CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bengals won't be playing their cross-state rivals on Thursday Night Football after all.
The team announced Friday its week 16 matchup against the Cleveland Browns was bumped from the prime time slot and will instead happen on Sunday, Dec. 22 at 1 p.m.
The Thursday Night Football game, which will no longer air on WCPO 9, was slated to be a "Stripe the Jungle" game, where fans are asked to wear coordinated colors based on the section of their seats to create an orange and black striped appearance in the stadium.
The Bengals didn't specifically say whether the date change of the game against the Browns would change that or not. The game will still be held on the Bengals home turf at Paycor Stadium, however.
The Bengals are currently 4-7 this season and in danger of missing the playoffs for the second straight season. To have a chance at a postseason, the team will likely have to win all of their last six games.
Cincinnati still has to play the AFC North-leading Pittsburgh Steelers (8-2) twice, plus the Dallas Cowboys (3-7), Tennessee Titans (2-8), Cleveland Browns (2-8) and Denver Broncos (6-5).
