Ah, another thrashing of the NFL’s Jan Brady team, the Cincinnati Bengals, the team that wants to be on the same caliber as its’ rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens, but let’s be honest, they’re just not.
Join us as we take you through a troubling history of hell in western Ohio…
Paul Brown, who left the Cleveland Browns following the 1962 season with National Football League (NFL) record of 115–49–6, seven conference titles, and three NFL championships, had the urge to get back into football. His son Mike Brown did a study on pro football expansion and recommended Cincinnati as a potential site. In 1965, Brown met with Ohio Governor James Rhodes and the two agreed the state could accommodate a second pro football team.
1966 – Fearful the Cincinnati Reds baseball team would leave town and feeling pressure from local businessmen pushing for a pro football franchise, Cincinnati’s city council approved the construction of Riverfront Stadium.
1967 – Brown’s group was awarded an American Football League (AFL) expansion franchise. Brown named the team the Bengals, the name of Cincinnati’s pro teams in the old AFL of the late 1930s. The Bengals acquired their first player late in the year when they traded two draft picks to Miami for quarterback John Stofa.
1968 – The Bengals were awarded 40 veteran players in the allocation draft. In the college draft, they selected University of Tennessee center Bob Johnson as their first pick. The Bengals lost their first preseason game 38–14 to the Kansas City Chiefs before 21,682 fans at the University of Cincinnati’s Nippert Stadium. The Bengals upset the Denver Broncos 24–10 and the Buffalo Bills 34–23 in their first two regular-season home games. Halfback Paul Robinson led the AFL in rushing with 1,023 yards and was named Rookie of the Year.
1969 – The Bengals jumped out to a 3–0 record, but finished 4–9–1 in their final season at Nippert Stadium, before moving to their brand new facility the following season.
1970 – The NFL-AFL merger took place before the season and the Bengals, who were placed in the same division as the “old-guard NFL” Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers, were not expected to be playoff contenders. Nevertheless, the Bengals made their first NFL campaign a memorable one. After winning their first ever game as a member of the NFL, their inaugural game in the brand new Riverfront Stadium, they would lose six games in a row. After the 1–6 start, however, the Bengals would win the rest of their games, rallying to an 8–6 finish and champions of the newly formed AFC Central division qualifying for their first playoff appearance in franchise history. In their first playoff game, they lost, 17–0, to eventual Super Bowl-champion the Baltimore Colts. Cincinnati quarterback Greg Cook was forced to the Injured Reserve list in training camp with a shoulder injury that would ultimately end his career; Virgil Carter took over as the starter. In just their third season, the 1970 Bengals set a league mark by being the first NFL expansion team to qualify for the playoffs within their first three seasons of existence. The team is one of only three teams since the 1970 merger to start the season 1-5 or worse and qualify for the playoffs. The others being the 2015 Kansas City Chiefs & 2018 Indianapolis Colts.
1971 – Cornerback Lemar Parrish set a team record with seven interceptions, including one for a 65-yard score, Cincinnati’s first-ever interception return for a touchdown. The Bengals, coming off their first division winning season of 1970, drafted quarterback Ken Anderson in the third round of the 1971 NFL Draft. Anderson would go on to play 16 seasons for the club and set numerous team passing records. While 1971 proved to be a disappointment with a 4-10 record, losing six games by four points or less, statistically this was the first year the Bengals led their opponents in almost every category.
1972 – Starting off the 1972 season winning five of seven games, the Bengals looked primed to win the division as they had in 1970. They lost a key divisional game at Pittsburgh, 40–17, followed by a pair of close losses at home against Oakland (20–14) and Baltimore 20–19. Head coach Paul Brown gave Ken Anderson the starting quarterback job, and the Bengals responded by winning three out of the last four games giving the Bengals an overall 8–6 season, but not good enough for the playoffs once again. Three times in their history, the Bengals have won without scoring a touchdown, including September 24, 1972, when kicker Horst Muhlmann’s five field goals (41, 32, 20, 32, 34) fueled a 15–10 victory over Pittsburgh at Riverfront Stadium (later renamed Cinergy Field). Twice in Bengals history, two Cincinnati players have broken the 100-yard rushing mark in the same game, with the first coming October 29, 1972, when fullback Doug Dressler gained 110 yards and halfback Essex Johnson ran for 103 yards in a 30–7 win versus Houston. The latest-drafted player ever to make the Bengals roster for a regular-season game was K-P Dave Green of Ohio University. Green was the 418th selection in the 1972 draft, taken in the 17th round. He didn’t make the roster in 1972, and had a brief stint (no games played) with Houston in 1973 before being re-acquired by Cincinnati. 8-6 record.
1973 – The Bengals split their first eight games, then swept their last six to win their second AFC Central Division title. Cincinnati for the second time made the playoffs, losing to the eventual Super Bowl winner (Miami 34–16) for the second time as well.
RB Essex Johnson became the first Bengal to achieve 100+ yards rushing and receiving in the same game. He rushed for 121 yards on 21 carries and got 116 yards on two receptions on Sep 30, 1973 at San Diego. Perhaps one of the best marks of the season for the Bengals was giving the eventual NFC Champion Vikings their most lopsided loss of the season 27-0.
1974 – Cincinnati traded Bill Bergey to Philadelphia for two first-round draft choices and a third-round pick in 1977. Jim LeClair replaced Bergey at middle linebacker. Ken Anderson won the NFL passing championship and completed a club-record 64.9 percent of his attempts. Cornerback Lemar Parrish led the NFL in punt returns. Mediocre 7-7 record.
1975 – The Bengals opened with six straight wins and went on to post an 11–3 record, their best regular-season mark. The Bengals qualified as the AFC wild card team for the playoffs, but they lost to Oakland, 31–28, in the playoffs. Ken Anderson won his second NFL passing championship. A serious blow was the loss of defensive tackle Mike Reid, who retired at age 26 to pursue a career in music.
The team qualified for the postseason for the third time in just eight years of existence, but 1975 would be the last time that the Bengals would do so until 1981. Despite the Bengals great record, they were only 3-3 in division play, losing twice to the eventual champion Steelers, and losing on the road to what was an 0-9 Cleveland Browns team. Other than division play, the Bengals were 8-0 against teams outside of the AFC Central.
1976 – Paul Brown had announced his retirement after 41 seasons of coaching and named Bill Johnson, his longtime assistant, as the successor over future San Francisco Head coach Bill Walsh. Brown continued to serve as the club’s general manager and vice president. The Bengals acquired defensive end Coy Bacon in a trade with San Diego and drafted halfback Archie Griffin, the two-time Heisman Trophy winner from Ohio State. The Bengals won nine of their first 11 games and finished 10–4, but did not make the playoffs.
1977 – Second-year Running Back Archie Griffin struggled to learn the NFL game rushing for only 549 yards while failing to cross the end zone. A loss to Houston in the final game cost the Bengals a spot in the playoffs. The team finished with an 8–6 record.
1978 – Ken Anderson missed the first four games with a broken bone in his right hand, and Homer Rice replaced Bill Johnson as head coach after the Bengals started 0–5. The team dipped to marks of 0–8 and 1–12 before rebounding under Rice to win the last three games. In the season finale, the Bengals blasted Cleveland, 48–16, setting series records for points and victory margin….in a 4-12 season
1979 – Fullback Pete Johnson powered his way to 15 touchdowns, but the Bengals struggled to their second straight 4-12 record. After the season, former Cleveland coach Forrest Gregg was named to replace Homer Rice as Bengals head coach.
1980 – The Bengals went 6-10 and managed only 244 points, lowest in the AFC. They did upset defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh twice. First-round draft choice Anthony Muñoz began his Hall of Fame career.
1981 – Cincinnati had at least a share of the AFC Central lead the entire season. On December 13, quarterback Ken Anderson threw two touchdown passes as the Bengals clinched the division with a 17–10 win over the Steelers.
Ken Anderson led the NFL in passing in 1981 with a 98.5 rating.
On January 3, 1982, the Bengals beat Buffalo, 28–21, in an AFC Divisional Playoff game. A week later, playing in their first AFC Championship Game, the Bengals defeated San Diego, 27–7, at Riverfront Stadium in a temperature of nine degrees below zero with a wind-chill factor of minus-59. This game is referred to as the Freezer Bowl.
In Super Bowl XVI on January 24, 1982, in Pontiac, Michigan, the Bengals trailed 20–0 at halftime and lost to San Francisco, 26–21.
1982 – 1982 was the first year in which the Bengals made the playoffs for a second-consecutive season; they would not do so again for another 30 years.
The Bengals posted a 7–2 record in a strike-shortened season to earn a postseason berth, but lost to the Jets in the first round of the playoffs, 44–17. This was the only playoff loss by the Bengals at Riverfront Stadium. Ken Anderson led the AFC in passing for the fourth time as the Bengals boasted the second-best offense in the NFL. Perhaps the best moment of the season for the Bengals was defeating the Raiders 31-17. The loss by the Raiders was their only loss of the season. The Bengals went 4-0 at home in 1982.
1983 – The Bengals started the season by losing six of their first seven games and finished 7-9. Despite the record, the Bengals claimed the top overall defense in the NFL. In the offseason, Forrest Gregg resigned as head coach and Sam Wyche was named as his replacement.
1984 – The team lost their first five games, before winning eight of their final eleven games to finish the season with a .500 record.
The season was the first for head coach Sam Wyche, who had replaced former coach Forrest Gregg after Gregg had resigned following the previous season. Wyche had been the head coach at Indiana University in 1983.
The club stumbled out of the gate, and went winless in September en route to a 1–6 start. However, the team began a turnaround, and by December, was one of the hottest teams in the league. The team won seven out of their last nine games, including a crucial win against division rival Pittsburgh in week 11.
In the final week of the season, Cincinnati needed to win, and hope for the Steelers to lose at the Raiders, to secure an improbable AFC Central division title. The Bengals did their part, routing the Bills 52–21, and finished the season 8–8. Later in the day, the Bengals were forced to “scoreboard watch.” The Steelers, however, managed to beat the Raiders, clinching the division, and effectively eliminating the Bengals from the playoffs.
In a 2018 article from FiveThirtyEight, the 1984 Cincinnati Bengals team is rated as the most average team in the history of American sports. They both scored and allowed 339 points in addition to their 8-8 record.
1985 – Wide receiver Isaac Curtis, a premier Bengal for 12 years, retired shortly before training camp opened. Second-year QB Boomer Esiason replaced Ken Anderson. The Bengals set a club scoring record with 441 points….with a 7-9 record.
1986 – The Bengals were one of two teams with ten wins that failed to make the AFC playoffs in 1986.
Boomer Esiason passed for a team-record 3959 yards and James Brooks rushed for 1087 yards as the Bengals went 10-6, narrowly missing a playoff berth. Linebacker Reggie Williams was selected NFL Man of the Year for his efforts to charity and the community. The Bengals amassed a club-record 621 yards net offense in a 52-21 victory over the New York Jets on December 21. No NFL team has since matched that total in a regulation-time game since.
1987 – The team could not improve upon its 10–6 year of the previous campaign, as the team dipped to a record of 4–11 in a season shortened by one game due to another players’ strike, in which replacement players were used for four games.
1988 – After coming off a disappointing 1987 season, the Bengals tied for the best record in the NFL in 1988, secured home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, and won the AFC Championship, appearing in Super Bowl XXIII.
The Bengals went 8-0 at home in 1988. On the road, the Bengals were 4-4.
The 1988 Bengals were featured in the NFL Films series The Missing Rings, being included as one of the five best teams in NFL history not to have won the Super Bowl. The Bengals lost in spectacular fashion to the 49ers, who scored a touchdown in the final minutes, oh, and Cris Collinsworth retired at the prime of his career as well, maybe TV has a bright future for him.
1989 – The Bengals’ 404 points scored were the fourth-most in the NFL in 1989. Four of their eight losses on the season were by a touchdown or less and it ended with a mediocre 8-8 record.
The 1989 Bengals are the last NFL team to score 55 points or more twice in a single season: Week Eight against Tampa Bay (56) and Week Fifteen against arch-rival Houston (61), both at home.
1990 – The Bengals won the AFC Central division for the second time in three seasons.
This would be the last time the Bengals would make the playoffs until the 2005 NFL season, and as of 2018, the Bengals have never won a playoff game since this season – the longest such drought in the league.
1991 – Prior to the start of the season, the Bengals lost their patriarch when founder, former head coach and general manager Paul Brown died at the age of 82. His son Mike would assume control of the franchise. The Bengals would stumble out the gate losing their first eight games before defeating the Cleveland Browns 23–21 at Riverfront Stadium. The Bengals would only win two more games the rest of the season finishing with a 3–13 record.
The Bengals’ pass defense would surrender 7.586 yards per pass attempt in 1991, one of the ten worst totals in NFL history.
Following the season head coach Sam Wyche was fired and replaced by assistant Dave Shula. Shula, the son of former Miami Dolphins and Baltimore Colts head coach Don Shula, served as the team’s wide receivers coach after a stint with the Miami Dolphins under his father, and the Dallas Cowboys as its offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach under head coach Jimmy Johnson. Upon his hiring as the Bengals’ head coach, he became the youngest head coach to ever be hired by an NFL team at age 32.
1992 – They finished the year with five wins and 11 losses, and did not qualify for the playoffs. The Bengals, who were then owned by Mike Brown, the son of coach Paul Brown, now turned to the son of another coach to lead the team on the field when he hired assistant Dave Shula to assume the head coaching reins…Bill Cowher was another choice but he went to division rival Pittsburgh afterward….the Steelers would then go on to win the division that year….oops.
The Bengals selected University of Houston quarterback David Klingler in the first round of the 1992 NFL Draft. The younger Shula got off to a good start as the Bengals won their first two games, but then lost its next five games, on the way to a five-win season. Wide receiver Carl Pickens, a second-round selection out of the University of Tennessee, earned Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. Following the season, perennial all-pro offensive tackle Anthony Muñoz retired, as the Bengals moved in a new direction by trading quarterback Boomer Esiason to the New York Jets.
1993 – The David Klingler experiment at starting Quarterback got off to a quick start, as the Bengals lost their first ten games for the second of three 0–8 starts in four seasons.
The Bengals would finally get their first win against the Los Angeles Raiders 16–10, at Riverfront Stadium, but were the last winless team for the first of two consecutive years. This ignominy would not be suffered subsequently by any NFL franchise until division rivals the Cleveland Browns went 1–31 in 2016 and 2017. After dropping their next two games, the Bengals closed the season by winning twice before losing their closer to a disappointing Saints outfit to finish with their second 3–13 season in three years.
1994 – On October 2 history was made at Riverfront Stadium, when Dave Shula and the Bengals faced father Don Shula’s Miami Dolphins in the first father-son coaching match up in NFL history. The elder Shula would emerge victorious 23–7, as the Bengals were in the midst of a 0–8 start for the third time in four years.
The Bengals would go on to complete another miserable 3–13 season (their third in four years), as Jeff Blake become the new Quarterback of the future, bringing the David Klingler era to a crashing end.
1995 – With Jeff Blake firmly entrenched as the starting quarterback, the Bengals won their first two games. However, the Bengals would lose their next two, heading into a rematch with Don Shula and the Miami Dolphins, in which the Bengals also lost, 26–23. The Bengals went on to play fairly well the rest of the season, but could not avoid their fifth straight losing season, ending with a 7–9 win-loss record.
One of the season’s biggest disappointments was running back Ki-Jana Carter who the Bengals took with first overall pick out of Penn State. Carter would suffer a knee injury in his first preseason game, forcing him to miss his entire rookie season. He would never fully recover, in an injury plagued career.
1996 – The Dave Shula era comes to a sudden end when he is fired after a 1–6 start, as Jeff Blake struggles with turnovers. Former Bengals TE Bruce Coslet, former New York Jets head coach, and the team’s offensive coordinator, would replace Shula as head coach. The move paid off right away as the Bengals won the first 3 games under Coslet. After losing two of their next three games, the Bengals closed the year with three straight wins to finish with an 8–8 record. One bright spot during the season, was that WR Carl Pickens became the first member of the Bengals to have 100 receptions in a season.
1997 – After winning the first game of the season, the Bengals lost their next seven games, to effectively end their playoff hopes. The struggles cost Jeff Blake his starting quarterback job, as former Bengal starting quarterback Boomer Esiason, who was reacquired in the off-season, came back in to lead the Bengals. With Esiason back under center the Bengals started to win as he connected on 13 touchdown passes, while giving up two interceptions. Under Esiason the Bengals won six of their final eight games, to finish with a 7–9 record. Just as the Bengals were ready to give Esiason the job full-time, he got a lucrative offer from ABC-TV to do games on Monday Night Football. Since he would earn more money on ABC he decided to retire. Running back Corey Dillon set a rookie rushing record (since broken) for most yards in a game. On December 4, 1997, Dillon rushed for 246 yards in a game versus the Tennessee Oilers.
For the season, the Bengals sported new uniforms and a new logo. They would remain until 2003. The new tiger head logo remains in use today.
1998 – The Bengals suffer another miserable 3–13 season again as new free agent QB Neil O’Donnell, is sacked 30 times. Despite the poor showing by the offensive line, running back Corey Dillon establishes himself as one of the NFL’s premier running backs, as he rushes for 1,120 yard. The only bright spot for the Bengals in 1998 was when they swept division rival Pittsburgh. This would be the Bengals only sweep of the Steelers during the “Bungles” years.
1999 – In what would be the final season of pro football being played at Riverfront Stadium, then known as Cinergy Field, the Bengals struggled out of the gates again losing 10 of their first 11 games. After winning two straight, the Bengals faced the expansion Cleveland Browns in the final game at Riverfront Stadium. The Bengals would win the game 44–28 before losing their final two games to finish with a 4–12 record.
2000 – Corey Dillon would rank fifth in the NFL with 1,435 rushing yards and set a franchise record for most rushing yards in one season. On October 22, 2000, Dillon set a franchise record by rushing for 278 yards in one game. After being shut out in two of their first three games and a home loss to the Browns 24–7 in week 1, Coach Bruce Coslet resigned; he was replaced by former All-Pro Detroit Lions DB and Bengal defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau. Under LeBeau, the Bengals dropped their first three games, with an eventual long losing streak finally coming to an end on October 22 against the Denver Broncos at the new Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals defeated the Broncos 31–21 as RB Corey Dillon set a single-game record by rushing for 278 yards. The Bengals used it as springboard to win their next game in Cleveland despite not scoring a touchdown. The Bengals offense would continue to struggle as 2nd year quarterback Akili Smith, the team’s No. 1 draft pick out of Oregon, was overwhelmed by the NFL game. Corey Dillon set a team record by rushing for 1,435 yards, but with Smith’s struggles as starting quarterback, the team floundered with a season-ending record of 4–12.
2001 – In the first full season with Dick LeBeau as head coach, the Bengals abandoned their plans for developing quarterback Akili Smith as their starter by acquiring Jon Kitna from the Seattle Seahawks. The Bengals would win their first two games with Kitna behind center, and sat at 4–3 through the first seven games of the season. However, the Bengals would struggle again, losing their next seven games as Kitna struggled with inconsistency, throwing 22 interceptions while throwing only 12 touchdown passes. The Bengals would win their final two games to close the season with a mediocre 6–10 record, their eleventh consecutive season without tallying a winning record. Despite the team’s struggles, All-Pro running back Corey Dillon had another stellar year, rushing for 1,315 yards.
2001 would turn out to be an important year for the team, as players such as Justin Smith, Chad Johnson, and T. J. Houshmandzadeh were drafted, all those players would be important to Cincinnati in later years.
2002 – With a record of 2–14, however, they were the worst team in football in 2002. The Bengals struggles continued as they lost their first seven contests losing by average of 19 points in each game. The Bengals would finally garner their first victory Week 8 by soundly defeating the expansion Houston Texans on the road 38–3. The winning would not last long, however, as the Bengals lost their next six games to fall to 1–13.
In their final game at home, the Bengals would stun the New Orleans Saints 20–13 to earn their second win on the season, but there would be no saving the Bengals from setting a new franchise record for losses as they finished the season with a 27–9 loss to the Buffalo Bills on the road to finish with a league worst 2–14 record. This resulted in the Bengals owner Mike Brown firing head coach Dick LeBeau and replacing him with Washington’s defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis.
By being the worst team in 2002, they earned the first pick in the 2003 NFL Draft, which they would use to draft Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Carson Palmer out of USC, and releasing embattled quarterback Akili Smith.
2003 – The Bengals hired first year head coach Marvin Lewis, replacing Dick LeBeau, who was fired following the 2002 season after the worst season in Bengals history. The Bengals had the first overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft with which they selected 2002 Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer. After a slow start, the Bengals got hot winning at midseason, winning four straight games to stand at 7–5, entering a key Week 14 matchup with the Baltimore Ravens with a chance to win the division. However in the key showdown for first place the Bengals showed they were not quite ready for primetime as they were beaten 31–13. The Bengals would rebound to win their next game against the San Francisco 49ers, but at 8–6 the Bengals could not get that ninth win, losing their last two games to spoil an effort to earn their first winning season in 13 years, finishing at 8–8.
Along with Willie Anderson, Chad Johnson, for the first time in his career, was named to the Pro Bowl at the end of the season.
2004 – The Bengals began to focus on the future, trading All-Pro running back Corey Dillon to the New England Patriots. That cleared the way for Rudi Johnson to start at running back. Carson Palmer was given the starting quarterback job. Palmer and the young Bengals would struggle early, losing five of their first seven games. As the season wore on, the Bengals began to hit their stride, as they climbed back to .500, at 6–6, before a sprained knee sent Palmer to the sidelines during a 35–28 road loss to the eventual Super Bowl Champion Patriots.
With wins in their final two games, the Bengals would finish 8–8 for the second year in a row. Rudi Johnson finished sixth in the NFL in rushing with 1,454 yards, giving Bengals fans hope for the future.
This season would see the Bengals make their first appearance on Monday Night Football since 1992, a win at home against the Denver Broncos on October 25.
2005 – It was the team’s first season with a winning record, playoff berth, and division title since 1990. In the fourteen seasons and 224 games in between (1991–2004), the Bengals’ record was 71–153, a 0.317 winning percentage. It would be the Bengals’ lone playoff appearance in a span of 18 years (1991–2008). QB Carson Palmer got off to a strong start on his way to a solid 3836-yard season with 32 Touchdown passes, earning a trip to the Pro Bowl. Receiving many of Palmer’s passes was Chad Johnson, who followed teammate Palmer to the Pro Bowl in Hawaii, racking up an impressive 1,432 yards in receiving with nine TDs, many of which were followed by unique celebrations that made him a regular star on the sports highlight shows.
Following a 42–29 win over the Baltimore Ravens, the Bengals faced the Steelers again this time in Pittsburgh, where the Bengals offense continued to fly behind Carson Palmer who had three Touchdown passes and 227 yards passing in an impressive 38–31 win that gave the Bengals first place in the AFC North at 9–3. The Bengals would not relinquish first place winning the next two games to clinch the division with two weeks to go. On December 18, with a 41–17 win over the Detroit Lions, the Bengals clinched a playoff spot. After clinching the division the Bengals played cautiously and dropped their final two games to finish with an 11–5 record, beating out the eventual Super Bowl champion Steelers, who finished with an identical record, on a tiebreaker situation.
Playoff football would be back in Cincinnati and it would start against the Steelers, Carson Palmer throws a long pass to Rudi Johnson to get the game started….and then, former teammate Kimo Van Olhoffen ran into his leg and knocked Palmer out of the game after one play….yeah….the Bengals would make it close but in the end, Pittsburgh came out on top beating the Bengals 31-17 and beginning an historic Super Bowl run.
Better luck next year, boys…
2006 – It began with the team trying to improve on their 11–5 record in 2005, defending their AFC North Division Championship title, and progress further through the playoffs than they made in the 2005 season having lost to Pittsburgh in the 1st round after losing star quarterback Carson Palmer to injury on the second play of the game. However, the team failed to improve on their 11-5 record and finished 8-8, missing the playoffs.
2007 – The team attempted to improve upon their 8–8 record in 2006 and were looking to return to the playoffs after narrowly missing them. They failed to do so, finishing with a 7–9 record…the Browns had a better record than them for fuck’s sake.
2008 – The team finished the season with 4 wins, 11 losses, and 1 tie, and missing out of the playoffs for the 3rd consecutive year.
2009 – They finished the season at 10–6, and sweeping the entire AFC North division, they improved on their 2008 record of 4–11–1, winning the AFC North Division and making the playoffs for the first time since 2005. Their season ended with a 24–14 loss against the New York Jets in the AFC Wild Card Playoff Round.
The head coach was Marvin Lewis, who has coached the team since 2003. He was chosen by the Associated Press as its NFL Coach of the Year following the season. Lewis was recognized for turning around the Bengals in the face of serious off-the-field adversity. First, three players were personally affected by the tsunami that hit American Samoa in late September. Shortly after this disaster, Vikki Zimmer, the wife of defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, unexpectedly died. Finally, wide receiver Chris Henry, who suffered a season-ending injury in Week 9, died in December from injuries suffered when he fell from the back of a pickup truck during a domestic dispute.
2010 – The Bengals looked to improve on their 10–6 record in 2009, during which they swept the AFC North for the first time in team history and made the playoffs as division champions. At the conclusion of the season, however, the Bengals finished 4–12 and were unable to qualify for the playoffs.
2011 – The Bengals entered the season coming off a 4–12 in 2010. Head Coach Marvin Lewis was re-signed by the team. Quarterback (QB) Carson Palmer demanded a trade and was dealt to the Oakland Raiders. Wide receiver (WR) Chad Johnson was traded to the New England Patriots. Replacing the two, the organization drafted QB Andy Dalton and WR AJ Green in the 2011 NFL Draft. The start of the 2011 season was hindered by a lockout, which cancelled the teams’ mini-camp.
After going 1–3 in pre-season, the Bengals started their season off with a win against division rival Cleveland Browns, en route to a 9–7 record—their best outing since 2009. It received a Wild Card spot in the 2011–12 NFL playoffs where it lost in the opening round to the Houston Texans. Four players—Dalton, Green, defensive lineman (DL) Geno Atkins, and tight end (TE) Jermaine Gresham—were elected to the 2012 Pro Bowl; Atkins was also selected to the Associated Press’ 2011 All-Pro Team.
The Bengals then got their asses handed to them in the Wild Card over the Houston Texans….who had never won a playoff game let alone be in one before.
2012 – This marked the 22nd season under the leadership of owner and team president Mike Brown and the 10th season under head coach Marvin Lewis. The team improved on its 2011 season, finishing tied with the Baltimore Ravens for the AFC North division title, but lost the tiebreaker to the Ravens. The Bengals, however, made the playoffs as a wild card team, finishing as the 6th seed in the AFC playoffs, but lost to the Houston Texans for a second consecutive season.
2012 was the first non-strike season in Bengals history in which they made it to the NFL playoffs for a second consecutive year.
2013 – The Bengals improved on their 10–6 regular season record from 2012 and clinched the AFC North division title. However, the Bengals lost 27–10 to the San Diego Chargers in the playoffs — the third consecutive season that the Bengals had lost in the Wild Card round. Their training camp was featured on the HBO show Hard Knocks.
2014 – At 10-5-1, the Bengals qualified for the playoffs for the 4th consecutive season, but lost to the Indianapolis Colts in the first round, extending their playoff losing streak to 7 games, 3rd longest losing streak (in terms of games played) in NFL history behind the Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs who both have 8.
2015 – The Cincinnati Bengals got off to a franchise best start after beating the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field by a score of 16–10, improving them to 7–0. Their winning streak ended in Week 10 with a loss to the Houston Texans in Cincinnati. Later in the season, they clinched a playoff spot for a franchise record fifth straight year. They clinched their second AFC North title in the last three seasons with their Week 15 loss at the Denver Broncos because of the Steelers loss to the Ravens the day before.
They lost to the Steelers in the Wild Card 16–18 in what’s considered one of the biggest meltdowns in Bengals history. This marked the 25th consecutive season without a playoff win for the Bengals. They also became the first team in NFL history to lose five consecutive playoff games in the first round. On a bright note, the Bengals were the only team in the AFC North to beat both Kansas City and Seattle.
2016 – The Bengals regressed from their 12–4 record from 2015, and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2010, finishing 6–9–1, and finishing in 3rd place in their division. This season would see the Bengals play in London for the first time ever, where they tied the Washington Redskins 27–27.
2017 – After starting 0–2, scoring only 9 points, and not scoring any touchdowns in their first two games, the Bengals fired offensive coordinator Ken Zampese. Quarterbacks coach Bill Lazor was promoted to offensive coordinator to replace Zampese. The Bengals suffered back to back losing seasons for the first time since 2007–2008. However, the Bengals were able to knock off two teams contending for the playoffs at the end of their season, the Detroit Lions in Week 16, and the Baltimore Ravens in Week 17 and helped the Buffalo Bills reach the postseason for the first time since 1999.
2018 – The Bengals failed to improve upon their 2017 campaign as they collapsed to a 6–10 finish (after a 4–1 start) to finish in 4th place in the AFC North. This marks the 3rd consecutive season the Bengals have failed to make the playoffs.
Longtime coach Marvin Lewis and team owner Mike Brown announced a mutual parting of ways following this season after 16 seasons, and despite leading them to 4 division titles, and 7 winning seasons/playoff appearances, Lewis was unable to lead the Bengals to a playoff win. His 131 regular season victories, 16 years as coach, and seven postseason losses will likely be the most of any NFL head coach without a playoff win.
2019 – Well, that was fun while it lasted, Marvin Lewis tried his best and failed, it’s time for a new Bengals era to begin in Cincinnati, they just got to get the right head coach in….Zac Taylor?
Really, Cincinnati, you’re going on trends to find your next head coach, look, just because somebody sniffed the farts of Sean McVay doesn’t make him a good head coaching candidate. But hey, maybe I’m wrong, maybe Zac Taylor is a fine head coach who will the Bengals to greatness in the long haul…
THEY STARTED 0-6!!!!
And look, you can make the argument that injuries are piling up on this team but you know what, that’s not a good excuse, you failed to draft players to make yourself a threat in the division, and now, you’re right up there with the Miami Dolphins in the Tank For Tua sweepstakes, congratu-fucking-lations, assholes.
The Cincinnati Bengals always feel like they are that team that’s trying to be just like every other team and they fail miserably in the long haul. All the best players either get traded to winning teams or win Super Bowl with New England, seriously, go take a look at how many Cincinnati players have won Super Bowls with the Patriots, they’re right up there with the Bills for the Patriots’ farm team (that’s another topic for discussion later) and guess the fuck what, Tyler Eifert and AJ Green may be on their way to winning a Super Bowl with New England as well.
Just delete your fucking franchise, Cincinnati, your college football team is a far superior football team than your professional football team is right now and it’s not going to get better anytime soon, hell, if the Cleveland Browns weren’t as bad as they’ve been, they would be the worst team in the NFL.
And don’t think I’m letting you off the hook Cleveland, your time is coming next week…
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