Cincinnati Bengals

Lore & Background

Former Cleveland Browns head coach Paul Brown began planning for the creation of the Bengals franchise in 1965, and Cincinnati's city council approved the construction of Riverfront Stadium in 1966. Finally, in 1967, the Bengals were founded when a group headed by Brown received franchise approval by the American Football League (AFL) on May 23, 1967, and they began play in the 1968 season. Brown was the Bengals' head coach from their inception to an unspecified date. After being dismissed as the Browns' head coach by Art Modell in an unspecified year, Brown showed interest in establishing another NFL franchise in Ohio and chose Cincinnati when a deal between the city, Hamilton County, and Major League Baseball's Cincinnati Reds was struck to build a multipurpose stadium. Due to the impending merger of the AFL and the NFL, Brown agreed to join the AFL as its 10th and final franchise. The Bengals, like the other former AFL teams, were assigned to the AFC following the merger. After Paul Brown's death in 1991, controlling interest in the team was inherited by his son, Mike Brown. In 2011, Brown purchased shares of the team owned by the estate of co-founder Austin Knowlton and is now the majority owner. The Bengals won the AFC championship in unspecified years. After each of the 1981 and 1988 conference championships, they lost to the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowls XVI and XXIII. The team struggled in the 1990s and early 2000s, sometimes called 'The Bungles.' Following the 1990 season, the team went 14 years without making the NFL playoffs or posting a winning record. The turning point was the 2021 season, when they won their first playoff game in 31 years and advanced to the first of two consecutive AFC Championship games. In 2021, they defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 27–24 in overtime and advanced to Super Bowl LVI, where they lost to the Los Angeles Rams 23–20. They advanced to the AFC Championship game again in 2022 but lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Chiefs 23–20. The team does not have an official general manager; Duke Tobin is the 'de facto general manager.' In a 2011 survey, Brown was rated as among the worst team owners in American professional sports. As of August 2022, the Bengals were ranked last in value at $3 billion.

In Their Own Story

The turning point arrived on Thanksgiving night in Week 13 when Burrow returned from surgery to face the Baltimore Ravens. In a giant upset, Cincinnati defeated their division rival 32–14. Burrow threw for 261 yards and two touchdowns, while kicker Evan McPherson set a career high with six field goals. Ja'Marr Chase, returning from a one-game suspension after an on-field altercation with Jalen Ramsey in Week 11, contributed seven receptions for 110 yards. The victory improved the Bengals to 4–8 and marked their first Thanksgiving win in franchise history, drawing a record 28.4 million viewers across NBC, Peacock, and Telemundo. However, momentum stalled shortly after; a loss to Buffalo in Week 14 guaranteed a losing record for the first time since 2020, followed by a 20–0 shutout against Baltimore in Week 15 that eliminated them from playoff contention.

Reader's Guide

The Bengals play at Paycor Stadium in downtown Cincinnati. They are members of the AFC North. The team was founded in 1967 and began play in 1968. Key figures include founder Paul Brown and current majority owner Mike Brown.

Did You Know?

• The Bengals were named to give a link with past professional football in Cincinnati; another Cincinnati Bengals team existed from 1937 to 1942.
• Paul Brown chose the exact shade of orange used by his former team, possibly as an insult to Art Modell or as a homage to the Massillon Tigers.
• The Bengals' first home was Nippert Stadium, where they played for their first two seasons.
• Running back Paul Robinson was named AFL Rookie of the Year in the team's first season.