Bengals and Eagles: The Pregame

PHILADELPHIA - Michael Johnson will play, but Mike Nugent will not kick Thursday night when the Bengals play the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field.

Defensive end Michael Johnson, who has nursed a big toe injury for the past few days, is scheduled to start. Josh Brown will kick again in place of Mike Nugent.

In addition to Nugent, the Bengals inactive list for the game includes cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick, running back Cedric Peerman, safety George Iloka, defensive tackles Devon Still and Brandon Thompson, and tight end Richard Quinn.

As far as lineup alterations, Robert Geathers will start at defensive end in place of Carlos Dunlap. Chris Crocker gets the nod at strong safety instead of Nate Clements, and Marvin Jones will start at wide receiver instead of Brandon Tate.

The Eagles inactive list includes tight end Brent Celek, a Cincinnati native who attended LaSalle High School and the University of Cincinnati, as well as quarterback Michael Vick and running back LeSean McCoy.

Rookie quarterback Nick Foles will get another start for the Eagles. He led the Eagles to their first win in nearly two months last time out against the Tampa Buccaneers.

It's going to be a nice night for a game, considering it's mid-December. The temperature is expected to be around 40 degrees with hardly any wind.

The grass field is in very good shape. It's hard to believe they maintain a grass field in Philadelphia when it couldn't be done in Cincinnati.