So much for attendance increasing and blackouts declining in the NFL.
Although the NFL boasted early this month about blackouts being on the decline, three of Sunday’s games will be blacked out in their local TV markets.
We’ve already noted that the Chargers are blacked out in San Diego and the Buccaneers are blacked out in Tampa on Sunday, and now comes word that the Bengals are blacked out in Cincinnati as well.
As Joe Reedy of the Cincinnati Enquirer points out, that means Carson Palmer’s return to Cincinnati will only be seen by those in attendance, and not by Cincinnati fans who want to watch the Bengals take on the Raiders on TV.
This is the Bengals’ second straight blackout, although the news isn’t all bad for the Bengals: Their overall attendance is still up from last season, and their next home game, December 9 against the Cowboys, has already sold out.