More History - 11:22 AM, 7/3/2006

1969: The 2nd year Bengals came flying out of the gate winning their first 3 games including a 24-19 home win over the eventual Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs. The Bengals would come down to earth by losing their next 4 games. The Pesky Bengals would stun another powerhouse in week 8 beating the Oakland Raiders 31-17, handing the Raiders their only regular season loss. The following week the Bengals would tie the playoff bound Oilers in Houston, firmly stating the 2nd year Bengals were not pushovers. The Bengals would close the season with 5 straight losses, but they earned a new respect with their 4-9-1 record, as QB Greg Cook earned Rookie of the Year honors by passing for 1,854 yards.

1970: With the merger of the AFL and NFL, the Bengals were provided a rival in the Cleveland Browns who would provide instant excitement twice a year in the AFC Central.  The year also marked the grand opening of Riverfront Stadium; a cookie cutter multipurpose built on the banks of the Ohio River. The Bengals opened Riverfront in style beating the Oakland Raiders 31-21. The Bengals would lose their next 6 games including a 30-27 loss in their first game in Cleveland. At 1-6 the Bengals 3rd season looked like a lost season. However the Bengals turned their season around with a 43-14 win in Buffalo over the Bills. The win was the start of a 7 game winning streak that catapulted the Bengals to 1st place in the AFC Central. The Bengals entered the playoff on a roll as they faced the Colts in the Divisional Playoffs in Baltimore. However, the Bengals found themselves overmatched losing 17-0 to the eventual Super Bowl Champions.

1971: The Bengals would mimic their start of the previous season by winning their first game and going on a long losing streak. However, this time the losing streak extended to 7 games, and despite the Bengals winning their next 3 to improve to 4-7 the Bengals would not repeat their magical run, and would finish with a 4-10 record after losing their final 3 games.

Bengals History - 11:21 AM, 7/3/2006

1968: Five years after being fired by the Cleveland Browns, Paul Brown finally got a team of his own with the Cincinnati Bengals, an AFL expansion team. The Bengals played their first game in San Diego on September 6th losing to the Chargers 29-13.  A at Nippert Stadium on the campus of University of Cincinnati the Bengals played their first home game beating the Denver Broncos 24-10. A week later the first year Bengals won again beating the Buffalo Bills 34-23. However the Bengals would come back down to earth winning just 1 of their last 11 games. One of the bright spots for the expansion Bengals was Paul Robinson who won the AFL Rookie of the Year by rushing for 1,023 yards while scoring 9 touchdowns.