How Many Times Have the Bengals Faced an Opponent on a Winning Streak of at Least 8 Games?

CINCINNATI – The Cincinnati Bengals will have a chance to snap the longest active winning streak in the league Sunday when the New England Patriots visit Paycor Stadium.

The Patriots are 9-2 and tied with the Denver Broncos for the best record in the league, and they are riding an eight-game winning streak after a 1-2 start.

This will mark the eighth time in Bengals franchise history they have faced a team with a winning streak of at least eight games.

The most recent instance came in 2021 and marked one of the two times Cincinnati has snapped a winning streak of at least eight games.

It was Week 17, and the Chiefs came to town with an eight-game winning streak and an 11-4 overall record.

But Ja’Marr Chase set the Bengals record for receiving yards with 266 to lead the team to a 34-31 upset as 4-point underdogs.

The only time the Bengals snapped a streak of that length came in 2003, also at home, also against the Chiefs.

Dick Vermeil’s team started the season 9-0, but Cincinnati wide receiver Chad Johnson guaranteed a victory, and his teammates backed him up with a 24-19 upset.

The Bengals were 4-5 and entered the game as 6-point underdogs. The win helped kickstart the Marvin Lewis era.

Here are the five times Cincinnati was unable to snap the opponent’s winning streak of at least eight games.

2020

The Pittsburgh Steelers were 8-0 and favored by 6.5 points when they trounced the Bengals and rookie quarterback Joe Burrow by a score of 36-10.

The Steelers went on to go 11-0 before losing five of their next six, including a Monday night game in Cincinnati and a Wild-Card playoff game against the Browns.

2009

The then San Diego Chargers were 10-3 and winners of 8-0 when the Bengals came to town in Week 15, just three days after the death of wide receiver Chris Henry.

Cincinnati, which was a 7-point underdog, tied the game 24-24 with 0:54 seconds to go, but the defense allowed Philip Rivers to drive the Chargers into position for a Nate Kaeding 52-yard field goal with three seconds left.

2005

Peyton Manning and the 9-0 Indianapolis Colts came to Cincinnati to face the 7-2 Bengals in Week 11.

The Colts entered as 4.5-point favorites and jumped out to a 14-3 lead, but the Bengals closed to within 35-34 early in the third quarter on a Carson Palmer to Chris Henry 15-yard touchdown pass.

Indianapolis answered with an Edgerrin James touchdown run and went on to win 45-37.

1976

The 11-1 Oakland Raiders rode an eight-game winning streak into their Monday night matchup against the 9-2 Bengals.

The Raiders were slight 1.5-point favorites at home and fell behind 6-0 on a Ken Anderson to John McDaniel 40-yard touchdown pass early in the game.

But Ken Stabler threw back-to-back touchdown strikes to Dave Casper to give Oakland a 14-6 lead at the end of the first quarter, and the Raiders went on to win 35-20.

1975

The longest winning streak the Bengals have ever attempted to stop came on a mild 45-degree day in mid-December when the 11-1 Steelers rode into town having won 10 straight.

Pittsburgh entered as a 7.5-point favorite against 10-2 Cincinnati, and the Steelers had the spread covered by the end of the first quarter on a Terry Bradshaw touchdown pass to Lynn Swann and a J.T. Thomas 21-yard fumble return for a score.

The Steelers went on to win 35-14.