54th season in franchise history; 3rd Super Bowl appearance
The 2021 season was the Cincinnati Bengals' 52nd season in the National Football League (NFL), their 54th overall and their third under head coach Zac Taylor. They also played in new uniforms for the first time since 2004.[1] The Bengals finished with a 10–7 record, exceeding their win total from the previous two seasons combined. The Bengals clinched their first winning season, first playoff appearance, and first AFC North title since 2015. It also marked their first Super Bowl appearance since 1988.[2][3]
The Bengals began their playoff run by defeating the Las Vegas Raiders 26-19 in the wild-card round, winning their first playoff game since 1990, and ending what was the NFL's longest playoff win drought.[4] They beat the top-seeded Tennessee Titans 19-16 in the divisional round, which not only marked their first-ever playoff win on the road but also allowed them to advance to the AFC Championship game for the first time since 1988. They upset the second-seeded Kansas City Chiefs 27-24 in overtime. As a result, they advanced to Super Bowl LVI, their third Super Bowl in franchise history and first in 33 years.[5] Quarterback Joe Burrow became the first second-year quarterback since Russell Wilson in 2013 to reach a Super Bowl, and the first No. 1-picked QB to do so within their first two seasons. However, the Bengals lost to the Los Angeles Rams in the Super Bowl 23–20.
For first time since 2010, A. J. Green was not on the opening day roster.
Offseason
Free agents
- As of March 15, 2021[6]
Unrestricted
Restricted
Exclusive-Rights
Signings
Releases
Trades
Draft
Trades
- Seattle traded center B. J. Finney and Detroit's seventh-round selection (No. 235) to Cincinnati for defensive end Carlos Dunlap.
- Cincinnati traded Ryan Finley and seventh round selection (No. 248) to the Houston Texans in exchange for a sixth-round selection (No. 202).
- Cincinnati traded their second-round selection (38th overall) to the New England Patriots in exchange for the Patriots second-round selection (46th overall) and two fourth-round selections (122nd and 139th overall).
Undrafted free agents
The Bengals announced their Undrafted free agent class on May 14.[52]
Staff
Final roster
NFL Top 100
Preseason
The Bengals' preseason opponents and schedule were announced on May 12.
Regular season
Schedule
The Bengals 2021 schedule was announced on May 12.[57]
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries
Week 1: vs. Minnesota Vikings
Week 2: at Chicago Bears
Week 3: at Pittsburgh Steelers
This was Cincinnati's first win in Pittsburgh since 2015.
Week 4: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Week 4: Jacksonville Jaguars at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary
at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
The Bengals improved to 3–1 for the first time since 2018 with this win, despite only taking the lead with 4 seconds left in the game on a game winning Evan McPherson field goal. Burrow was recognized as the AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in this game, in which he completed 25 out of 32 passes for a total of 348 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions, posting a 132.8 passer rating.[58]
Week 5: vs. Green Bay Packers
Week 5: Green Bay Packers at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary
at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
Week 6: at Detroit Lions
Week 6: Cincinnati Bengals at Detroit Lions – Game summary
at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan
- Date: October 17
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
- Game attendance: 50,831
- Referee: Shawn Hochuli
- TV announcers (Fox): Chris Myers, Daryl Johnston and Jen Hale
- Recap, Game Book
Week 7: at Baltimore Ravens
Week 7: Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens – Game summary
at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland
- Date: October 24
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: Cloudy, 61 °F (16 °C)
- Game attendance: 70,659
- Referee: Tony Corrente
- TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan, Trent Green and Melanie Collins
- Recap, Game Book
Week 8: at New York Jets
Week 8: Cincinnati Bengals at New York Jets – Game summary
at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
- Date: October 31
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: Partly cloudy, 64 °F (18 °C)
- Game attendance: 67,503
- Referee: Craig Wrolstad
- TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan, Trent Green and Melanie Collins
- Recap, Game Book
Week 9: vs. Cleveland Browns
Week 9: Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary
at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
Week 11: at Las Vegas Raiders
Week 12: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 12: Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary
at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
- Date: November 28
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: Sunny, 44 °F (7 °C)
- Game attendance: 63,238
- Referee: Bill Vinovich
- TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan, Trent Green and Melanie Collins
- Recap, Game Book
With the win, the Bengals swept the Steelers for the first time since 2009.
Week 13: vs. Los Angeles Chargers
Week 13: Los Angeles Chargers at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary
at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
- Date: December 5
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: Cloudy, 51 °F (11 °C)
- Game attendance: 51,414
- Referee: Shawn Hochuli
- TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle, Charles Davis and Evan Washburn
- Recap, Game Book
Week 14: vs. San Francisco 49ers
Week 14: San Francisco 49ers at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary
at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
- Date: December 12
- Game time: 4:25 p.m. EST
- Game weather: Sunny, 45 °F (7 °C)
- Game attendance: 50,481
- Referee: Craig Wrolstad
- TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Adam Archuleta and AJ Ross
- Recap, Game Book
Week 15: at Denver Broncos
Week 15: Cincinnati Bengals at Denver Broncos – Game summary
at Empower Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado
- Date: December 19
- Game time: 4:05 p.m. EST/2:05 p.m. MST
- Game weather: Sunny, 61 °F (16 °C)
- Game attendance: 76,134
- Referee: Adrian Hill
- TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle, Charles Davis and Evan Washburn
- Recap, Game Book
Week 16: vs. Baltimore Ravens
Week 16: Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary
at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
- Date: December 26
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: Mostly sunny, 53 °F (12 °C)
- Game attendance: 63,922
- Referee: Clete Blakeman
- TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan, Trent Green and Melanie Collins
- Recap, Game Book
With the win this marks the first time since 2009 that the Bengals swept division rivals Pittsburgh and Baltimore in the same season.
Week 17: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Week 17: Kansas City Chiefs at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary
at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
- Date: January 2
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: Cloudy, 33 °F (1 °C)
- Game attendance: 64,505
- Referee: Ronald Torbert
- TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Tony Romo and Tracy Wolfson
- Recap, Game Book
Week 18: at Cleveland Browns
Week 18: Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns – Game summary
at FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
- Date: January 9
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: Rain, 37 °F (3 °C)
- Game attendance: 67,431
- Referee: Bill Vinovich
- TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma and Lindsay Czarniak
- Recap, GameBook
Standings
Division
Conference
Postseason
Schedule
Game summaries
AFC Wild Card Playoffs: vs. (5) Las Vegas Raiders
AFC Divisional Playoffs: at (1) Tennessee Titans
AFC Championship: at (2) Kansas City Chiefs
Super Bowl LVI: vs. (N4) Los Angeles Rams
[A]
Notes
- ^ a b c Despite being played in the Rams' home stadium, the Super Bowl is officially considered a neutral site game. The Bengals were the designated home team based on annual conference rotation.
Statistics
Team
Individual
Statistics correct as of the end of the 2021 NFL season[59][60]
References
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- ^ "Burrow, Bengals Chase Down AFC North Title With Classic 34-31 Winner Over Chiefs". www.bengals.com. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
- ^ "Bengals end 32-year playoff drought, beat Raiders with dramatic defensive stand". sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
- ^ "NFL playoffs in tatters as 49ers shock Packers and Bengals topple Titans". Associated Press. The Guardian. January 22, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
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External links
