Getting to the Super Bowl is the pinnacle of the NFL season for the 32 American Football teams involved in the league, however, only two will realize that dream each year.
Third Time Unlucky For The Cincinnati Bengals in the Super Bowl
Sports Team History Indeed, winning the Super Bowl is a feat that not all teams have been able to achieve in their history, with some organizations perhaps feeling a little cursed when it comes down to reaching the main event of the season whenever they do make it.
Just ask the Cincinnati Bengals.
Bengals may have felt Super Bowl LVI was their time
Super Bowl LVI was the third time that the AFC North division franchise had made the showpiece in its history, however as we all know, they were beaten by the Los Angeles Rams 23-20 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, California, on February 13, 2022.
Many will have been dreaming that this would have been the year that the Bengals had broken its drought and finally brought the Vince Lombardi trophy home with them to Ohio, especially as sports betting is available within the state.
Supporters of the team may have been feeling confident with the likes of Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase in the team, with the team going on a run that was incredibly impressive throughout the playoffs as according to the NFL betting sites, Cincinnati Bengals were underdogs in their last three games.
Indeed, that playoff run was the first to happen since 1989, with the Wild Card game win against the Las Vegas Raiders likely to have inspired many to place wagers on the team’s chances of winning the Super Bowl as they made history after securing their first postseason win in over 11,300+ days.
It had been over 11,300 days, but the @Bengals have done it.
PLAYOFF VICTORY! pic.twitter.com/ICbut4sUFX
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) January 16, 2022
Unfortunately, when it comes down to playing teams from the California region in the Super Bowl, it seems the Bengals have some really bad luck and find it impossible to do enough to secure a ring when they do play.
Prior to their defeat to the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LVI recently, the organization’s two previous Super Bowl appearances came against the San Francisco 49ers, with both being losing efforts.
Super Bowl XVI
Sports Team History The Cincinnati Bengal’s first appearance in the main event of the NFL season was back in the 1981 campaign when they met the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XVI at the Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, in Michigan.
Despite having players such as Ken Anderson, Cris Collinsworth, and Anthony Munoz on their team, the Bengals seemingly left things a little too late to be able to secure the win; perhaps something that the 2021 Bengals also found happened to them recently.
The game would see the Bengals go into half-time trailing 20-0 after having two scoreless quarters, however, they would rally back by scoring 21 points in the final two quarters. Unfortunately for them, the 49ers would obtain six points in the fourth quarter via the use of two field goals from Ray Wersching after legendary quarterback Joe Montana led the Californians down the field.
Super Bowl XXIII
The Cincinnati Bengals only had to wait a period of seven years in order to return to the main showcase of the NFL season following their first appearance, however Super Bowl XXIII would end up being extremely similar to the one that the Ohio-based franchise had played in before.
Played at the Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, Florida on January 22, 1989, the 49ers and the Bengals would once again play each other for the Vince Lombardi trophy with the AFC side coming out on the losing side once again, with Munoz experiencing his second defeat, too.
Things were a little tighter this time around when the two teams hit the gridiron, with the game tied 3-3 at the half, with both teams scoring a field goal. The 49ers began the scoring in the first quarter although the Bengals would tie the game in the second quarter.
However, the AFC Northside would go on to take the lead in the third quarter and positioned themselves in a great position to finally win a Super Bowl as they managed to score 10 points, whereas the 49ers managed to score just 3.
But, despite heading into the fourth quarter with a lead of 13-6, they had only managed to put an additional three points on the board whereas the NFC scored two touchdowns as Montana found Jerry Rice and then John Taylor on a 92-yard drive to finish the game with a 20-16 win, thus breaking the hearts of everyone who was associated with the Bengals.
Super Bowl LVI
Many will have been hoping that history would not go on to repeat itself when the team managed to make its third Super Bowl appearance and its first in over 30 years, although it almost ended up being a 49ers-Bengals final once again at one point.
The Super Bowl winning catch 🔥🏆@CooperKupp earns his place in NFL history!
(via @RamsNFL) pic.twitter.com/GWp3NxHOVY
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) February 14, 2022
Nonetheless, another Californian franchise stood in their way in the Los Angeles Rams and that “curse” appears to have continued to strike, despite the fact that some would have been feeling that this year would have been the organization’s best opportunity to win due to how well Burrow and Chase had been performing throughout the season.
However, perhaps in typical Bengals fashion, they required a second-half rally that saw them leave things a little too late. They had managed to put up a total of 10 points in the first half via a field goal and then a touchdown, however, the star-studded Rams had managed to score a touchdown and two field goals in the same time.
The halftime lead of 13-10 was then turned on its head in the third quarter as the Ohio-based franchise stormed into a 20-13 lead before a touchdown was scored by Cooper Kupp in the fourth quarter from a Matt Stafford pass that saw the Rams win the game, albeit after a questionable call from the officials.
Will the Cincinnati Bengals finally end their Super Bowl drought in the near future? It is hard to say at the moment but what would be a surprise, though, is if they have to go another 30 years before another appearance.
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