Bengals' final playoff fate stings even more when looking back at the last 50 years of NFL history
The Cincinnati Bengals went 9-8 in back-to-back years, and missed the playoffs both times. Cincinnati was officially eliminated from the postseason bracket when the Denver Broncos wrapped up a 38-0 shellacking over the Kansas City Chiefs to clinch the No. 7 seed in the AFC. The Chiefs never planned to give the Bengals the help they […]
The Cincinnati Bengals went 9-8 in back-to-back years, and missed the playoffs both times.
Cincinnati was officially eliminated from the postseason bracket when the Denver Broncos wrapped up a 38-0 shellacking over the Kansas City Chiefs to clinch the No. 7 seed in the AFC. The Chiefs never planned to give the Bengals the help they desperately needed.
Because of that, the Bengals will join some exclusive company along with another team that missed out on the playoffs this season.
Bengals join rare company after two years of falling just short
Nine wins is not a very strong win total to make the playoffs every year. Winning at least nine games two years in a row without clinching the postseason is a pretty rare feat. Only six teams experienced this two-year phenomena since the NFL merged with the AFL in 1970.
The Bengals became the seventh team when the Chiefs lost, and the Seattle Seahawks are joining the group as well.
Winning seasons are hard to accomplish in the NFL, but barely eclipsing .500 just isn't going to get it done most years. These teams learned that the hard way. The Dolphins had to learn it on two separate occasions!
Now you may be like Locked on Bengals co-host Jake Liscow and are wondering what the following seasons looked like for the six teams to come before the Bengals. The answers include three terrible years, two brief playoff appearances, and a Super Bowl title.
You could say there's hope for this Bengals team yet, but the range of historical outcomes is as wide as the Pacific Ocean.
All the Bengals needed was one more win this year and they'd be where the Broncos are at right now. Getting over the nine-win hump will be the top priority for Cincinnati when the 2025 season kicks off in September.
Bengals lock in a major franchise accomplishment whether or not they make the playoffs
Cincinnati finished with another winning record this season.
