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San Diego Chargers (9-7) at Cincinnati Bengals (11-5), 1:05 p.m. Sunday, Ch. 7, 12, 700-AM, 1530-AM, 102.7-FM, 104.7-FM
The Cincinnati Bengals called in a heavy hitter to help with their push to sell playoff tickets in hopes of avoiding a television blackout locally.
Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley sat next to Marvin Lewis for the beginning of the head coach’s press conference Monday afternoon.
“When people talk about an opportunity for us to brag to the world about the success of our city is having, this is it,” said Cranley, noting that he bought two tickets on Monday. ”
On Thursday the team said it was between 10,000 and 15,000 tickets shy of a sellout, and while sales were brisk Monday once the date and time were announced Sunday night, Bengals Director of Sales and Public Affairs Jeff Berding said the number of available seats is still north of 10,000.
“We need to continue to have a strong response over the next few days,” Berding said. “It can’t let up. We need to do what we did (Monday) every day this week.”
Berding said the ticket office will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on New Year’s Day, and seats are available any time on Bengals.com.
The deadline to sellout the game and avoid a television blackout is 1 p.m. Thursday.
“The last two years we have been down there in Houston and we saw the incredible atmosphere that the playoffs bring,” Lewis said. “We haven’t had a home playoff game since ’09. The atmosphere that’s created around the NFL, the playoffs, it’s what everybody wants.”
The Bengals went 8-0 at home in the regular season this year for the first time since PBS opened in 2000, and it was just the second time in franchise history, matching the mark of the 1988 Super Bowl team.
In addition to going unbeaten, the Bengals recently tied an NFL record by scoring at least 40 points in four consecutive home games before snapping the streak with a 34-17 victory against Baltimore in Sunday’s season finale.
All eight home games were sellouts, marking the first time since 2009 the Bengals have sold out an entire season.
“Hopefully people will continue to come out,” Lewis said. “Our crowd (Sunday) was just incredible. It has a real effect on the other team. You have to understand that. Hopefully we will have that again, that same kind of atmosphere, because that’s why you do this – the opportunity to continue all the way through.
“We know we’ve got one (home game),” he added. “We’re going to work to earn another one.”
In the eight home games this season, the Bengals have outscored their opponents 275 to 134 – an average of 34.4 to 16.8 per game. They also have outgained the opposition by more than 100 yards per game, an average of 365.3 to 264.4.
Following Sunday’s game, defensive end Michael Johnson made an unsolicited plea to the fans. After he had finished an interview with a reporter and started to walk away, Johnson called the reporter back over and said he wanted to add something.
“I want to give a special thanks to the fans because they did a hell of a job today,” he said. “We felt them. We’re all in this together. They’ve got the same mindset we’ve got. We’re going to keep going in that direction. So I want to say ‘Thank you,’ and ‘Who Dey.’ “
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