Classic Bengals: The 50 Greatest Games in Cincinnati Bengals History

by Steve Watkins, Dick Maloney, Dave Lapham (Foreword by)

Overview

The stories behind the 50 greatest games in Bengals history, sure to spark much interest and argument among legions of loyal fans

Who 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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781606353608
Publisher:	Kent State University Press
Publication date:	11/13/2018
Series:	Classic Sports Series
Pages:	232
Sales rank:	1,064,569
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Steve Watkins is a reporter at the Cincinnati Business Courier. A native of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, and graduate of Carroll University, he has lived in Greater Cincinnati for more than 25 years and has attended plenty of Bengals games, including several featured in this book.

Dick Maloney, a Cincinnati journalist for over 34 years and a lifelong Bengals fan, currently works as a freelance journalist. As a sports editor, he was part of the award-winning sports department at the Community Press newspapers in Cincinnati.

Table of Contents

Foreword Dave Lapham ix

Acknowledgments xiii

Introduction xv

Bengals 50, Cowboys 24 xvii

#50 A Turnover in Roles: Bengals 34, Pittsburgh Steelers 10, October 14, 1979 1

#49 Turning Purple Black and Blue: Bengals 27, Minnesota Vikings 0, December 2, 1973 5

#48 Exit, Stage Right: Bengals 16, Baltimore Ravens 14, December 21, 1997 9

#47 Legitimate Contenders: Bengals 24, Kansas City Chiefs 19, September 28, 1969 12

#46 Lions and Tigers and Titles, Oh My!: Bengals 41, Detroit Lions 17, December 18, 2005 16

#45 November to Remember: Bengals 40, San Diego Chargers 17, November 8, 1981 20

#44 Off the Billboard: Bengals 23, Cleveland Browns 21, November 3, 1991 23

#43 Carl's in Charge: Bengals 25, Pittsburgh Steelers 20, October 11, 1998 27

#42 Overtime Gamble: Bengals 23, Cleveland Browns 20 (OT), October 4, 2009 31

#41 A Title-and Heavy Hearts: Bengals 17, Kansas City Chiefs 10, December 27, 2009 35

#40 Shuffling into Contention: Bengals 24, Cleveland Browns 17, September 25, 1988 39

#39 Taking the Right Road: Bengals 27, Baltimore Ravens 24, October 26, 2014 43

#38 Crumpled Dreams: Pittsburgh Steelers 31, Bengals 17 (AFC Playoffs), January 8, 2006 46

#37 Record-Shattering Day: Bengals 31, Denver Broncos 21, October 22, 2000 50

#36 A Star Is Born: Bengals 34, San Diego Chargers 20, September 21, 1969 55

#35 Staying Unbeaten: Bengals 16, Pittsburgh Steelers 10, November 1, 2015 60

#34 Running Wild: Bengals 41, Tennessee Oilers 14, December 4, 1997 63

#33 Champs Again: Bengals 27, Houston Oilers 24, December 16, 1973 67

#32 Same State, Different Corners: Bengals 14, Cleveland Browns 10, November 15, 1970 71

#31 Ripping off Superman's Cape: Bengals 13, New England Patriots 6, October 6, 2013 76

#30 Back on Top: Bengals 17, Pittsburgh Steelers 10, December 13, 1981 80

#29 Late Heroics … Again: Bengals 17, Baltimore Ravens 14, October 11, 2009 84

#28 Offensive Shootout: Bengals 58, Cleveland Browns 48, November 28, 2004 88

#27 Silver-and-Black Welcome Mat: Bengals 31, Oakland Raiders 21, September 20, 1970 92

#26 Busting into the Win Column: Bengals 24, Denver Broncos 10, September 15, 1968 96

#25 Steely Resolve: Bengals 23, Pittsburgh Steelers 20, September 27, 2009 100

#24 Road Warriors at Last: Bengals 27, Baltimore Ravens 26, December 5, 2004 104

#23 Juiced-Up: Bengals 33, Buffalo Bills 24, November 17, 1975 108

#22 Charging into the Playoffs: Bengals 47, San Diego Chargers 17, December 21, 1975 113

#21 Showtime: Bengals 34, Los Angeles Rams 31 (OT), October 7, 1990 117

#20 Frozen Blowout: Bengals 61, Houston Oilers 7, December 17, 1989 122

#19 Pinpoint Accuracy: Bengals 17, Pittsburgh Steelers 10, November 10, 1974 126

#18 A Guarantee Pays Off: Bengals 24, Kansas City Chiefs 19, November 16, 2003 130

#17 Roller-Coaster Ride: Bengals 34, Green Bay Packers 30, September 22, 2013 134

#16 A Pick, a Kick, and a Clinch: Bengals 13, Pittsburgh Steelers 10, December 23, 2012 139

#15 Playoff Heartbreak: Pittsburgh Steelers 18, Bengals 16 (AFC Playoffs), January 9, 2016 143

#14 Playoff Payoff: Bengals 45, Boston Patriots 7, December 20, 1970 148

#13 Who Are You Calling "Lowly"?: Bengals 27, Seattle Seahawks 21, September 6, 1981 152

#12 Comeback Kids: Bengals 27, Seattle Seahawks 24 (OT), October 11, 2015 155

#11 Belief Validated: Bengals 38, Pittsburgh Steelers 31, December 4, 2005 159

#10 Coming into Their Prime (Time): Bengals 37, Denver Broncos 28, December 22, 2014 163

#9 Tougher Than Texas: Bengals 41, Houston Oilers 14 (AFC Playoffs), January 6, 1991 167

#8 Take That, Americas Team: Bengals 50, Dallas Cowboys 24, December 8, 1985 171

#7 Falling Down on the Job: Bengals 21, Seattle Seahawks 13 (AFC Playoffs), December 31, 1988 175

#6 Just a Bit Short: San Francisco 49ers 26, Bengals 21 (Super Bowl XVI), January 24, 1982 180

#5 Saturday Celebration: Bengals 20, Washington Redskins 17 (OT), December 17, 1988 185

#4 Shufflin' Back to the Super Bowl: Bengals 21, Buffalo Bills 10 (AFC Championship Game), Januarys, 1989 190

#3 Bills Paid in Full: Bengals 28, Buffalo Bills 21 (AFC Playoffs), January 3, 1982 197

#2 Heartbreaker: San Francisco 49ers 20, Bengals 16 (Super Bowl XXIII), January 22, 1989 201

#1 The Freezer Bowl: Bengals 27, San Diego Chargers 7 (AFC Championship Game), January 10, 1982 205

Fifty Greatest Games, by Opponent 211

Nearest Misses 212

A Note about Sources 213