The last 52 years have been long for the Cincinnati Bengals. They have won just five playoff games with the last one coming in 1990. Cincinnati has new hopes after drafting Joe Burrow in the 2020 NFL Draft, but they are still years away.
The Bengals are hoping Burrow can follow in the footsteps of Ken Anderson and Boomer Esiason. Both of these Bengal greats reached the Super Bowl but neither were able to win.
Let's take a closer look at the three best teams in Bengals' franchise history.
3. 2015
The Marvin Lewis era was one big disappointment. He led the Bengals to the playoffs seven times and went 0-7 during that time. The final time was in 2015 which was the best team that he coached.
Cincinnati finished 12-4 and at the top of the AFC North. Andy Dalton threw 25 touchdowns and A.J. Green continued to be a top receiver in the league with 86 catches for 1,297 yards and 10 touchdowns. The Bengals got off to a hot start winning their first eight games.
When it came time for the postseason, Cincinnati was preparing to play their division foe Pittsburgh Steelers in the wild card round. This was a hard-hitting game between two teams that do not like each other. Cincy dropped this one 18-16. This was the last time the team had a winning season or made the postseason.
2. 1981
The Bengals set their franchise record for wins in a season with 12 in 1981. NFL MVP Ken Anderson led Cincinnati to seven wins over their final eight games. Anderson set a new franchise touchdown record with 29 scores. He also led the NFL in passer rating at 98.4.
Cincinnati finished the season four games better than the Steelers in the division. They skated by the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round before dominating the San Diego Chargers 27-7 in the AFC title game. The Bengals would then go on to lose to Joe Montana and the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl.
The 1981 Bengals scored 30 or more points eight times this season. They are arguably the best offense in franchise history and definitely one of the top two teams.
1. 1988
The Bengals got their second MVP in team history with Boomer Esiason in 1988. He led the AFC in passing touchdowns with 28 and controlled a dominant offense. That year, Cincinnati led the NFL in points scored, total yards gained, and rushing yards.
Cincinnati was a perfect 8-0 at home and they finished with the best record in the conference. This earned them home-field advantage in the playoffs and they continued to defend it. They took down the Seahawks and Bills on their way to the Super Bowl. Just like in 1981, the Bengals were taken down by Montana and the Niners.
Esiason led the team on a dominant journey through the regular season that ended four points away from a Super Bowl title. The '80s was a strong decade for the Bengals with memories of an electric offense and nightmares of Montana and San Francisco.
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