The Cincinnati Bengals went into Super Bowl 56 with a less-than-stellar Super Bowl history in the game itself. Let’s take a look at the Bengals’ previous Super Bowl appearances, how many they have won, who they faced, and how the games went.
Cincinnati Bengals’ Super Bowl appearances
- Super Bowl XVI – January 24, 1982
- Super Bowl XXIII – January 22, 1989
- Super Bowl LVI – February 13, 2022
How many Super Bowls have the Bengals won?
Throughout their history, the Bengals have never won a Super Bowl.
What’s the Bengals’ Super Bowl record?
The Bengals have an 0-3 record following Super Bowl 56.
History of the Bengals’ Super Bowl opponents
Super Bowl 56 will make history for the Bengals franchise as they face a team other than the San Francisco 49ers for the first time. Interestingly, the Bengals have only ever faced teams from the NFC West when they made it to the Super Bowl.
Super Bowl XVI: San Francisco 49ers 26, Cincinnati Bengals 21
The Bengals’ first Super Bowl appearance came at the end of the 1981 season. Cincinnati went 12-4 during the regular season, winning the AFC Central and claiming the No. 1 seed. They defeated the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional Round before sweeping aside the San Diego Chargers in the Conference Championship.
However, things did not go to plan for the Bengals in the Super Bowl itself. In the first Super Bowl appearance in Bengals franchise history, they found themselves down 20-0 at the half. Despite a spirited fightback to 20-14 in the third quarter, the Bengals could never take the lead. Ray Wersching kicked a further 2 field goals to secure a 26-21 victory for the 49ers.
Super Bowl XXIII: San Francisco 49ers 20, Cincinnati Bengals 16
There was a lot of symmetry in the Bengals’ two Super Bowl appearances. In the 1989 season, they once again went 12-4, won the AFC Central Division, and took the No. 1 overall seed. Subsequently, they beat both the Seattle Seahawks and Buffalo Bills to head to Super Bowl XXIII in Miami.
This time, despite the opponent being the same, the Super Bowl took a different pattern. In a low-scoring game, the two teams were tied at 3-3 entering the half. After exchanging another field goal each in the third quarter, Stanford Jennings broke the game open with a 93-yard kickoff return touchdown. However, despite the Bengals once again taking the lead 16-13 in the fourth quarter, a touchdown pass from Joe Montana to John Taylor with 34 seconds remaining would see the 49ers victorious once again.
Super Bowl LVI: Los Angeles Rams 23, Cincinnati Bengals 20
The Bengals looked like they had a grasp on the game when they scored 10-straight points coming out of the half. However, the Rams scored a late touchdown to clinch the game and take a 23-20 victory. The Rams then stopped the Bengals on the final drive before the offense took a knee in victory formation to shut out the game.