1971 Cincinnati Bengals season

Last updated

1971 Cincinnati Bengals season
Head coach Paul Brown
Home stadium Riverfront Stadium
Results
Record4–10
Division place4th AFC Central
PlayoffsDid not qualify

The 1971 Cincinnati Bengals season was the franchise's 2nd season in the National Football League, and the 4th overall. Cornerback Lemar Parrish set a team record with seven interceptions, including one for a 65-yard score, Cincinnati's first-ever interception return for a touchdown. The Bengals, coming off their first division-winning season of 1970, drafted quarterback Ken Anderson in the third round of the 1971 NFL Draft. Anderson would go on to play 16 seasons for the club and set numerous team passing records. While 1971 proved to be a disappointment, losing six games by four points or less, statistically this was the first year the Bengals led their opponents in almost every category.

Contents

Offseason

NFL draft

1971 Cincinnati Bengals draft
RoundPickPlayerPositionCollegeNotes
115 Vernon Holland   Offensive tackle Tennessee State
241 Steve Lawson   Guard Kansas
367 Ken Anderson *  Quarterback Augustana
493 Fred Willis   Running back Boston College
5110 Art May   Defensive end Tuskegee
7171 Neal Craig   Defensive back Fisk
8197Fred Herring Defensive backTennessee State
9223Gary Gustafson  Linebacker Montana State
10249Jack Stambaugh Guard Oregon
11275 Ed Marshall   Wide receiver Cameron
12301James Hayden Defensive end Memphis
13327David Knapman  Tight end Central Washington
14353Irvin Mallory Defensive back Virginia Union
15379 Bob Thomas  Running back Arizona State
16405Mark Debevc Linebacker Ohio State
17432Sam Pearson Defensive back Western Kentucky
      Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

[1]

Personnel

Staff

1971 Cincinnati Bengals staff

Front office

  • President – John Sawyer
  • Director of Player Personnel – Pete Brown

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches



Roster

1971 Cincinnati Bengals roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams (ST)

Reserve


Rookies in italics

[2]

Regular season

Schedule

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueRecap
1September 19 Philadelphia Eagles W 37–141–0 Riverfront Stadium Recap
2September 26at Pittsburgh Steelers L 10–211–1 Three Rivers Stadium Recap
3October 3at Green Bay Packers L 17–201–2 Lambeau Field Recap
4October 10 Miami Dolphins L 13–231–3Riverfront Stadium Recap
5October 17 Cleveland Browns L 24–271–4Riverfront Stadium Recap
6October 24at Oakland Raiders L 27–311–5 Oakland Coliseum Recap
7October 31at Houston Oilers L 6–101–6 Astrodome Recap
8November 7 Atlanta Falcons L 6–91–7Riverfront Stadium Recap
9November 14at Denver Broncos W 24–102–7 Mile High Stadium Recap
10November 21Houston OilersW 28–133–7Riverfront Stadium Recap
11November 28 San Diego Chargers W 31–04–7Riverfront Stadium Recap
12December 5at Cleveland BrownsL 27–314–8 Cleveland Stadium Recap
13December 12Pittsburgh SteelersL 13–214–9Riverfront Stadium Recap
14December 19at New York Jets L 21–354–10 Shea Stadium Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Season summary

Week 1 vs Eagles

Week One: Philadelphia Eagles (0–0) at Cincinnati Bengals (0–0)
Quarter1234Total
Eagles070714
Bengals010171037

at Riverfront StadiumCincinnati, Ohio

  • Date: September 19
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: 68 °F (20 °C) • Wind 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h; 5.2 kn)
  • Pro-Football-Reference.com
Game information

Standings

AFC Central
WLTPCTDIVCONFPFPASTK
Cleveland Browns 950.6435–17–4285273W5
Pittsburgh Steelers 680.4294–25–6246292L1
Houston Oilers 491.3082–44–7251330W3
Cincinnati Bengals 4100.2861–53–8284265L3
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

Team stats

1971 Cincinnati Bengals Team Stats
TEAM STATSBengalsOpponents
TOTAL FIRST DOWNS236213
Rushing10993
Passing115102
Penalty1218
TOTAL NET YARDS42663906
Avg Per Game304.7279.0
Total Plays867811
Avg. Per Play4.94.8
NET YARDS RUSHING21421778
Avg. Per Game153.0127.0
Total Rushes462446
NET YARDS PASSING21242128
Avg. Per Game151.7152.0
Sacked Yards Lost40–30330–254
Gross Yards24272382
Att. Completions365–214335–157
Completion Pct.58.646.9
Intercepted1127
PUNTS-AVERAGE73–44.773–40.9
PENALTIES-YARDS82-92172–722
FUMBLES-BALL LOST29–1221–12
TOUCHDOWNS3232
Rushing1411
Passing1519
Returns32
Score by Periods1234Tot
Bengals58649171284
Opponents447148102265

Team leaders

Awards and records

Pro Bowl selections

References

  1. "1971 Cincinnati Bengals draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
  2. "1971 Cincinnati Bengals starters, roster, and players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 20, 2014.