Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team that plays in the National Football League (NFL). The team competes in the North Division of the American Football Conference. It plays its home games at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio.
The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League (AFL). Cincinnati joined the National Football League in 1970, when the AFL and NFL merged. The Bengals have appeared in Super Bowl XVI (played in 1982) and Super Bowl XXIII (played in 1989), but lost to the San Francisco 49ers both times. After a 9-7 record in 1990, the team did not post a winning record until 2005. From 2005 to 2015, the Bengals advanced to the playoffs seven times, though they never won a playoff game. In 2022, the Bengals advanced to Super Bowl LVI, but lost to the Los Angeles Rams.
Cincinnati Bengals legends have included quarterback Ken Anderson (1971-1986), wide receiver Cris Collinsworth (1981-1988), quarterback Boomer Esiason (1984-1997), wide receiver Chad Johnson (2001-2010), offensive tackle Anthony Munoz (1980-1992), quarterback Carson Palmer (2004-2010), and cornerback Ken Riley (1969-1983). Recent stars have included defensive tackle Geno Atkins, quarterbacks Joe Burrow and Anthony Dalton, wide receiver A. J. Green, and offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth.