. Defensive backs coach Ray Horton played for the Bengals from 1983-88 and coached with Cincinnati from 1997-01. Quarterbacks coach Ken Anderson played for the Bengals for 16 seasons and was an assistant coach there for 10 years (1993-2002). He holds Cincinnati’s team records for completions, passing yards and touchdown passes. Assistant special teams coach Amos Jones coached at University of Cincinnati (1999-2002). LB Andre Frazier is from Cincinnati, played for the Bengals for a portion of the 2006 and 2007 seasons and attended the University of Cincinnati.
There are a number of Bengals who have direct connections to the Steelers and the Pittsburgh area, including Head Coach Marvin Lewis, who is from McDonald, Pa., and was the Steelers linebackers coach from 1992-95. Lewis also coached at Pitt from 1990-91. Defensive line coach Jay Hayes, who is from South Fayette, Pa., was the Steelers’ special teams coach from 1999-01. Tight ends coach Jonathan Hayes, Jay’s younger brother, played tight end with the Steelers from 1994-96. Offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski was the Steelers’ wide receivers coach from 1999-2000. DE Orien Harris was the Steelers’ fourth round (4b) draft pick in the 2006 NFL Draft. RB Kenny Watson played at Penn State.
What To Look For
PITTSBURGH TEAM NOTES
• The Steelers look to improve to 47-30 all-time in the regular season against the Bengals.
• The Steelers look to improve to 4-0 against AFC North division opponents this year.
• The Steelers look to improve to 7-1 against AFC opponents this year.
• The Steelers look for their seventh straight win in Cincinnati.
• The Steelers look improve to 22-17 all-time on the road in the series history.
• The Steelers look to improve to 4-2 at home this year.
• The Steelers need four victories to become the first AFC team to reach 550 total victories. Pittsburgh’s all-time record is 546-519-21.
PITTSBURGH INDIVIDUAL NOTES
QB Ben Roethlisberger
• Needs 1,010 passing yards to become the first Steelers’ quarterback with three straight 3,000-yard seasons. QB Terry Bradshaw had two consecutive in 1979-80.
• Needs six touchdown passes to become just the second quarterback in team history to throw 100 career touchdown passes (Terry Bradshaw - 212). Roethlisberger currently has 94 career touchdown passes.
• Needs one 300-yard passing game to move into sole possession of first place on the team’s all-time list ahead of Tommy Maddox. Roethlisberger currently has six.
WR Hines Ward
• Needs 152 yards from scrimmage to reach 10,000 total yards for his career. He currently has 9,848 total yards from scrimmage (9,418 receiving, 430 rushing).
• Needs 100 yards receiving against the Cincinnati Bengals to match his career best of three straight 100-yard receiving games. He had 112 receiving yards in Week 10 versus Indianapolis and 124 in Week 11 versus San Diego.
• Needs 28 receptions for 800 in his career.
RB Willie Parker
• Needs one rushing touchdown to move into sole possession of eighth place for rushing touchdowns on the team’s all-time list with Rocky Bleier. Parker currently has 23 rushing touchdowns.
TE Heath Miller
• Needs two touchdown receptions to pass Bennie Cunningham (20) for third on team’s all-time touchdowns list for a tight end. Miller currently has 18 receiving touchdowns.
K Jeff Reed
• Needs 15 points to become just the third player in team history to reach 700 points for his career. Reed currently has 685 career points, trailing Gary Anderson (1,343) and Roy Gerela (731).
LB James Harrison
• Needs 3.5 sacks to break the team’s single-season sacks’ record set by Mike Merriweather in 1987. Harrison currently has 11 sacks in 2008 while Merriweather finished with 15 in 1984.
