Cincinnati Bengals Super Bowl Wins, History, Appearances, and More

The Cincinnati Bengals have made three Super Bowl appearances, but the organization still seeks its first Vince Lombardi Trophy, one of 12 teams to never win the Super Bowl. Only Buffalo and Minnesota have more Super Bowl appearances without winning, each making four trips to the big game. 

Paul Brown, who won three titles and posted a 167-53-8 record as the Cleveland Browns head coach in the pre-Super Bowl era, founded the Cincinnati Bengals in the mid-60s. The Hall of Famer coached the first seven seasons, from 1968-1975.

Cincinnati Bengals' overall record, playoff numbers

Cincinnati has endured periods of mediocrity during its 56-year history, recording a 394-471-5 career mark, but the Bengals have made a playoff appearance in every decade since 1970, reaching the postseason 16 times.

Their worst stretch came after Paul Brown died before the 1991 campaign. His son, Mike, took over operations, and Cincinnati endured 14 consecutive losing seasons until winning the AFC North in 2005. That period coincided with a long postseason win drought, as Cincinnati failed to win a playoff game for 21 straight years (1991-2020), but the Bengals' fortunes changed when drafting Joe Burrow with the No. 1 overall selection in 2020.

Let’s examine Cincinnati’s Super Bowl history.

Super Bowl XVI, 1981 – Kenny Anderson/Forest Gregg

Drafted by Cincinnati in 1971, Kenny Anderson led the league in passer rating four times (1974-75 and 1981-82) and was named MVP in 1981. He threw for a career-high 3,754 yards during his MVP season, leading the league in touchdown-to-interception ratio (29-to-10) and passer rating (98.4) while guiding the Bengals to a 12-4 regular-season record.

Forrest Gregg, a Hall of Fame offensive tackle who won three Super Bowls as a player, was hired by Cincinnati prior to the 1980 season. He coached the Bengals for four years, compiling a 32-25 record.

After losing their first three playoff appearances (1970, 1973, and 1975), the Bengals broke through with their first postseason win by defeating Buffalo 28-21 at home in the Divisional Round. The following week, Cincinnati defeated the San Diego Chargers 27-7 at home in the famed “Freezer Bowl” AFC Championship Game, which featured a recorded temperature of -9 and -59 wind chill.

The Bengals faced San Francisco in Super Bowl XVI and couldn’t overcome turnovers (-3 differential) and a 20-0 halftime deficit, losing 26-21 at the Pontiac Silverdome in Michigan.

Cincinnati featured four Pro Bowlers on offense — Hall of Fame offensive tackle Anthony Munoz, wide receiver Cris Collinsworth, running back Pete Johnson, and Anderson. Other notable players included tight end Dan Ross, linebackers Reggie Williams, and Jim LeClair, defensive end Ross Browner, and cornerback Ken Riley.

Super Bowl XXIII, 1988 – Boomer/Sam Wyche

Sam Wyche replaced Gregg in 1984 and had one winning season before a disappointing 4-11 record in 1987 that nearly cost him his job. Cincinnati drafted Boomer Esiason in the second round of the 1984 draft, and the left-handed quarterback was in his third year as the starter entering the 1988 season.

Utilizing a hurry-up “no huddle” offense throughout games, Esiason orchestrated a remarkable turnaround for the 12-4 Bengals, who went 8-0 at home and locked up home-field advantage entering the AFC playoffs.

Cincinnati defeated Seattle 21-13 in the Divisional Round, with Seattle defensive players repeatedly feigning injury to slow down the Bengals' fast-paced offense and make defensive substitutions. Following complaints from Buffalo’s coach Marv Levy, the NFL banned the no-huddle offense for the AFC Championship Game. After Cincinnati rolled to a 21-10 win over Buffalo, the NFL admitted its mistake and rescinded the ban for the Super Bowl.

Featuring nine Pro Bowlers, Cincinnati kicked a field goal with 3:20 remaining to take a 16-13 lead over San Francisco in Super Bowl XXIII, but Joe Montana drove San Francisco 92 yards in 11 plays to win 20-16.

Super Bowl LVI, 2021 – Burrow/Zac Taylor

Named head coach in 2019, Zac Taylor went 6-25-1 in his first two seasons, but he reached Super Bowl LVI in his third year, as Cincinnati went 10-7 and won the AFC North in 2021. Burrow, who sustained a season-ending knee injury in 2020, was named Comeback Player of the Year and led the NFL in completion percentage (70.4%) in his second year.

After defeating Las Vegas 26-19 at home in the Wild Card Round, Cincinnati did damage as road underdogs. The Bengals won 19-16 over Tennessee in the Divisional Round and outscored Kansas City 14-3 in the second half of the AFC Championship Game, prevailing 27-24 in overtime.

Cincinnati took a 17-13 lead early in the third quarter versus the Los Angeles Rams in the Super Bowl, and had numerous chances to pad a short lead in the fourth quarter, but the Rams kicked a field goal with 4:48 remaining and stopped the Bengals' final drive on downs, winning 23-20.

Cincinnati Bengals' future outlook

Burrow led Cincinnati to back-to-back AFC Championship Games, losing to eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City in 2022, and he owns a 5-2 record in the postseason. His 2023 season was cut short due to a wrist injury in Week 9, but Cincinnati’s star quarterback is expected to make a full recovery for 2024. Burrow will be an integral part of Cincinnati's Super Bowl hopes in the next decade.