The Cincinnati Bengals are an NFL franchise based in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Bengals compete in the NFL as a member of the Northern Division of the American Conference. Their home is Paul Brown Stadium in downtown Cincinnati. On February 4, 2019, Zac Taylor was hired as head coach by the Cincinnati Bengals. The new head coach lost his debut against the Seattle Seahawks by a score of 21-20. Taylor and the Bengals would continue to lose their next ten games, posting a record of 0-11, the worst start to a season in the history of the franchise.

The Bengals were founded in 1966 as a member of the American Football League (AFL) by former Cleveland Browns head coach Paul Brown. After being fired as head coach of the Browns by Art Modell in January 1963, Brown showed interest in establishing another NFL franchise in Ohio and looked to both Cincinnati and Columbus. Finally, he chose the former when an agreement was reached between Brown, the city, and the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball.

The Bengals won the AFC championship in 1981 and 1988, but lost the Super Bowl XVI and XXIII to the San Francisco 49ers. After Paul Brown's death in 1991, the dominant interest in the team was inherited by his son, Mike Brown. In 2011, Brown purchased shares of the team from the estate of co-founder Austin Knowlton and is now the majority owner of the Bengals franchise.

The 1990s and 2000s were a period of great struggle. After the 1990 season, the team spent fourteen years without achieving a positive record or making the playoffs. The Bengals had several head coaches and several of their best draft teams were unsuccessful. Mike Brown, the team's general manager, was ranked as one of the worst team owners in the NFL.

Since the mid-2000s, the team's fortunes have improved. Two years after becoming head coach, Marvin Lewis led the Bengals to their first winning season in the AFC and their first division title in over a decade. After the acquisition of Andy Dalton as quarterback in 2011, the Bengals made the playoffs every season until 2016. The Bengals' draftsmen are also highly promoted, leading to a consistency that the franchise has not had, however, the team has not been able to win a playoff game since 1990. The Bengals are one of 12 NFL teams that have not won a Super Bowl and are also one of 8 NFL teams that have been to at least one Super Bowl but have never won the game.

American Football Conference | AFC

National Football Conference | NFC