Bengals have five playoff wins in last two years, five in franchise history before that

AFC Divisional Playoffs - Cincinnati Bengals v Buffalo Bills
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The Bengals’ run of success in the last two seasons has been unprecedented for the franchise in its history, with as many postseason wins just in the last two years as Cincinnati had in its franchise history before last year.

Sunday’s win over the Bills was the second of this year, and the Bengals won three playoff games on their way to the Super Bowl last year. Those five wins are half of all the wins the Bengals have in franchise history.

Prior to last season, the Bengals hadn’t won a playoff game since they beat the Houston Oilers in the wild card round after the 1990 season.

Before that, the Bengals had twice won two playoff games: They beat the Seahawks and Bills to get to the Super Bowl after the 1988 season, and beat the Bills and Chargers to get to the Super Bowl after the 1981 season.

The Bengals are already in the midst of their best two-year span in the 55-year history of the franchise, and this year’s playoff run isn’t over yet. And considering that Joe Burrow is only 26 years old and Ja'Marr Chase is only 22, it’s safe to say the Bengals are just beginning the best era of their franchise history.

37 responses to “Bengals have five playoff wins in last two years, five in franchise history before that

  1. Goes to show just how bad the Brown family has been. The Bengals need to win now because nothing has changed with the front office. It is still dominated by the Brown family and they’re cheap habits are going to come to the forefront when it’s time to pay everybody.

  2. Joe Burrow on Bengals’ Super Bowl Window: ‘The Window is My Whole Career’

  3. Thats my QB Joe cool is awesome and I hope the winning continues next week. Who Dey??

  4. A good QB and a good HC can change the trajectory of a franchise. Just easier said than done. But these chronically crappy franchises that keep getting to go to the well over and over with Top 5 picks are bound to hit every once in a while.

    Unless you’re the Browns.

  5. “it’s safe to say the Bengals are just beginning the best era of their franchise history.”

    If history is any indicator it is safe to say their ownership will be too cheap to keep a team around Chase and Burrow. They felt this way when Chad Johnson and Carson Palmer. Just enjoy the moment if you are a fan of this team. If you are as old as I you have seen other great chances to build a winning franchise go sideways with this ownership.

  6. patsfan4lifedynasty says:
    January 23, 2023 at 11:41 am
    Joe Burrow changed the Bengals like he changed LSU football.

    ————–

    LSU has a long history of winning.

  7. Its a fun time to be a Bengals fan. And I really enjoy cheering for a guy like BUrrow. Who Dey

  8. Goes to show just how bad the Brown family has been. The Bengals need to win now because nothing has changed with the front office. It is still dominated by the Brown family and they’re cheap habits are going to come to the forefront when it’s time to pay everybody.

    —————————————–

    oh look, another commenter that doesn’t know facts. No, it actually shows how competitive the NFL is and how difficult it is to win.

  9. Of course, there are more playoff rounds now. Is it really comparable?

    Ever so often, people suggest Ken Anderson for the Hall of Fame, but the paucity of Bengals playoff wins during this long time there make me give that second thoughts.

  10. patsfan4lifedynasty says:
    January 23, 2023 at 11:41 am
    Joe Burrow changed the Bengals like he changed LSU football.

    *****************************************
    Joe Burrow walked into a ready made NFL Team at LSU.

  11. The Bengals have built a great team around Joe Burrow. I see them as strong contenders for years to come. This was never going to happen with Andy Dalton at QB or Marvin Lewis as HC. They finally have the right pieces,especially a QB who doesn’t get rattled.

  12. They’ve done quite well drafting and developing, so there’s your reason. They’re like top 5 or so in cap space as well, so they’ve budgeted well here for Burrow’s big payday.

    That said, they kinda need to win the SB this year, because his 50 mil per year deal will be an issue moving forward, especially for Mike Brown, who is notorious for being cheap.

  13. The Bengals have built a great team around Joe Burrow. I see them as strong contenders for years to come. This was never going to happen with Andy Dalton at QB or Marvin Lewis as HC. They finally have the right pieces,especially a QB who doesn’t get rattled.
    ==========

    Lewis got to the Playoffs 6 of 7 seasons. 5 in a row.

    Good teams in a loaded conference with 3 HOF QBs where he didn’t have a legitimate shot.

  14. This article touches the tip of the iceberg. I’m not a fan of the franchise, but living in Ohio, I remember last year (2021-2022) they were 5-4 before the bye week. And that with a pretty bad defense, if I remember correctly. Nobody expected them to make the playoffs. When they did, they were underdogs in every game up to and including the super bowl. They spent the off-season revamping the O-Line and miraculously (for them) it worked. And here we are.

    Hats off. GOhio!

  15. They have to take advantage and win it all. Brown will only pay Burrow, not everyone else …

  16. Its a fun time to be a Bengals fan. And I really enjoy cheering for a guy like BUrrow. Who Dey
    ==========

    I’m jealous for sure.

    There was nothing like the early 90s when Favre and the Packers were coming on. I’ll never forget some of those early wins. Nothing like it.

  17. It amuses me to people calling the team cheat but obviously have no idea what’s going on. Mike Brown is cheap correct but he’s not running the team anymore. He’s the owner but day-to-day operations are with his daughter and granddaughter Katie and Elizabeth blackburn. Both of these ladies have proven more than capable I’m running this team. They have put money back into this team. Any Bengals fan who’s been around longer than 2 years you can tell just by going to the stadium the difference in who’s running the team day to day. They put improvements into the stadium into the game day activities and are building an indoor practice field which has been needed for decades this isn’t your daddy’s Bengals I wouldn’t get too used to them losing anymore

  18. It’s really amazing that one of the tightest owners in the NFL has had so much success recently. Unless things have changed Brown is the GM and they have a very small NFL staff. His net worth comes from the value of the team. He didn’t earn his money from another business. It’s actually good for the league that they are doing well. Compare this to Major League baseball with the exception of the Rays small market owners who don’t have big money rarely compete. Take the Pirates for example. Obviously no salary cap hurts but it’s more than that. Any team can become competitive in the NFL and win a Super Bowl. In MLB it’s a rarity. Parity makes the NFL a great sport which garner the highest ratings. The problem in baseball is no one in NY will watch a Texas Rangers/KC Royals game. No big TV contracts with shared revenue. Luxury tax helps but not enough. You would have to force teams in big markets to share larger portions of their profits and it’s not happening. Players would never agree to salary cap or non-guaranteed contracts.

  19. Everyone that says that the Bengals (and Brown family) doesn’t recall that Carson Palmer was the highest paid at the QB position when he was due. AJ Green was always taken care of. Awuzie got paid. Mixon got a good contract. Tyler Boyd got a good contract as well. Hendrickson got some cashish as well. The Brown family isn’t cheap. L’ael Collins, didn’t come at a bargain either. Yes, we’re going to lose some folks along the way (like any team that develops their own players typically does), but at the same time, this isn’t the same old Bengals.

  20. Don’t get too far ahead. Most things don’t turn out as expected. I thought Carson Palmer won a playoff game with them, no?

  21. What, no Bungles comment from Steeler fans? Oh wait, it’s their off-season I forgot!

  22. The Bengals of the 1980’s were a damn fine team. They got to the SB twice but both times ran into the 49ers and a guy named Montana. Both times they were the favorites and the 49ers just barely beat them. Their QB in the first one,former NFL MVP Kenny Anderson deserves HOF concideration and in my estimation was better than several QBs in the HOF.

  23. Football is just a great sport. It doesn’t of owe anything to the salary cap. In fact, one could argue the salary cap is an impediment to making the sport better. They could increase the rosters, but the cheap owners don’t want to pay more. The salary cap in the NFL allows owners to be cheap and make an excuse that OMG they just can’t spend anymore, how sad, when in reality they like it this way. For the things these players put themselves through in football, they should be paid much more and have the protection a guaranteed contract provides.

  24. orivar says:
    January 23, 2023 at 11:28 am
    It is still dominated by the Brown family and they’re cheap habits are going to come to the forefront when it’s time to pay everybody.
    ____________________________________________________________________

    There’s a salary cap and the Bengals pay right up to it, they’ll keep who they can and some players will have to go. Other than the Rams, pretty much everyone does. Rams broke the code and that worked awesome for a few years but it looks like they’re paying for that now. The Brown family was cheap with facilities and equipment, but that ended with Marvin Lewis. The cheap Brown family narrative is tired and worn out, find something else to complain about.

  25. Better Win now. Going to have Burrow $50-60 million a year soon. Then Higgins 35 and Chase 40. They will only be able to afford to put 50 Bungles around them.

  26. BuckyBadger says:
    January 23, 2023 at 11:48 am
    “it’s safe to say the Bengals are just beginning the best era of their franchise history.”

    If history is any indicator it is safe to say their ownership will be too cheap to keep a team around Chase and Burrow. They felt this way when Chad Johnson and Carson Palmer. Just enjoy the moment if you are a fan of this team. If you are as old as I you have seen other great chances to build a winning franchise go sideways with this ownership.
    ________________________________________________________________________

    It feels so silly to defend a Billionaire, BUT….look at the salary cap. The Bengals spend up to it every year. Their problem was that they did not spend wisely, they did not cut aging players, they were too loyal and Marvin Lewis (or Duke Tobin or Mike Brown) drafted players that could not stay on the field due to off field troubles. Carson Palmer wasn’t half the player after his knee injury, Chad Johnson was too much of a diva (hopefully we don’t see that from Tee or Chase). Chad was VERY well paid, Carson was the highest paid QB at one time. These guys will get paid, but the rest of the team better be well drafted because of course guys are gonna walk in FA so the team can stay under the cap.

  27. doctorrumack says:
    January 23, 2023 at 12:25 pm
    Goes to show just how bad the Brown family has been. The Bengals need to win now because nothing has changed with the front office. It is still dominated by the Brown family and they’re cheap habits are going to come to the forefront when it’s time to pay everybody.

    —————————————–

    oh look, another commenter that doesn’t know facts. No, it actually shows how competitive the NFL is and how difficult it is to win.

    ————

    Which is why a good organizations have overwhelmingly eclipsed the Bengals over the same time period, with the common denominator being what again? Oh yeah, ownership. What song fan bases have to learn the hard way. Like the Jerry lead Cowboys or the Pegula owned Bills. They better win the Super Bowl this year or next, because it is going to get bad afterwards

  28. They had a lot of top picks their time was due, and it happened when Brown got rid of some bad coaches.

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