NFL: Sunday night capsule

Al Michaels serves as the play-by-play announcer and Cris Collinsworth provides the color commentary for tonight’s game (Cincinnati at N.Y. Jets, 5:15 p.m., Channel 4):

Michaels says ...

“I would hope that the Bengals would play their first-line guys for an extended period of time. I think the league has an issue here with games like this, and it was exacerbated by what took place in Indianapolis last week. You can’t have too many of these games before fans start to say, ‘This is ridiculous. This is semi-bogus.’ If you’re going to play your starters for a half or less than that, then why don’t you give the fans a rebate?”

Collinsworth says ...

“These are two teams that are a lot alike. They both run the ball really well, they both play great defense. It really comes down to which of these two teams can throw the football in what’s supposed to be a very cold and windy night. This might be one of those old-fashioned, slug-it-out games with a lot on the line for the New York Jets. And if you’re in New York, you’re reading about all the history of the Jets . . . all the different ways the Jets have disappointed their fans.”