October 16, 2026
October 16, 2026
1981 Cincinnati Bengals: The Jungle Awakes
The franchise began play in 1968, and for the first time, the Cincinnati Bengals reached the biggest stage of them all in the 1982 postseason after an impressive 1981 regular season. The 1981 Cincinnati Bengals were led by head coach and former player Forrest Gregg. The team was built on a steady 3-4 defense that was good at taking the ball away from opposing offenses. Cincinnati also had a reliable offense that kept a good balance between the running game and the passing game.
The Bengals went 12-4 in the regular season and finished four games ahead of the Pittsburgh Steelers to win the AFC Central division. Quarterback Ken Anderson completed 300 of 479 pass attempts for 3,754 yards and 29 touchdown passes. Fullback Pete Johnson was effective on the ground, rushing for 1,077 yards and 12 touchdowns on 274 attempts. Johnson also had 46 receptions for 320 yards and 4 touchdown catches.
The Bengals made a wise choice with the 37th pick, in the 2nd round of the 1981 NFL Draft, when they selected Cris Collinsworth, a wide receiver from the University of Florida. As a rookie, Collinsworth had 67 receptions for 1,009 yards and 8 touchdowns. Tight end Dan Ross had 71 receptions for 910 yards and 5 touchdowns. Wide receiver Isaac Curtis had 37 receptions for 609 yards and 2 touchdowns, and wide receiver Steve Kreider had 37 receptions for 520 yards and 5 touchdowns.
Most of the special teams production came from wide receiver David Verser, who had 691 yards on 29 kickoff returns.
The Bengals defense had plenty of highlights during the season. It kept opposing offenses at bay with a consistent pass rush and key takeaways. Cornerback Louis Breeden had 4 interceptions for 145 return yards and 1 touchdown. Cornerback Ken Riley had 5 interceptions, and outside linebacker Reggie Williams had 4. Outside linebacker Bo Harris had 2 interceptions for 92 yards. Strong safety Mike Fuller, inside linebackers Jim LeClair and Glenn Cameron, and linebacker Rick Razzano had 1 interception each.
The Bengals won in a variety of ways, in tight games and in blowouts. Their narrowest victory was a 31-30 win over the New York Jets in Week 2 on September 13. Cincinnati’s biggest win came against a Pittsburgh Steelers team that was fading fast from its glory days of the 1970s. The Bengals beat the Steelers 34-7 in Week 7 on October 18. The full season results are available at Pro Football Reference.
In the Divisional Round of the playoffs, the Bengals played the Buffalo Bills on January 3, 1982, and won a back-and-forth game 28-21. Ken Anderson went 14 for 21 for 192 yards and 1 touchdown. Running back Charles Alexander had 72 yards on 13 carries and scored 2 touchdowns. His first touchdown was a 4-yard run in the 1st quarter. Pete Johnson then scored on a 1-yard run to put the Bengals ahead early, 14-0. Bills running back Joe Cribbs put Buffalo on the board with a 1-yard touchdown run in the 2nd quarter, and he added a 44-yard touchdown run in the 3rd quarter.
Charles Alexander scored his 2nd touchdown on a 20-yard run to put the Bengals back on top 21-14. Buffalo quarterback Joe Ferguson then threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jerry Butler in the 4th quarter. Ken Anderson answered with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Cris Collinsworth to win the game for the Bengals.
The AFC Championship Game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the San Diego Chargers on January 10 became infamous for its extreme cold. Known as the “Freezer Bowl,” the game was played in an air temperature of -9 degrees, with a wind chill of -37 degrees and winds of 27 miles per hour. San Diego felt Cincinnati’s home-field advantage right away. The Bengals had already beaten the Chargers 40-17 in Week 10 on November 8, so they knew how to defend against quarterback Dan Fouts and the San Diego passing attack.
Kicker Jim Breech opened the scoring for Cincinnati with a 31-yard field goal. Anderson then threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to tight end M.L. Harris to put the Bengals up 10-0. San Diego’s only score came in the 2nd quarter, when Dan Fouts threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to tight end Kellen Winslow to make it 10-7.
The Bengals then pulled away in the cold. Pete Johnson punched in a 1-yard touchdown run going into halftime, and Jim Breech kicked a 38-yard field goal in the 3rd quarter. Anderson then threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Don Bass, who played both wide receiver and tight end, to secure the 27-7 victory. Ken Anderson went 14 of 22 for 161 yards and 2 touchdowns. Pete Johnson had 80 yards and 1 touchdown on 21 carries, and Dan Ross had 5 receptions for 69 yards.
The Cincinnati Bengals advanced to Super Bowl XVI to face the NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers at the Pontiac Silverdome on January 24, 1982. The night did not belong to the Bengals, though. The 49ers won 26-21 under head coach Bill Walsh and quarterback Joe Montana, who was named Super Bowl Most Valuable Player. San Francisco kicker Ray Wersching kicked 4 field goals, which tied the Super Bowl record for most field goals set by Green Bay Packers kicker Don Chandler in Super Bowl II.
Down 20-0 in the 3rd quarter, the Bengals fought back with everything they had. Ken Anderson started the comeback with a 5-yard touchdown run to make it 20-7. Anderson then threw two touchdown passes to Dan Ross, one from 4 yards out and the other from 3 yards out, but the Bengals ran out of time before they could score again.
The 1981 Cincinnati Bengals scored 3 touchdowns in Super Bowl XVI to the 49ers’ 2. That makes it the only Super Bowl where the losing team scored more touchdowns than the winning team.
Cris Collinsworth and Dan Ross became the 2nd pair of teammates to each have at least 100 receiving yards in a Super Bowl. The first pair was John Stallworth and Lynn Swann of the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XIII. Collinsworth had 5 receptions for 107 yards, and Ross had 11 receptions for 104 yards.
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