Despite being in the thick of the AFC Playoff race, and hosting a potential playoff opponent, the Cincinnati Bengals have announced that this Sunday's game against the Houston Texans will not be shown on local television, Joe Reedy of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
Bengals Blacked Out In Cincinnati, Again
For the fifth time in six home games in 2011, the Cincinnati Bengals will be blacked out on local television.
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For the Bengals, it is their fifth local television blackout in six games this season and ninth blackout in their last 10 home games. The only game to sellout and be shown locally was their 24-17 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on November 13.
According to Reedy, the Bengals have an average attendance this season of 49,619, which is 75.7 percent of the 65,535-seat Paul Brown Stadium and a sharp decline over 2010, when a 4-12 team drew an average of 60,364 fans per game, which ranked 10th in the NFL. The Bengals have over 97 percent capacity when they went 10-6 and won the AFC North in 2009.
The Bengals have two more opportunities to improve this season's figures, hosting the 5-7 Arizona Cardinals on Christmas Eve and the AFC North-leading Baltimore Ravens on New Year's Day.
For more on the Bengals, check out Cincy Jungle.
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