Cincinnati Bengals - American football team

The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in 1966, the Bengals have a long history of ups and downs, but in recent years, they have made significant strides towards becoming a breakout team in the NFL.

The Bengals began their journey as a professional football team in 1968 when they joined the AFL (American Football League). However, they struggled to find success in their early years, finishing with a record of 1-13 in their inaugural season. Despite this rough start, the team continued to develop and eventually earned their first playoff berth in 1970.

The Bengals reached the playoffs for the second time in 1973, and the third time in 1975. However, they lost in the first round each time. The team finally broke through in 1981 when they won the AFC Championship and earned a trip to Super Bowl XVI. Although they lost the game to the San Francisco 49ers, it was a significant achievement for a franchise that had struggled for so long.

The Bengals' success continued throughout the 1980s, with the team earning six playoff appearances and two trips to the Super Bowl. However, they were unable to win a championship during this period, losing both Super Bowl appearances.

After a decade of relative success, the Bengals began to struggle again in the 1990s. They only made the playoffs twice during the decade and were unable to advance past the first round. The team's struggles continued into the 2000s, with only two playoff appearances between 2000 and 2009.

However, the team's fortunes began to change in 2011 when they drafted quarterback Andy Dalton in the second round of the NFL draft. Dalton quickly became a key player for the Bengals, leading them to the playoffs in each of his first five seasons with the team. Despite these appearances, the Bengals were unable to advance past the first round of the playoffs during this period.

In 2016, the Bengals suffered a setback when Dalton suffered an injury that forced him to miss the final three games of the season. The team finished with a record of 6-9-1 and missed the playoffs for the first time in six seasons.

Since then, the Bengals have been working to rebuild their roster and return to the playoffs. They drafted quarterback Joe Burrow with the first overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft, hoping he would become the franchise quarterback that would lead them to the promised land. Burrow had a solid rookie season, but his campaign was cut short when he suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 11.

Despite Burrow's injury, the Bengals have continued to make progress. They finished the 2020 season with a record of 4-11-1, but they were competitive in many of their games and showed signs of promise. In the 2021 NFL season, the team made significant improvements, finishing with a record of 10-7 and earning a trip to the playoffs for the first time since 2015.

The Bengals' breakout season was due in large part to the excellent play of Burrow, who finished the year with 4,611 passing yards and 34 touchdowns. He was aided by a strong supporting cast, including wide receivers Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins and running back Joe Mixon.

Defensively, the Bengals also showed significant improvement in 2021. The team allowed an average of 22.9 points per game, which was a significant improvement from their 2020 average of 26.5 points per game.

The Bengals' success in 2021 culminated in a playoff victory over the Las Vegas Raiders