The Cincinnati Bengals NFL football team has a long history.  The Bengals first year in the league was in 1968.  The Bengals fans have rooted for their team since 1968 when Paul Brown the Original Owner brought the Bengals franchise to the forefront of the American Football League.  Since then the team has had nine different Coaches.  The Cincinnati Bengals overall club record since 1968 is 266 wins, 342 losses, and 1 tie.  The winningest Coach in Bengals history based on winning percentage is Forrest Greg with a 557% winning average.  Sam Wyche has the most wins with 68 total of wins.  We have taken the time to provide you with a history of the Bengals team which includes Bengals club records, bengals win loss record, and many other interesting Cincinnati bengals facts. 
 
Pre -1965: 

Cincinnati Bengals History Pre 1965:

The first professional football team in the Cincinnati, Ohio area was the known as the Cincinnati Bengals.  The team was formed in 1937, and they were a part of the American Football League. The 1937 Cincinnati Bengals finished with a 2-4-2 record in their first and only year.  Unfortunately for the team, the AFL football league folded after only its first season. The Bengals continued to play football as an independent team in 1938.  In 1939 a new AFL League was formed and the Bengals again signed up to play football in the league.  The team finished in second place with a very respectful record of 6 wins and 2 losses.  But unfortunately, the second version of the AFL league folded like the first one after its one and only season in 1939.

In 1940, another new AFL emerged, and the Bengals were quick to join the league. But that AFL ended up folding like the other AFL Leagues had.  Its final season was in 1941.  This was the end for the original Cincinnati Bengals.

1965 & 1966:
 
Cincinnati Bengals History 1965 to 1966

Planning for the new Cincinnati Bengals franchise began three full years before the team began playing in the American Football League in 1968. Paul Brown, who had enjoyed exceptional success as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns for 17 seasons before departing in 1962, had the urge to get back into pro football. In 1965, he met with then-Governor Jim Rhodes and the two agreed the state could accommodate a second pro football team. A year later in 1966, Cincinnati's city council approved the construction of 60,389-seat Riverfront Stadium partially based on the fear the Reds would leave town and due to local businesses pushing for an NFL franchise.  The stadium was scheduled for completion by 1970. It would be called Riverfront Stadium named due to the fact that the stadium sat right on the Ohio River.

1967:

Cincinnati Bengals History 1967:

In 1967 Pro football returned to Cincinnati when Paul Brown headed an ownership group that landed an expansion franchise in the modern-era American Football League. Brown, a Pro Football Hall of Famer who founded and coached the Cleveland Browns from 1946-62, picked the name Bengals for the new team "to give it a link with past professional football in Cincinnati."  Five years after being fired by the Cleveland Browns, Paul Brown finally got a team of his own with the Cincinnati Bengals, an American Football League expansion team.  That year the Bengals made their first move when they traded two draft picks to Miami Dolphins for Quarterback John Stofa making him the first official Bengal player in team history.

1968:.

Cincinnati Bengals 1968 Record:  3 wins and 13 losses

The NFL awarded the Bengals 40 Veteran player in the allocation draft.  The Bengals chose Tennessee center Bob Johnson as their first draft pick in franchise history.  The Bengals lost their first preseason game, 38-14, to Kansas City before 21,682 fans at Nippert Stadium. The Bengals first real game ever was played in San Diego on September 6th.  They lost to the Chargers 29-13.  The Bengals played their first home game at Nippert Stadium which was located on the University of Cincinnati’s campus.  The stadium held 28,000 people.  The Bengals went on to beat the Denver Broncos 24-10. The next week, the Bengals won again beating the Buffalo Bills 34-23. The season from that point on took a turn for the worst and the Bengals ended up winning just 1 of their next 11 games.  Paul Robinson went on to win the AFL Rookie of the Year by rushing for 1,023 yards while scoring 9 touchdowns.  The team had three Pro Bowl selections that year.  The players were Bob Johnson (C), Paul Robinson (R), and Bob Trumpy (TE).

(Running Back Paul Robinson is awarded AFL Rookie of the Year)

1969:

Cincinnati Bengals 1969 Record:  4 wins and 9 losses (1 tie)

The Bengals began the year with a successful draft by drafting two standouts Greg Cook and good old number 66 Linebacker Bill Bergy.  The 2nd year Bengals started the season very strong winning their first 3 games.  This included a 24-19 home win over the eventual Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs. The lost their next 4 games. In a huge upset in week 8, the Bengals surprised the NFL by beating the Oakland Raiders 31-17, handing the Raiders their only regular season loss. The following week the Bengals had a franchise first and only record set when they tied the playoff bound Oilers in Houston.  Horst Muhlmann’s 18 yard filed goal with twenty-two second left in the game sealed the tie.  It would be the Bengals one and only tie in franchise history.  The team ended the season with 5 straight losses, and ended up in last place in the AFL West Division.  The Raider won the division that year, but they finally earned some respect with their 4-9-1 record.  Greg Cook was voted the Rookie of the Year.  He passed for 1,854 yards and had a 53.8% completion average.  He also managed to throw 15 touchdown passes.

(Coach Paul Brown awarded Coach of The Year)
(Quarterback Greg Cooke is awarded the AFL Rookie of The Year Award)

1970:
 
Cincinnati Bengals 1970 Record:  8 wins and 6 losses

In 1970 the NFL and AFL merged.  With the merger of the two leagues, the  Bengals found an immediate rival when it was announced the Cleveland Browns would be included in their division.  This guaranteed the Bengals the chance to play the Browns twice a season.  The Bengals new stadium, Riverfront Stadium opened in 1970.  The Stadium was a multi purpose stadium that was built right along the Ohio River in downtown Cincinnati.  The Stadium had a capacity to hold 60,389 fans.  The season started out very rocky with an injury to Quarterback Greg Cook’s shoulder in training camp.  This injury left Virgil Carter as the Bengals starting Quarterback for the 1970 season, and it sadly ended the Career of Greg Cook.  To this day Bengals fans who saw Greg Cook play still wonder just how good Cook might have been.  The Bengals opened Riverfront Stadium with a win against the always tough Oakland Raiders beating them 31-21. The Bengals hitting a losing skid and ended up losing their next 6 games.  This included a loss to Cleveland 30-27 in Cleveland where 83,520 fans showed up to see the game.  A rivalry was born.  It looked like the Bengals were headed for another poor season when they began to turn it around with a 43-14 win in Buffalo over the Bills. The win against Buffalo started them off on a 7 game winning streak that ended up leaving the Bengals in 1st place in the AFC Central. The Bengals entered the playoff on a roll.  The Bengals had to face the Baltimore Colts in game one of the Divisional Playoffs unfortunately for the Bengals; the Colts were on a roll of their own.  Led by their defense and Linebacker Mike Curtis, they beat the Bengals 21-0 to take the AFC East Title.  The Colts eventually went on to beat the Dallas Cowboys in the first post merger Super Bowl 16 to 13.

1971:
 
Cincinnati Bengals 1971 Record:  4 wins and 10 losses

In 1971, the Bengals selected Ken Anderson, a quarterback from  Augustana College, in the third round of the draft. For the next 16 seasons, Anderson would be a key figure in the Cincinnati offense.  He would go onto be a   four-time AFC individual passing champion.  The Bengals won their first game of the season against the Philadelphia Eagles 37 to 14.  They lost their next seven games.  The Bengals went on to win their next 3 games to improve to 4 wins and 7 losses.  Fred Willis led the tea, in rushing and had 7 rushing TD’s.  Bob Trumpy led the team in receiving.  Lemar Parrish (CB) set a then-team record with seven interceptions including one for a 65-yard score, which was the Bengals first-ever interception return for a TD.  Parish was the sole Bengals Pro Bowl selection in 1971.

1972:

Cincinnati Bengals 1972 Record:  8 wins and 6 losses

The Bengals got off to a fast start by winning 4 of their first five games including a close home win over the Pittsburgh Steelers 15 to 10.  This was only one of three times in Bengal’s history that the team had one without scoring a touchdown.  Horst Muhlmann the Bengals kicker kicked five field goals in the game to win it for the Bengals.  Ken Anderson won out over Virgil Carter at the Quarterback position, and Mike Reid dominated on defense.  The Bengals got off to a fast start by winning 4 of their first 5 games. Unfortunately, the Bengals lost 4 of their next 5 games.  This left the team at a 5-5 mark with 4 games to go in the season. The Bengals won 3 of their final 4 to close the season with an 8-6 record.  Unfortunately one of those losses as to the Cleveland Browns which gave the Bengals 2 losses to the Cleveland Browns on the season and this in cost them a chance at postseason play.  Mike Reid (DL), and Chip Meyers (WR) were the only two Bengals players named to the Pro Bowl.

1973:
 
Cincinnati Bengals 1973 Record:  10 wins and 4 losses

The Bengals won 4 and lost 4 of their first eight games.  They won all of their last six games to win their second AFC title with a 10-4 record.  This included a season ending 6 game-winning streak that helped catapult them into a tie with Pittsburgh Steelers. The Bengals would earn the Division Title via tiebreaker, and earned a Playoff match up in Miami with the defending Super Bowl Champion Dolphins. The Bengals would play the Dolphins tight trough the first half and only trailed 21-16 at halftime. However the Dolphins defense tightened up and smothered the Bengals in the second half on the way to a 34-16 win.  QB Ken Anderson had a break out season by passing for 2,428 yards while connecting on 18 TD passes.  He had an 81.2% passing rating.  Essex Johnson led Cincinnati with a career-high 997 yards rushing.  He also became one of only two Bengals ever to have 100 yards of rushing and 100 yards of receiving in the same game.  Rookie Isaac Curtis led the team in receptions by catching 45 passes.  He also appeared in his first of many Pro Bowls.  Rookie Boobie Clark, who finished the year with 988 yards rushing and 45 pass receptions, was named AFC Rookie of the Year.  He was also the first Bengals player to get his own signature cheer from the fans.  Every time he touched the ball the fans would cheer as if they were booing “booobiiiie”.  Mike Reid (DL) and Bob Trumpy (TE) also were selected to the Pro Bowl.
(Running Back Boobie Clark is awarded AFC Rookie of The Year)

1974:

Cincinnati Bengals 1974 Record:  7 wins and 7 losses

The Bengals started the season off by trading Linebacker Bill Bergey to Philadelphia Eagles for two first-round draft choices and a third-round pick in 1977. This left Jim LeClair to fill Bergey’s role as the middle linebacker. The Bengals got off to a quick start winning 4 of their first 5 games including a home win over the Washington redskins 28-17. In that game a the only Bengals player ever to score two touchdowns in a game on returns and/or recoveries is, Lemar Parrish the Bengals cornerback and kick returner returned a punt 90 yards for his first score and picked up a fumble and returned it 47 yards to the house for a second score. The Bengals lack of a running game got the worst of them, and they split their next 6 games.  The Bengals lost all three of their final games and this ended up costing them a trip to the playoffs.  The team ended the season with a disappointing record of 7-4.  Ken Anderson won the NFL passing championship and completed a club-record 64.9 percent of his attempts. Lemar Parrish led the NFL in punt returns.  The Bengals did find success in the draft that year.  In the third round of the draft with the 61st pick, the Bengals selected a Tackle out of Syracuse, Dave Lapham.  Lapham has since gone onto be a  fixture and a fan favorite within the Bengals organization both as a player and now as the play by play radio announcers for all Bengals games.    

1975:

Cincinnati Bengals 1975 Record:  11 wins and 3 losses

The Bengals opened their season with six straight wins a first in Bengals history.   Quarterback Ken Anderson made a statement with his performance on the year by passing for 3,169 yards, throwing for 21 touchdowns, and having a 93.9 passing rating.  The Bengals finally lost their first game in week 7 against the Super Bowl defending Pittsburgh Steelers at Riverfront Stadium.  With 58, 418 fans on hand for the game it was the largest crowd the entire season.  The Bengals ended up losing 30-24, and the loss allowed the Steelers to jump back into 1st Place. On November 17th, the Bengals played one of the greatest games in Monday Night Football History.  It was Ken Anderson vs. OJ Simpson and the Buffalo Bills.  OJ Simpson ran for 197 yards, but Ken Anderson threw for 447 yards and the Bengals eat the bills before a hometown Cincinnati crowd of 56,666.  The final score was 33-24.  The Bengals only lost two more games the entire year.  They finished the season with an 11-3 record, which was the best record in Bengals franchise history and good enough for the AFC Wild Card. In the Divisional Playoffs the Bengals faced a very tough Oakland Raider team in Oakland.  The Raiders had a comfortable lead going into halftime.  The Bengals only score in the first half was a 1 yard run by Running Back Stan Fritts. Lenvil Elliot's 6-yard touchdown cut the lead down to 24-14.  In the fourth quarter Ken Anderson threw 2 touchdown passes a 26 yard score to Charlie Joyner and a 14 yard toss to Isaac Curtis to pull within 3 points of the Raiders.  The Bengals recovered a Raider fumble deep in Oakland Raiders territory but the Raiders stopped the Cincinnati offense on fourth down and ran out the clock to win the game   31-28.  Ken Anderson won the NFL passing championship.  Paul Brown would retire from coaching, to concentrate solely on his duties as owner, and GM. Mike Reid the Bengals All Pro Defensive Linemen left pro football after undergoing knee surgery to pursue his musical career.  He was only 26 year old.  Ken Anderson, Lamar Parish, and Isaac Curtis were all named to the Pro Bowl Team.

1976:

Cincinnati Bengals 1976 Record:  10 wins and 4 losses

Long time Bengals line Coach Bill “Tiger” Johnson became the second Head Coach in Bengals history when he replaced the legendary Hall of Fame Coach Paul Brown after 41 season of coaching.  The Bengals started the season off by acquiring defensive end Coy Bacon (22 sacks on the season) in a trade with San Diego for Wide Receiver Charlie Joyner who later became a hall of Fame Member.  The Bengals also drafted halfback Archie Griffin, the two-time Heisman Trophy winner from Ohio State.  In his rookie season Archie rushed for 625 yards while sharing the running duties with Boobie Clark.  In the final game of the season against Joe Nameth and the Jets in New York, Coy bacon sacked Joe Nameth four times.  Ken Riley “The Rattler” (DB) had three interceptions in the game to set a franchise record.  The Bengals went onto crush the Jets 42-3.  This was Joe Nameth’s final game as a New York Jet.  The Bengals posted a 10-4 record on the season, but did not make the playoffs.  The Bengals lost the tie breaker to Pittsburgh for the AFC Central Title. This makes the 1975 Bengals team only one of two Bengals teams to have 10 wins in a season and not make the playoffs.  Coach Bill Walsh who was second runner up for the Head Coaches position left the team at the end of the year and eventually ended up with the 49er’s.  Ken Anderson, Coy bacon, Tommy Casanova, Isaac Curtis, Jim LeClair and Lamar Parish all were selected to the Pro Bowl team.

1977:

Cincinnati Bengals 1977 Record:  8 wins and 6 losses

The Bengals had another season end badly.  The team ended the year with a final record of 8-6.  A 16-20 loss to the Houston Oilers in the last game of the season cost them a playoff birth.  One of the highlights of the year was a game against the Miami Dolphins.  The rain was pouring and Ken Anderson used a little razzle dazzle and hooked up with Bob Trumpy on a 29 yard touchdown pass.  The play was flea flicker pass that involved three different players handling the ball before it was ever thrown.  It was first handed off to Archie Griffin then pitched to John McDaniel and then handed back to Anderson who threw it to Bob Trumpy.  It was Bob Trumpy’s only touchdown pass on the season and the last one of his career.  Bob Trumpy retired at the end of the season.  Coy Bacon, Tommy Casanova, and Lamar Parish were named to the Pro Bowl team.

1978:

Cincinnati Bengals 1978 Record:  4 wins and 12 losses

This was the NFL’s first year to put in place a 16 game schedule.  The Bengals season started out badly when Ken Anderson missed the first 4 games with a broken bone in his right hand.  Bill “Tiger” Johnson resigned as the Bengals Head Coach after the team lost it first five games straight.  Homer Rice was named the new Head Coach, but the team still struggled.  On October 22nd the team had its lowest scoring game of all time against the Buffalo Bills.  The Bengals lost the game with the final score being 5-0.  Quarterback Ken Anderson struggled with turnovers, and RB Archie Griffin continued to have a hard time transitioning to the NFL.  The Bengals continued to lose and had a record of 1-12.  Luckily the team won its final 3 games to close the season out with 4 and 12 record.  It was the first year the Bengals did not have a player in the Pro Bowl.

1979:

Cincinnati Bengals 1979 Record:  4 wins and 12 losses

The Bengals struggle again losing their first 6 games, before upsetting the Pittsburgh Steelers at Riverfront Stadium 34-10.  Other highlights in the season included Pete Johnson rushing for 15 touchdowns, and Chris Bahr booting the longest field goal in franchise history (55 yards) against the Houston Oilers on September 23rd.  The Bengals would go on to finish with their second straight 4-12 season.  Homer Rice became the first Bengals Head Coach to be fired.  Former Cleveland Browns coach Forest Greg (the former Green Bay Packer who played for Vince Lombardi) was hired on to replace Homer Rice.

1980:

Cincinnati Bengals 1980 Record:  6 wins and 10 losses

With new coach Forrest Gregg at the helm, the Bengals drafted Anthony Munoz to rebuild a depleted offensive line. Munoz a rookie Tackle from the University of Southern California was a first-round draft pick and the third pick taken overall.  A perennial All Pro choice, the USC graduate was selected to play in 11 straight Pro Bowls from 1982 to 1992 and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998. Despite their new rookie Offensive Tackle, the Bengals would struggle again posting a 6-10 record. One highlight of the season was Bengals defensive end Eddie Edwards setting the single game team record by sacking Cleveland Browns Quarterback Brian Sipe five times. The Browns needing a win to qualify for the playoffs, came out ahead 27-24However.  The Bengals also swept the Pittsburgh Steelers destroying the Steelers chances for a 3rd straight Super Bowl.   The Bengals also added a new Assistant Coach to their Coaching staff who would go on to become the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals in 2001 and 2002.  The new Assistant Coaches name was Dick LeBeau.

1981:

Cincinnati Bengals 1981 Record:  12 wins and 4 losses

The Bengals unveiled their new uniforms with tiger-striped helmets, jerseys and pants to start the season. In the season opener against the Seattle Seahawks, Kenny Anderson was intercepted three times in the first half.  Things did not look good for the Bengals.  Forest Greg benched Anderson.  Turk Schonert the third string Quarterback led the team back and won the game 27-21.  With Their new uniforms, the Bengals got off to a good start winning 3 of their first 4 games in great fashion. After splitting the next 4 games the Bengals embarked on a 5 game winning streak capturing the AFC Central title. The Bengals would go on to finish with the best record in the AFC at 12-4.  Despite being benched in the first game of the year, Quarterback Ken Anderson went on to have the best season of his career.  He won the NFL MVP, and offensive Player of the year by passing for 3,754 yards and 29 TD passes. Ken Anderson's had a new target Rookie WR Chris Collinsworth who caught 8 TD passes, while gaining 1,009 receiving yards in an impressive first season. Collinsworth became a fan sensation over night.  In the first ever playoff game at Riverfront Stadium the Bengals and Buffalo Bills battled back and forth, with neither team having much trouble moving the ball. With the game tied at 21 late in the 4th Quarter Ken Anderson hit Chris Collinsworth with 16-yard Game winning TD Pass as the Bengals advanced to the AFC Championship Game.

It had been bitterly cold in Cincinnati all week and the weather forecast for the Bengals' first-ever title game appearance was ominous.  The Bengals hosted the San Diego Chargers in freezing temperatures where the win chill at game time was 59 degrees below 0.  Now known as the “Freezer Bowl”, the game was the second coldest game in NFL history. The Bengals' offensive linemen were on the field with their standard sleeveless jerseys in an effort to intimidate a Charger team more accustomed to the warmer California weather.   "It was so cold," Mike Brown said, "that you were hot. Maybe because you had so many clothes on, but it was odd. The one thing I remember is that every time Fouts tried to throw a long pass, it would just die. Like it would hit a glass partition."  In fact, Chargers owner Gene Klein tried to get the Bengals not to play the game. He met with Bengals Assistant General Manager Mike Brown Sunday morning and urged him that they call Rozelle together and ask him to postpone the game. Brown, now the Bengals president, could see the Bengals had the Chargers' stat-popping passing game led by quarterback Dan Fouts right where they wanted it and told Klein no.  The Bengals would freeze the Chargers 27-7 to advance to their first ever Super Bowl.

Super Bowl XVI: The Bengals faced the San Francisco 49ers in the Detroit Silverdome.  It was the first Super Bowl north of the Mason Dixon line.  It was also the first Super Bowl to feature two teams that had never appeared in one before.  In a Super Bowl featuring 2 teams that finished in last place the previous season. The Bengals hurt them selves early and often.  They had no problem driving the ball down the field, but 3 turnovers in the red zone, had them trailing all game. After recovering a fumble from the 49ers on the opening kickoff, the Bengals gave the ball right back to San Francisco by throwing an interception which lead to a 49ers touchdown on their next possession.  The Bengals blew another opportunity as the 49ers prevented them from scoring on 1st Goal from the 1-yard line. By halftime the 49ers had a 20-0 lead.  The largest halftime margin in Super Bowl history up to that point in time.  The Bengals made a valiant comeback attempt in the second half, and managed to outscore San Francisco by 15 points, but committed even more costly turnovers; another interception and a turnover on downs when the 49ers stuffed an attempted fourth down conversion attempt on the San Francisco one-yard line. Cincinnati ended up losing the game 26-21 despite out gaining the 49ers in total yards 356 to 274 and setting 3 Super Bowl records: most receptions by one player (11 by Dan Ross), most completions (25 by Ken Anderson), and highest completion percentage (73.5).   The Bengals sent Ken Anderson, Cris Collinsworth, Pete Johnson, Pat Mclnally, and Anthony Munoz to the Pro Bowl .
(Quarterback Ken Anderson is awarded Offensive Player of the Year)
(Quarterback Ken Anderson is awarded the NFL MVP)

1982:

Cincinnati Bengals 1982 Record:  12 wins and 4 losses

The 1982 season was interrupted by a 2-month/57 day player’s strike that wiped out the first 7 games of the season.  The players eventually came back to play again and the Bengals finish with an impressive 7-2 record.  Their record was good enough to get them a 3rd seed in the 16-team Super Bowl Tournament.  Due the strike situation, the league decided to call the post season a Super Bowl Tournament.   Based on their record, the Bengals hosted the New York Jets in the 1st Round of the Tournament. Despite being at home before a crowd of 57,560, the Bengals could not stop the Jets and their running game.  Jets Running Back Freeman McNeil rushed for 211 yards on 22 carries.  Their defense included Mark Gastineau and Joe Klecko who had accumulated 40 sacks that year between the two of them.  The Jets kept the Bengals on the run, and eventually the Bengals ended up losing the game 44-17.  The bright spot in the game was Ken Anderson’s performance.  Anderson ended the game with 356 yards passing.  The Jest ended up losing in the Division Championship game to the Miami Dolphins.  That year the Bengals drafted a Tight End out of Tulane University.  He would go onto to eventually replace Dan Ross and become a fixture at the position for the Bengals.  His name was Rodney Holman.
 Led by Mark Gastineau and Joe Klecko, who totaled over 40 sacks between them, the defense earned the witty and appropriate moniker The New York Sack exchange. Despite its outstanding performance, though, the team bowed to division rivals the Miami Dolphins in the 1982 AFC title game.

1983: 

Cincinnati Bengals Record 1983:  7 wins and 9 losses

The Bengals got off to a horrible start by losing 6 of their first 7 games, as Cincinnati Bengals Quarterback Ken Anderson struggled with too many interceptions interceptions due to a young offensive line struggling to protect him.  The Cincinnati Bengals would finish the season strong wining 6 of their final 9, but with a disappointing 7-9 record, Coach Forrest Gregg was fired after the season.   This was a very difficult year in Bengals history due to the fact that Forest Greg had led the Bengals to their first Super Bowl and had over come so many obstacles including the Freezer Bowl to get to the Super Bowl.  Forest Greg would end his Bengals Coaching career with a 557 winning percentage which stands as the highest winning percentage of any Cincinnati Bengals Coach in the history of the franchise.  Cris Collinsworth was one of the few bright spots of the season gaining 1130 in receiving yards.

1984:

Cincinnati Bengals Record 1984:  8 wins and 8 losses

With the Bengals former back up QB Sam Wyche now running the show as the Bengals head Coach, the Bengals began to build their franchise and move toward a brighter future by drafting Quarterback Boomer Esiason out of University of Maryland. With aging QB Ken Anderson struggling the Bengals lost their first 5 games, on the way to a 4-8 start. With the playoffs now out of reach the Bengals gave Boomer Esiason a chance at starting Quarterback.  He immediately took control of the team and helped lead the struggling Bengals to 4 straight wins which allowed the Bengals to finish the season out with a record of 8-8.  Boomer Esiason would go on to throw for over 3000 yards in a season 6 times during his Bengals career with his highest being 3959 yards in passing in 1986.

1985:

Cincinnati Bengals Record 1985:  7 wins and 9 losses

In his first full season as starting QB, Boomer Esiason has a great season as the starter.  He was able to pass for 3,443 yard, and he hooked up with his receivers on 27 Touchdown passes. The Bengals defense coached by Dick LeBeau started the year off slow and finished slow. The teams Defense finished 22 in the league.  The team finished with a less then impressive record of 7 wins and 9 losses. One bright spot was that Wide Receiver Eddie Brown won the Offensive Rookie of the year by collecting grabbing 8 touchdown passes and 942 receiving yards.  The Bengals offense was the third best offense in the league in 1985.

(Wide Receiver Eddie Brown is awarded Offensive Rookie of the Year)

1986:

Cincinnati Bengals Record 1986:  10 wins and 6 losses

Boomer Esiason has another impressive season passing for 3,959 yards.  James Brooks the Bengals Running Back gained 1087 yards on the ground and became only the fourth Bengals Running back to rush for over 1000 yards in a single season.  The Bengals finished tied for the best offense in the entire NFL for the first time in franchise history unfortunately the Defense was ranked 20th overall.  The Bengals ended up posting a 10-6 record. However the AFC was extremely competitive and the Bengals ended up home for the playoffs once again. 

1987:

Cincinnati Bengals Record 1987:  4 wins and 11 losses

The 1987 years stared with an NFL Players strike looming.    The Bengals had a nice victory in week one of the season, and with time ticking down in game against the San Francisco 49ers, the Bengals held a slight lead.  Riverfront stadium was full and the Bengals were looking to go 2 and 0.  The 49ers managed to score a game winning touchdown on a pass play with no time left to beat the Bengals.  The following week the NFL Players Association/Union chose to strike.  The NFL decided to use replacement/scrub players.  The Bengals replacements went 1-2 before the strike finally ended.  With the strike ended, the Bengals regulars players returned immediately began to struggle.  The team had a string of very close games that they found themselves on the losing end of.  They managed to lose many of the games in the fourth quarter on the way to a very disappointing season with a record of 4-11.  Despite the Bengals poor performance, The Bengals ended the season with the 5th best offense and the 8th best Defense in the NFL.  Sam  Wyche remained the Bengals Head Coach.  After meeting with the Brown family Sam was able to keep his job with the understanding the Bengals must make the playoff for him to keep his job after 1988.

1988:

Cincinnati Bengals Record 1988:  12 wins and 4 losses

The Bengals started the 1988  season off strong by winning their first 6 games. The Bengals led by NFL MVP Boomer Esiason, who passed for 3,572 yards.  The Bengals continued on to a 12-4 record.  Cincinnati Bengals gained home filed advantage in the playoffs and the AFC Central title.  A rookie Running Back out of Nevada-Las Vegas gave the Bengals a huge boost.  The Bengals new rookie Running Back was Ickey Woods.  Ickey immediately become a Bengals fan favorite when upon scoring his first touchdown, he broke out into a dance in the end zone.  The dance was not overly grace full or flashy and immediately became known as the “Ickey Shuffle”.   Woods ran for 1,066 yards scored 15 touchdowns.  Each TD was capped by his trademark dance  "The Ickey Shuffle”.  The 1988 season also introduced a new Bengals fan chant in the Divisional Playoffs.  The chant heard at Riverfront Stadium, "Who Dey, Who Dey, Who Dey think gonna beat Dem Bengals."   The phrase Whodey was born, and still lives on today as the Bengals fans number one cheer.  The Bengals first game of the playoffs as against the Seattle Seahawks.  The Bengals offensive line led by Anthony Munoz destroyed the Seattle Seahawks all game and the  Bengals found themselves in the AFC Championship for a second time with a 21-13 win. The Bengals run game was so dominating that Bengals Quarterback Boomer Esiason only needed to throw 7 passes, all of which he completed. The Bengals faced the Bills at sold out Riverfront Stadium.  The AFC Championship game was a battle all the way and was filled with a lot of tough physical play and actual on filed fights.  When the dust finally cleared the Bengals had won the game 21-10.  They were headed to the Super Bowl to face the San Francisco 49ers for a second time.

(Quarterback Boomer Esiason awarded the NFL MVP)

Super Bowl XXIII: The Bengals were back in the Super Bowl, and once again they were facing the San Francisco 49ers, in Miami, Florida. The Bengals luck turned cold the night before the Super Bowl when Bengals Running Back Stanley Wilson was found in his hotel room high on drugs.  Wilson had played a quite yet key role in the Bengals Offense all season as a blocking back for James Brooks and Ickey Woods.  The loss of Stanley Wilson would defiantly impact the Bengals in the Super Bowl.  The Bengals again suffered another huge setback early in the game when Nose Guard Tim Krumrie broke his leg in the 1st Quarter. However the Bengals defense would not quit, and the ended at halftime tied 3 to 3.  It was the first Super Bowl ever tied at halftime. The Bengals took the lead late the 3rd Quarter when Stanford Jennings took a 49ers kickoff and returned it for a touchdown.  This gave the Bengals a 4th Quarter 13-6 lead. After the 49ers tied the game at 13, the Bengals again moved on top of the 49ers with a Jim Breech FG. With 3:20 left in the game the Bengals only needed to stop the 49ers once to become the Super Bowl champs.  San Francisco lined up its offense led by Quarterback Joe Montana who proceeded to lead the 49ers on methodical 90-yard drive that ate the clock up.  Within Field Goal Range Montana hit John Taylor who had gotten by Lewis Billups in the end zone with 34 seconds left in the game.  The play broke Bengals fans hearts and became one of the most dramatic moments in Super Bowl history.  The game was touted as the greatest Super Bowl up to that time in the NFL’s history.  Boomer Esieson had been chosen as the games MVP, but lost that honor when the 49ers came back and scored to win the game in the last few seconds.  The Bengals have never made it back to the Super Bowl since the 1988 season. 

1989:

Cincinnati Bengals Record 1989:  8 wins and 8 losses

Coming off their trip to the Super Bowl the Bengals got off to a good start winning 4 of their first 5 games. Unfortunately the Bengals managed to lose 4 of their next 5 games, and with a 5-5 record, the Bengals were in danger of missing the playoffs.  The Bengals went back and forth with wins and losses over next 4 weeks.  The Cincinnati Bengals needed to win their final 2 games.  To make the playoffs, the Bengals would need some help.  They went onto destroy the Houston Oilers 61-7 at Riverfront Stadium. Despite this win, the cards did not play out, and before  the Bengals took the field for their Monday Night season finale in Minnesota on Christmas the team was eliminated from the playoffs. They would go on to lose their Monday Night Football finally by a score of 29-21 to the Vikings.