Biete - Kristall » a whole lot brighter if Biegel is a

LONDON -- To get back to .500 and in contention for the AFC North lead, the Cincinnati Bengals need to win the strangest home game in their history, 3,955 miles (6,365 kilometers) from Paul Brown Stadium.Bengals coach Marvin Lewis says jet lag from Fridays red-eye flight to London wont be an issue when Cincinnati (3-4) takes on the Washington Redskins (4-3) at Wembley Stadium in London. He says the key question is whether the Bengals, red hot this time a year ago, can beat a team with a winning record for the first time this season. He counseled his players to hit the hay as soon as possible on the eight-hour flight.The focus was on ... the ability to shut down and go to sleep after dinner on the plane, and wake up and its Friday morning, Lewis said after the Bengals first groggy training session on a rugby field in north London.That advice was easier said than done for left tackle Andrew Whitworth, the Bengals biggest player at 6 foot 7 and 330 pounds. Before boarding Thursday nights flight, hed just been cleared to play after suffering a concussion last Sunday in the Bengals 31-17 victory over the Cleveland Browns -- and couldnt get his mind or body into the idea of early shuteye. A first-class fully reclining seat, it turns out, doesnt fit a Whitworth.They were made for people a little shorter than me. Id have to bend into a fetal position to fit. Id have to fly on the NBA plane probably to be comfortable, Whitworth said. I manned it up and am still working on Wednesday nights sleep. Im not an on-command sleeper. Ive got four little kids, so Im not used to sleeping a whole lot anyways.The Bengals have reached the playoffs each of the last five seasons but lost in the first round each time, the worst such streak in NFL history. Despite returning the core of their team, theyve struggled to match their 2015 start, which saw them reach 8-0 and cruise to the AFC North championship.The team has planned a sightseeing mission to Tower Bridge on the River Thames on Friday night, when family and friends join players for a meal with a spectacular view. That event, too, is designed to ensure players dont nod off too soon.Ive got no idea what time it is. The whole days been a blur, cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick said. But Im sure the Redskins are feeling exactly the same way. Both sides need to wake up for Sunday.HEALTHY BENGALS: Cincinnati enters Sundays game at full strength on both sides of the ball. The biggest change could be felt in the passing game, where tight end Tyler Eifert is expected to be featured after seeing limited action last week versus Cleveland in his return from offseason ankle surgery. Eifert has been a favored goal-line target of quarterback Andy Dalton, catching a team-record 13 touchdowns last year.Eiferts return could boost a passing attack that has struggled to find the end zone despite boasting top-flight targets in the conferences receiving yardage leader, A.J. Green, and New England import Brandon LaFell .Obviously Tyler is such a big part of our offense, and having him back and ready to go is big for us, his ability to make plays, Dalton said. If hes the guy this week, itd be great.Washingtons roster, by contrast, looks like a MASH unit, with key starters listed as questionable going into their own trans-Atlantic flight. Among those Redskins nursing injuries and uncertain to play Sunday are running back Matt Jones, cornerback Josh Gordon and left tackle Trent Williams.Game notes The Bengals held their first training session on English soil without pads or helmets on the artificial turf field at Saracens Rugby Football Club in north London. Several dozen fans and curiosity-seekers, mostly local children who have the week off from school, cheered from the stands as the teams punting unit worked out under dull gray skies. ... The majority of Bengals starters got to lie down in first-class seats on their chartered Virgin flight from Cincinnati as team officials advised everyone to sleep as much as possible while losing five hours on the clock. But those further down the depth chart had to make do with snoozing across three seats in coach.---AP NFL websites: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Darko Milicic Jersey .S. Open champion Justin Rose birdied the first hole with a blind shot he hit to a foot of the pin, and he stayed in front Tuesday until he completed a 4-under 67 for a two-shot lead over Jason Dufner in PGA Grand Slam of Golf. 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MADISON, Wis. -- Wisconsins defense could soon be getting an energy boost.Outside linebacker Vince Biegel is listed as questionable on the injury report to start practice this week ahead of the 10th-ranked Badgers road game Saturday at Iowa.Its a big step forward for Biegel, who has missed the last two games with a right foot injury .Wearing sweats before Saturdays game against Ohio State, Biegel jogged on the field and played catch. He did some light individual work before joining the rest of his team for warmups.Biegel looked like an unofficial coach the way he nervously paced the sideline and joined his team in defensive huddles during timeouts.But its been more of an energizing thing than an anxiety, coach Paul Chryst said Monday. The two games that hes missed to this point, that has bothered him a lot.When healthy, Biegel and fellow outside linebacker T.J. Watt form one of the best outside linebacker combinations in the Big Ten. Biegels outgoing personality is complemented by unique hairstyles that make him stand out.He has missed the loss to Michigan and to Ohio State, which sandwiched a bye week for the Badgers (4-2, 1-2 Big Ten).Vince loves playing the game and he really in all the right ways cares about this team, and so thats been the sting for him, Chryst said.The defense has played relatively well even without two starters at linebacker, though Wisconsin could have especially used Biegel last week against the Buckeyes.Inside linebacker Chris Orr was lost for the season in the opener against LSU because of a right knee injury. T.J. Edwards has stepped in for Orr. Garrett Dooley has moved into the starting lineup for Biegel, while freshman Zack BBaun has also seen more playing time in the outside rotation.ddddddddddddWatt has emerged into a force with 5 1/2 sacks. So has Jack Cichy, who was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for a career-high 15 tackles in the 30-23 overtime loss to Ohio State last week.Cichy played inside linebacker in high school. But until midway last season, the former walk-on was playing outside linebacker.He earned the nickname Three-Sack Jack after getting sacks on three straight plays during Wisconsins win over Southern California in December in the Holiday Bowl.It seems that hes found a home on the inside.Its kind of helped me have a better understanding of the whole defense, in that it helps me play a little faster, a little freer, Cichy said. I know what some of the outside guys are doing, as well as what Im supposed to be doing on the inside, so I think it ties the whole picture together.That picture could get a whole lot brighter if Biegel is able to return against Iowa. Chryst said Biegels availability will be determined later in the week.With two losses in Big Ten play, Wisconsin is already two games behind undefeated Nebraska in the West Division. There is little room for error for the Badgers to reach the conference title game.I think we all know how Vince would approach that, Cichy said when asked if Biegel would lobby to be cleared for the Iowa game. It will be exciting to unleash him again, whenever that is.---Online:College Football site: http://collegefootball.ap.org---Follow Genaro Armas at: https://twitter.com/GArmasAP ' ' '