Classic Bengals

Watkins Steve

Description

The stories behind the 50 greatest games in Bengals history, sure to spark much interest and argument among legions of loyal fansWho can forget the famous "Freezer Bowl" AFC championship victory over the San Diego Chargers or the heart-stopping Super Bowl classic against the San Francisco 49ers and Joe Montana? Watkins and Maloney set the stage for these and other memorable games, detailing the big plays, stunning comebacks, and fantastic finishes and painting a picture that makes fans feel as though they were there. Classic Bengals: The 50 Greatest Games in Cincinnati Bengals History includes a list of the 50 greatest games by opponent, "near misses" that almost made the list, stats on each game, and an insightful foreword from "Mr. Bengal," Dave Lapham, who has played or broadcast games for the team in 42 of its 50 seasons.

Sujets

• USA
• Fútbol americano
• American football
• États-Unis
• Ohio

Informations

• Publié par: Kent State University Press
• Date de parution: 13 novembre 2018
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781631013577
• Langue: English

Extrait

Classic Bengals
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Classic Bengals: The 50 Greatest Games in Cincinnati Bengals History
S TEVE W ATKINS AND D ICK M ALONEY
Classic Bengals
THE 50 GREATEST GAMES IN CINCINNATI BENGALS HISTORY
Steve Watkins and Dick Maloney
BLACK SQUIRREL BOOKS ® ®
Kent, Ohio
BLACK SQUIRREL BOOKS ® ®
Frisky, industrious black squirrels are a familiar sight on the Kent State University campus and the inspiration for Black Squirrel Books ® , a trade imprint of The Kent State University Press. www.KentStateUniversityPress.com .
Copyright © 2018 by Steve Watkins and Dick Maloney
Foreword copyright © 2018 by The Kent State University Press, Kent, Ohio 44242
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be used or reproduced, in any manner whatsoever, without written permission from the Publisher, except in the case of short quotations in critical reviews or articles.
ISBN 978-1-60635-360-8
Manufactured in the United States of America
Cataloging information for this title is available at the Library of Congress.
22  21  20  19  18     5  4  3  2  1
Contents
Foreword by Dave Lapham
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Bengals 50, Cowboys 24
#50 A Turnover in Roles
Bengals 34, Pittsburgh Steelers 10, October 14, 1979
#49 Turning Purple Black and Blue
Bengals 27, Minnesota Vikings 0, December 2, 1973
#48 Exit, Stage Right
Bengals 16, Baltimore Ravens 14, December 21, 1997
#47 Legitimate Contenders
Bengals 24, Kansas City Chiefs 19, September 28, 1969
#46 Lions and Tigers and Titles, Oh My!
Bengals 41, Detroit Lions 17, December 18, 2005
#45 November to Remember
Bengals 40, San Diego Chargers 17, November 8, 1981
#44 Off the Billboard
Bengals 23, Cleveland Browns 21, November 3, 1991
#43 Carl’s in Charge
Bengals 25, Pittsburgh Steelers 20, October 11, 1998
#42 Overtime Gamble
Bengals 23, Cleveland Browns 20 (OT), October 4, 2009
#41 A Title—and Heavy Hearts
Bengals 17, Kansas City Chiefs 10, December 27, 2009
#40 Shuffling into Contention
Bengals 24, Cleveland Browns 17, September 25, 1988
#39 Taking the Right Road
Bengals 27, Baltimore Ravens 24, October 26, 2014
#38 Crumpled Dreams
Pittsburgh Steelers 31, Bengals 17 (AFC Playoffs), January 8, 2006
#37 Record-Shattering Day
Bengals 31, Denver Broncos 21, October 22, 2000
#36 A Star Is Born
Bengals 34, San Diego Chargers 20, September 21, 1969
#35 Staying Unbeaten
Bengals 16, Pittsburgh Steelers 10, November 1, 2015
#34 Running Wild
Bengals 41, Tennessee Oilers 14, December 4, 1997
#33 Champs Again
Bengals 27, Houston Oilers 24, December 16, 1973
#32 Same State, Different Corners
Bengals 14, Cleveland Browns 10, November 15, 1970
#31 Ripping off Superman’s Cape
Bengals 13, New England Patriots 6, October 6, 2013
#30 Back on Top
Bengals 17, Pittsburgh Steelers 10, December 13, 1981
#29 Late Heroics … Again
Bengals 17, Baltimore Ravens 14, October 11, 2009
#28 Offensive Shootout
Bengals 58, Cleveland Browns 48, November 28, 2004
#27 Silver-and-Black Welcome Mat
Bengals 31, Oakland Raiders 21, September 20, 1970
#26 Busting into the Win Column
Bengals 24, Denver Broncos 10, September 15, 1968
#25 Steely Resolve
Bengals 23, Pittsburgh Steelers 20, September 27, 2009
#24 Road Warriors at Last
Bengals 27, Baltimore Ravens 26, December 5, 2004
#23 Juiced-Up
Bengals 33, Buffalo Bills 24, November 17, 1975
#22 Charging into the Playoffs
Bengals 47, San Diego Chargers 17, December 21, 1975
#21 Showtime
Bengals 34, Los Angeles Rams 31 (OT), October 7, 1990
#20 Frozen Blowout
Bengals 61, Houston Oilers 7, December 17, 1989
#19 Pinpoint Accuracy
Bengals 17, Pittsburgh Steelers 10, November 10, 1974
#18 A Guarantee Pays Off
Bengals 24, Kansas City Chiefs 19, November 16, 2003
#17 Roller-Coaster Ride
Bengals 34, Green Bay Packers 30, September 22, 2013
#16 A Pick, a Kick, and a Clinch
Bengals 13, Pittsburgh Steelers 10, December 23, 2012
#15 Playoff Heartbreak
Pittsburgh Steelers 18, Bengals 16 (AFC Playoffs), January 9, 2016
#14 Playoff Payoff
Bengals 45, Boston Patriots 7, December 20, 1970
#13 Who Are You Calling “Lowly”?
Bengals 27, Seattle Seahawks 21, September 6, 1981
#12 Comeback Kids
Bengals 27, Seattle Seahawks 24 (OT), October 11, 2015
#11 Belief Validated
Bengals 38, Pittsburgh Steelers 31, December 4, 2005
#10 Coming into Their Prime (Time)
Bengals 37, Denver Broncos 28, December 22, 2014
  #9 Tougher Than Texas
Bengals 41, Houston Oilers 14 (AFC Playoffs), January 6, 1991
  #8 Take That, America’s Team
Bengals 50, Dallas Cowboys 24, December 8, 1985
  #7 Falling Down on the Job
Bengals 21, Seattle Seahawks 13 (AFC Playoffs), December 31, 1988
  #6 Just a Bit Short
San Francisco 49ers 26, Bengals 21 (Super Bowl XVI), January 24, 1982
  #5 Saturday Celebration
Bengals 20, Washington Redskins 17 (OT), December 17, 1988
  #4 Shufflin’ Back to the Super Bowl
Bengals 21, Buffalo Bills 10 (AFC Championship Game), January 8, 1989
  #3 Bills Paid in Full
Bengals 28, Buffalo Bills 21 (AFC Playoffs), January 3, 1982
  #2 Heartbreaker
San Francisco 49ers 20, Bengals 16 (Super Bowl XXIII), January 22, 1989
  #1 The Freezer Bowl
Bengals 27, San Diego Chargers 7 (AFC Championship Game), January 10, 1982
Fifty Greatest Games, by Opponent
Nearest Misses
A Note about Sources
Foreword
Dave Lapham
The Bengals’ 50th anniversary is a significant milestone. I have been blessed to be involved with the franchise for 42 of those 50 years: 10 as a player and 32 in the broadcast booth. During those four-plus decades, I have been fortunate to witness great performances and games played by extraordinarily talented players. I have also seen some stinkers and everything in between: the good, the bad, and the ugly. I’ll rekindle some good and bad memories here.
The decade of the 1980s is so memorable, with both Bengals’ Super Bowl appearances. Forrest Gregg’s 1981 team accomplished so many firsts: first to win 12 games; Ken Anderson was the first Bengal to win the NFL’s MVP award; first playoff victory in franchise history, 28–21, over the Buffalo Bills; first AFC championship with the legendary 27–7 “Freezer Bowl” victory against the San Diego Chargers.
Believe me, a wind chill of 59 degrees below zero was no joke. We ran around on the frozen carpet at Riverfront Stadium for three and a half hours and never came close to breaking a sweat. I remember thawing out some in the cozy locker room at halftime and then realizing how brutally cold it was going to be for another half of football. Super Bowl XVI was decided by the turnover margin. Going minus-three in that department was too much to overcome. Add a 49ers defensive goal-line stand to the equation, and it was a miracle the final score was 26–21. To suffer through a subpar performance in the most significant game of our lives is still by far the biggest disappointment of my career.
The 1988 Bengals were led by no-huddle, trendsetting head coach Sam Wyche and NFL MVP Boomer Esiason. Twelve regular season wins earned the Bengals the No. 1 seed in the playoffs. Who can forget Seattle Seahawks defensive lineman Joe Nash being told by coach Chuck Knox to fake injuries to stop the clock and neutralize the Bengals’ up-tempo no-huddle attack in a 21–13 Bengals playoff win. Or Bills coach Marv Levy then trying to get the NFL to outlaw the no-huddle for the AFC Championship game—in which the Bengals still prevailed. And, of course there was Super Bowl XXIII. When Stanford Jennings gave the Bengals a 13–6 lead with his 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, it was pandemonium. Joe Montana’s touchdown pass to John Taylor with 34 seconds left was a knife to the heart.
Playing in and broadcasting Super Bowls was incredible, indescribable. Not many people have been so fortunate.
The Bengals qualified for the playoffs seven times in their first 35 years. In the 15 years Marvin Lewis has been the head coach, there have been seven more playoff trips. I remember how exciting it was in 2005, when the Bengals finally made the playoffs after a 14-year drought. Carson Palmer and Chris Henry both suffered knee injuries after hooking up on a 66-yard Bengals playoff-record pass play, and a 17–14 lead over the Steelers evaporated and became a 31–17 defeat.
In their next trip to the playoffs four years later, Cedric Benson rushed 21 times for 169 yards and a touchdown. But it wasn’t enough. The Bengals bowed to the Jets, 24–14. Making the playoffs five straight seasons, from 2011 to 2015, is a club record. Unfortunately, the last taste of sweet nectar from a playoff win is still Jan. 6, 1991, in a 41–14 win over the Houston Oilers.
More memories from games other than playoff matchups:

• Ken Anderson going 20-for-22 vs. Pittsburgh in 1974; winning passing titles in 1974, 1975, 1981, and 1982; and completing an NFL-record 20 straight passes vs. the Houston Oilers at the Astrodome at the end of the 1982 season, showing the accurate arm of my former roommate.
• Corey Dillon, a fierce finisher and powerful runner, breaking the NFL single-game rushing record with a 278-yard performance against the Denver Broncos in 2000.
• Mike Reid getting five sacks in a game vs. Ed Budde in Kansas City in 1974.
• Coy Bacon’s 22-sack season in 1977.
• The irrepressible Boomer Esiason’s 490-yard pass