| Team: | Cincinnati Bengals |
| Year: | 2021 |
| Record: | 10–7 |
| Division Place: | 1st AFC North |
| Coach: | Zac Taylor |
| Owner: | Mike Brown |
| Stadium: | Paul Brown Stadium |
| Playoffs: | Won Wild Card Playoffs (vs. Raiders) 26–19 Won Divisional Playoffs (at Titans) 19–16 Won AFC Championship (at Chiefs) 27–24 Lost Super Bowl LVI (vs. Rams) 20–23 |
| Pro Bowlers: | WR Ja'Marr Chase RB Joe Mixon DE Trey Hendrickson |
| Ap All-Pros: | WR Ja'Marr Chase (2nd team) |
| Shortnavlink: | Bengals seasons |
The 2021 season was the Cincinnati Bengals' 52nd season in the National Football League (NFL), their 54th overall and their third under head coach Zac Taylor. They also played in new uniforms for the first time since 2004.[1] The Bengals finished with a 10–7 record, exceeding their win total from the previous two seasons combined. The Bengals clinched their first winning season, first playoff appearance, and first AFC North title since 2015. It also marked their first Super Bowl appearance since 1988.[2] [3]
The Bengals began their playoff run by defeating the Las Vegas Raiders 26-19 in the wild-card round, winning their first playoff game since 1990, and ending what was the NFL's longest playoff win drought.[4] They beat the top-seeded Tennessee Titans 19-16 in the divisional round, which not only marked their first-ever playoff win on the road but also allowed them to advance to the AFC Championship game for the first time since 1988. They upset the second-seeded Kansas City Chiefs 27-24 in overtime. As a result, they advanced to Super Bowl LVI, their third Super Bowl in franchise history and first in 33 years.[5] Quarterback Joe Burrow became the first second-year quarterback since Russell Wilson in 2013 to reach a Super Bowl, and the first No. 1-picked QB to do so within their first two seasons. However, the Bengals lost to the Los Angeles Rams in the Super Bowl 23–20.
For first time since 2010, A. J. Green was not on the opening day roster.
| Position | Player | 2021 Team | Date signed | Contract | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CB | Mackensie Alexander | Minnesota Vikings | March 26[6] | 1 year, $1.127 million | |
| QB | Brandon Allen | Cincinnati Bengals | March 10[7] | 1 year, $1.5 million | |
| K | Randy Bullock | Detroit Lions | March 18[8] | 1 year, $1.5 million | |
| MLB | Josh Bynes | Carolina Panthers | August 11[9] | 1 year, $850K | |
| TE | Cethan Carter | Miami Dolphins | March 15[10] | 3 years, $7.8 million | |
| DT | Christian Covington | Los Angeles Chargers | May 10[11] | 1 year, $990K | |
| DT | Mike Daniels | Cincinnati Bengals | March 31[12] | 1 year, $2.5 million | |
| WR | Alex Erickson | Houston Texans | March 18[13] | 1 year, $1.2 million | |
| OLB | Jordan Evans | Cincinnati Bengals | March 28[14] | 1 year, $1.127 million | |
| WR | A. J. Green | Arizona Cardinals | March 17[15] | 1 year, $8 million | |
| LS | Clark Harris | Cincinnati Bengals | March 3[16] | 1 year, $1.2 million | |
| P | Kevin Huber | Cincinnati Bengals | March 22[17] | 1 year, $1.637 million | |
| DE | Margus Hunt | Arizona Cardinals | August 11[18] | 1 year, $1.075 million | |
| CB | William Jackson III | Washington Football Team | March 16[19] | 3 years, $42 million | |
| DE | Carl Lawson | New York Jets | March 15[20] | 3 years, $45 million | |
| RB | Samaje Perine | Cincinnati Bengals | March 17[21] | 2 years, $3.3 million | |
| G | Alex Redmond | New England Patriots | May 17[22] | 1 year, $1.080 million | |
| WR | John Ross | New York Giants | March 16[23] | 1 year, $2.5 million | |
| CB | LeShaun Sims | ||||
| G | Quinton Spain | Cincinnati Bengals | March 23[24] | 1 year, $1.127 million | |
| WR | Mike Thomas | Cincinnati Bengals | March 18[25] | 1 year, $1.015 million | |
| S | Shawn Williams | Arizona Cardinals | March 29[26] | 1 year, $1.075 million | |
| DT | Xavier Williams | Arizona Cardinals | June 7[27] | 1 year, $990K | |
| FS | Brandon Wilson | Cincinnati Bengals | March 16[28] | 2 years, $4.625 million |
| Position | Player | 2021 Team | Date signed | Contract |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE | Amani Bledsoe | Cincinnati Bengals | March 31[30] | 1 year, $780K |
| CB | Jalen Davis | Cincinnati Bengals | March 3[31] | 1 year, $850K |
| Position | Player | 2020 team | Date signed | Contract |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE | Trey Hendrickson | New Orleans Saints | March 15[32] | 4 years, $60 million |
| CB | Chidobe Awuzie | Dallas Cowboys | March 16[33] | 3 years, $21.75 million |
| CB | Mike Hilton | Pittsburgh Steelers | March 16[34] | 4 years, $24 million |
| DT | Larry Ogunjobi | Cleveland Browns | March 17[35] | 1 year, $6.2 million |
| OT | Riley Reiff | Minnesota Vikings | March 19[36] | 1 year, $7.5 million |
| CB | Eli Apple | Carolina Panthers | March 23[37] | 1 year, $1.2 million |
| S | Ricardo Allen | Atlanta Falcons | March 24[38] | 1 year, $1.49 million |
| TE | Thaddeus Moss | Washington Football Team | April 12[39] | 1 year, $660K |
| WR | Trent Taylor | San Francisco 49ers | May 17[40] | 1 year, $920K |
| S | Kavon Frazier | Miami Dolphins | May 27[41] | 1 year, $990K |
| WR | Reece Horn | Tampa Bay Vipers (XFL) | July 26[42] | 1 year, $660K |
| Position | Player | Date released | 2021 team | Contract | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | B. J. Finney | March 5[43] | Pittsburgh Steelers[44] | 1 year, $1.127 million | |
| DT | Geno Atkins | March 19[45] | |||
| OT | Bobby Hart | March 19 | Buffalo Bills[46] | 1 year, $1.127 million | |
| RB | Giovani Bernard | April 7[47] | Tampa Bay Buccaneers[48] | 1 year, $1.075 million |
See main article: 2021 NFL draft.
Trades
The Bengals announced their Undrafted free agent class on May 14.[51]
| Player | Position | College | Date | Cut |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RB | May 14[52] | August 31[53] | ||
| TE | August 16[54] | |||
| Antonio Phillips | CB | August 31 | ||
| DE | ||||
| Riley Lees | WR | August 16 | ||
| P | August 31 | |||
| Gunnar Vogel | OT | July 27[55] |
See main article: NFL Top 100 Players of 2021.
| Rank | Player | Position | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 73 | DE | N/A | ||
| 90 | FS | N/A |
The Bengals' preseason opponents and schedule were announced on May 12.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 19–14 | 1–0 | Raymond James Stadium | Recap | ||
| 2 | at Washington Football Team | L 13–17 | 1–1 | FedExField | Recap | ||
| 3 | August 29 | Miami Dolphins | L 26–29 | 1–2 | Paul Brown Stadium | Recap |
The Bengals 2021 schedule was announced on May 12.[56]
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 12 | Minnesota Vikings | W 27–24 ( | 1–0 | Paul Brown Stadium | Recap | |
| 2 | September 19 | at Chicago Bears | L 17–20 | 1–1 | Soldier Field | Recap | |
| 3 | September 26 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | W 24–10 | 2–1 | Heinz Field | Recap | |
| 4 | Jacksonville Jaguars | W 24–21 | 3–1 | Paul Brown Stadium | Recap | ||
| 5 | October 10 | Green Bay Packers | L 22–25 | 3–2 | Paul Brown Stadium | Recap | |
| 6 | October 17 | at Detroit Lions | W 34–11 | 4–2 | Ford Field | Recap | |
| 7 | October 24 | at Baltimore Ravens | W 41–17 | 5–2 | M&T Bank Stadium | Recap | |
| 8 | October 31 | at New York Jets | L 31–34 | 5–3 | MetLife Stadium | Recap | |
| 9 | November 7 | Cleveland Browns | L 16–41 | 5–4 | Paul Brown Stadium | Recap | |
| 10 | Bye | ||||||
| 11 | November 21 | at Las Vegas Raiders | W 32–13 | 6–4 | Allegiant Stadium | Recap | |
| 12 | November 28 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 41–10 | 7–4 | Paul Brown Stadium | Recap | |
| 13 | December 5 | Los Angeles Chargers | L 22–41 | 7–5 | Paul Brown Stadium | Recap | |
| 14 | December 12 | San Francisco 49ers | L 23–26 | 7–6 | Paul Brown Stadium | Recap | |
| 15 | December 19 | at Denver Broncos | W 15–10 | 8–6 | Empower Field at Mile High | Recap | |
| 16 | December 26 | Baltimore Ravens | W 41–21 | 9–6 | Paul Brown Stadium | Recap | |
| 17 | January 2 | Kansas City Chiefs | W 34–31 | 10–6 | Paul Brown Stadium | Recap | |
| 18 | January 9 | at Cleveland Browns | L 16–21 | 10–7 | FirstEnergy Stadium | Recap | |
This was Cincinnati's first win in Pittsburgh since 2015.
The Bengals improved to 3–1 for the first time since 2018 with this win, despite only taking the lead with 4 seconds left in the game on a game winning Evan McPherson field goal. Burrow was recognized as the AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in this game, in which he completed 25 out of 32 passes for a total of 348 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions, posting a 132.8 passer rating.[57]
With the win this marks the first time since 2009 that the Bengals swept division rivals Pittsburgh and Baltimore in the same season.
See also: 2021–22 NFL playoffs.
| Round | Date | Opponent (seed) | Result | Record | Venue | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wild Card | Las Vegas Raiders (5) | W 26–19 | 1–0 | Paul Brown Stadium | Recap | ||
| Divisional | at Tennessee Titans (1) | W 19–16 | 2–0 | Nissan Stadium | Recap | ||
| AFC Championship | January 30 | at Kansas City Chiefs (2) | W 27–24 | 3–0 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap | |
| Super Bowl LVI | February 13 | vs. Los Angeles Rams (N4) | L 20–23 | 3–1 | SoFi Stadium | Recap |
See main article: Super Bowl LVI.
| Category | Total yards | Yards per game | NFL rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passing offense | 4,403 | 259.0 | 7th | |
| Rushing offense | 1,742 | 102.5 | 23rd | |
| Total offense | 6,145 | 361.5 | 13th | |
| Passing defense | 4,222 | 248.4 | 26th | |
| Rushing defense | 1,742 | 102.5 | 5th | |
| Total defense | 5,964 | 350.8 | 18th |
| Category | Player | Total yards | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | |||
| Passing | 4,611 | ||
| Rushing | 1,205 | ||
| Receiving | 1,455 | ||
| Defense | |||
| Tackles (Solo) | 67 | ||
| Sacks | 14 | ||
| Interceptions | 4 | ||
Statistics correct as of the end of the 2021 NFL season[58] [59]