Played in a steady rain, this was one of the most inept passing performances on both sides of the ball in Cincinnati Bengals history, if not all of the NFL.
Raiders quarterback Ken Stabler completed 8 of 24 passes for 113 yards with four interceptions, and he was the sharp one that day as Ken Anderson went 4 of 19 for 75 yards with four interceptions for the Bengals.
And it was an interception that produced the game-winning score.
Late in the third quarter Bengals cornerback Ken Riley left the game with a neck injury and was replaced by rookie Marvin Cobb, an 11th-round pick who was making his NFL debut. Stabler immediately went after Cobb, but the rookie was ready as he jumped in front of a pass intended for Cliff Branch and returned the interception 52 yards for a touchdown that gave Cincinnati at 14-7 lead.
It was one of two interceptions Cobb had in the win, which raised the Bengals record to 5-0.
Oct. 19, 1969 – Denver Broncos 23, Cincinnati Bengals 20 at Nippert Stadium. The Bengals sacked Broncos quarterback Steve Tensi 10 times and limited him to seven completions on 14 attempts and still lost. The 10 sacks are still a franchise record, although the mark has been tied twice since (in 1992 and 1996, both against Pittsburgh). Sam Wyche threw three touchdown passes for Cincinnati, but the Broncos rushed for 272 yards, led by Floyd Little’s 166.
Oct. 19, 1980 — Cincinnati Bengals 14, Minnesota Vikings 10 at Riverfront Stadium. Pete Johnson ran for 115 yards and an early touchdown and Don Bass caught a 55-yard scoring strike from Ken Anderson in the fourth quarter to account for the only scoring. The Bengals held Minnesota to 168 yards of offense as Louis Breeden and Bryan Hicks had interceptions against Tommy Kramer.
Oct. 19, 1986 — Cincinnati Bengals 31, Houston Oilers 28 at Riverfront Stadium. Safety David Fulcher intercepted future Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon twice and James Brooks ran for a 21-yard touchdown with 43 seconds left to lift Cincinnati to the victory. Brooks finished with 133 yards and two scores, while Cris Collinsworth caught four passes for 97 yards and a touchdown as the Bengals improved to 5-2 in the first-ever meeting between legendary adversaries Sam Wyche and Jerry Glanville.
Oct. 19, 1992 —Pittsburgh Steelers 20, Cincinnati Bengals 0 at Three Rivers Stadium. As the score might suggest, the Bengals were thoroughly dominated before a national-television audience on Monday Night Football. The Steelers outgained Cincinnati 424 to 118 as the Bengals had more penalties (eight) than first downs (six).
Oct. 19, 1995 — Cincinnati Bengals 27, Pittsburgh Steelers 9 at Three Rivers Stadium. The Bengals came off their bye week and snapped a four-game losing streak in a nationally televised Thursday night contest against a Steelers team that would go on to reach Super Bowl XXX. Pittsburgh outgained the Bengals 468 to 368 but had to settle for three field goals while Cincinnati quarterback Jeff Blake threw touchdown passes to Darnay Scott, Carl Pickens and Tony McGee.
Oct. 19, 1997 —Pittsburgh Steelers 26, Cincinnati Bengals 10 at Cinergy Field. The Bengals jumped out to a 7-0 lead on a Ki-Jana Carter touchdown run but did little after that as Jeff Blake threw two interceptions as part of a four-turnover performance that doomed Cincinnati to a sixth straight loss.
Oct. 19, 2003 —Cincinnati Bengals 34, Baltimore Ravens 26 at Paul Brown Stadium. Marvin Lewis recorded his first victory at Paul Brown Stadium as the Bengals as Jon Kitna threw for 274 yards and three touchdowns. After falling behind early 7-0, Cincinnati scored 27 unanswered points with Kitna hitting Matt Schobel and Chad Johnson with TD passes while Corey Dillon added a 2-yard scoring run.
Oct. 19, 2008 – Pittsburgh Steelers 38, Cincinnati Bengals 10 at Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals lost their seventh consecutive game on the way to what would be a 0-8 start. It was a mostly forgettable day other than what happened on the fourth play of the game, when Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward broke the jaw of Cincinnati linebacker Keith Rivers with a blindside block.
About the Author