Bengals head to Super Bowl 2022: Cincinnati returns to the big stage for first time since 1988 season
The Bengals lost in both Super Bowls to Joe Montana and the 49ers
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Two years ago the Cincinnati Bengals found themselves at the bottom of the NFL with a 2-14 record.
On Sunday, the franchise secured their first Super Bowl appearance since the 1988 season and with it, a renewed hope for success.
Joe Burrow was drafted first overall in the 2020 NFL Draft but injury would prevent him from reaching his full potential. The following season he would take the Bengals to the playoffs for the first time since 2015, defeating the Las Vegas Raiders and Tennessee Titans before topping the Kansas City Chiefs in a thrilling 27-24 overtime victory.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}JOE BURROW HELPS BENGALS PUNCH SUPER BOWL LVI TICKET, SEPARATES HIMSELF FROM OTHER NFL QBS
Quarterback Joe Burrow #9 of the Cincinnati Bengals reacts after the Bengals defeated the Kansas City Chiefs to win the AFC Championship Game at Arrowhead Stadium on January 30, 2022 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Cincinnati now faces unfamiliar territory, reaching the Super Bowl for just the third time in franchise history.
SUPER BOWL XXIII (1988-1989)
Wide receiver John Taylor #82 of the San Francisco 49ers catches the game-winning 10-yard touchdown reception in the final moments of the 49ers 20-16 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl XXIII on January 22, 1989 at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Robert Riger/Getty Images)
Led by league MVP Boomer Esiason and under the direction of head coach Sam Wyche, Cincinnati went 12-4 in a season where they led the league in scoring, rushing yards and total yards.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}After defeating the Seattle Seahawks 21-13 and the Buffalo Bills 21-10 in the AFC Championship Game, the Bengals were off to the Super Bowl where they would take on the favored San Francisco 49ers led by two-time Super Bowl Champion Joe Montana.
Both teams battled it out for the first half, managing just three points apiece before the Bengals would eventually take the lead 16-13 but Montana, with just a little over a minute left, led an 11-play drive before connecting with wide receiver John Taylor for the game-winning touchdown.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}SUPER BOWL XVI (1981-1982)
Superbowl action in 1982 between the San Francisco 49ers and the Cincinnati Bengals, with Ken Anderson as quarterback for the Bengals. (Getty Images)
The Bengals rebounded from the previous season (6-10) to finish at the top of the AFC with a 12-4 record. Led by quarterback Ken Anderson, also awarded league MVP, Cincinnati reached the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history where they would take on Montana and the Niners.
San Francisco dominated the field for the first half, going up 20-0 before the Bengals managed to climb back cutting the deficit to 20-14 early in the fourth quarter. The 49ers would secure the lead with two field goals late in the game to win it all, 26-21.
The Bengals would face a similar fate in 1989.
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The Bengals avoided playing the 49ers for the third time after the Los Angeles Rams’ 20-17 in Sunday’s NFC Championship Game.