But Porter’s evening lasted just two series as he suffered a hamstring injury while covering a punt in the first quarter.
A fourth-round pick out of Georgia last year, Porter is battling rookie sixth-round pick Marquis Flowers for the final linebacker spot. The Bengals have to cut 22 players by 4 p.m. today to get the NFL-mandated limit of 53.
Two to IR: Linebacker J.K. Schaffer and cornerback LaVelle Westbrooks, who were released Tuesday, cleared waivers and were added to injured reserve.
The designation officially ends their seasons, but the players will be able to use the Bengals’ rehab staff and facilities throughout the year.
Westbrooks, a rookie seventh-round pick, injured his thumb two weeks ago against the Jets. In that same game, Schaffer suffered his second concussion of the preseason.
A second-year player, Schaffer is a Cincinnati native who played for La Salle High School and UC. He appeared in nine games last year with three tackles on defense and six on special teams
Daily double: Thursday marked just the 11th time since the franchise was founded in 1968 that the Bengals and Cincinnati Reds have played home games on the same day.
Seven of the occurrences have involved Bengals preseason games, while three were in the regular season and one in the postseason.
Only three times prior to Thursday had both home teams won on the same day — on Aug. 15, 2010, the Bengals beat Denver 33-24 in a preseason game while the Reds blanked the Marlins 2-0; on Aug. 19, 2000, the Bengals beat the Bears 24-20 in a preseason game and the Reds topped the Pirates 7-1; and on Sept. 28, 1969, the Bengals beat the Chiefs 24-19 in a regular-season game at Nippert Stadium and the Reds knocked off Houston 4-1 at Crosley Field.
The only time a postseason game was involved was on Oct. 10, 2010, when the Bengals lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24-21 and the Reds suffered a season-ending 2-0 loss to Philadelphia in Game 3 of the National League Division Series.
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