1971 Cincinnati Bengals season

Last updated

1971 Cincinnati Bengals season
Cincinnati Bengals wordmark (1971-1996).png
Head coach Paul Brown
Home field Riverfront Stadium
Results
Record4–10
Division place4th AFC Central
Playoff finishDid 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

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists


Practice squad



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)
Period1234Total
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

Related Research Articles

Sam Adams is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle for 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas A&M Aggies, earning consensus All-American honors, and was selected eighth overall by the Seattle Seahawks in the 1994 NFL Draft. Following six seasons as a member of the Seahawks, he earned consecutive Pro Bowl selections and All-Pro honors during his two seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. Adams was also part of the team that won a Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XXXV and made another championship appearance in his one season for the Oakland Raiders in 2002. As a member of the Buffalo Bills from 2003 to 2004, Adams was named to a third Pro Bowl. He spent his last two seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals and the Denver Broncos.

Passer rating is a measure of the performance of passers, primarily quarterbacks, in gridiron football. There are two formulas currently in use: one used by both the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL), and the other used in NCAA football. Passer rating is calculated using a player's passing attempts, completions, yards, touchdowns, and interceptions. Passer rating in the NFL is on a scale from 0 to 158.3. Passing efficiency in college football is on a scale from −731.6 to 1261.6.

Kenneth Allan Anderson is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL), spending his entire career with the Cincinnati Bengals. He later returned as a position coach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ken Riley</span> American football player (1947–2020)

Kenneth Jerome Riley was an American professional football player who was a cornerback. He spent his entire career with the Cincinnati Bengals, first in the American Football League (AFL) in 1969 and then the National Football League (NFL) from 1970 through 1983. Riley recorded 65 interceptions in his career, which was the fourth most in NFL history at the time of his retirement behind three members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Dick Lane, Emlen Tunnell, and Paul Krause. But despite his accomplishments, he was never an exceptionally well known or popular player. Riley was never once selected to play in the AFL All-Star Game or the AFC-NFC Pro Bowl, but in 2023, after decades of waiting, was posthumously elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Lemar R. Parrish is an American former professional football player who was a defensive back in the National Football League for the Cincinnati Bengals (1970–1977), Washington Redskins (1978–1982), and Buffalo Bills (1982). He played college football for the Lincoln Blue Tigers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1982 Washington Redskins season</span> NFL team season (won Super Bowl)

The 1982 Washington Redskins season was the franchise's 51st season in the National Football League (NFL) and their 46th in Washington, D.C. Although the Redskins lost all their preseason games, they advanced from an 8–8 record the previous season to become one of the only two teams in NFL history to win the Super Bowl after not winning a pre-season game. The 1990 Buffalo Bills and 2000 New York Giants also made it to the Super Bowl after a winless pre-season, but they did not win the Super Bowl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1981 San Francisco 49ers season</span> NFL team season (first Super Bowl win)

The 1981 San Francisco 49ers season was the franchise's 32nd season in the National Football League (NFL), their 36th overall and their third under head coach Bill Walsh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1988 San Francisco 49ers season</span> NFL team season (won 3rd Super Bowl)

The 1988 season was the San Francisco 49ers' 39th in the National Football League (NFL), their 43rd overall, and their tenth and final season under head coach Bill Walsh. The season was highlighted by their third Super Bowl victory. They failed to improve on their 13–2 record from 1987, and the 49ers struggled to a 6–5 record at the midway point and were in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since 1982, but rose to defeat the Washington Redskins on a Monday night, eventually finishing the season at 10–6. They gained a measure of revenge by thrashing the Minnesota Vikings 34–9 in the first round of the playoffs; the Vikings had upset the #1-seeded 49ers the previous season in the divisional round. The 49ers then traveled to Chicago's Soldier Field, where the wind-chill factor at game time was 26 degrees below zero. They defeated the Chicago Bears 28–3 in the NFC Championship game.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2005 Cincinnati Bengals season</span> NFL team season

The 2005 Cincinnati Bengals season was the franchise's 36th season in the National Football League (NFL), the 38th overall, and the third under head coach Marvin Lewis. It was the team's first season with a winning record, playoff berth, and division title since 1990. In the fourteen seasons and 224 games in between (1991–2004), the Bengals' record was 71–153, a 0.317 winning percentage. It would be the Bengals' lone playoff appearance in a span of 18 years (1991–2008). Quarterback Carson Palmer got off to a strong start on his way to a solid 3836-yard season with 32 touchdown passes, earning a trip to the Pro Bowl. Receiving many of Palmer's passes was Chad Johnson, who followed teammate Palmer to the Pro Bowl in Hawaii, racking up an impressive 1,432 yards in receiving with nine touchdowns, many of which were followed by unique celebrations that made him a regular star on the sports highlight shows.

The 1970 Cincinnati Bengals season was the franchise's first season in the National Football League (NFL), and the third overall. The NFL-AFL merger took place before the season and the Bengals, who were placed in the same division as the "old-guard NFL" Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers, were not expected to be playoff contenders. Nevertheless, the Bengals made their first NFL campaign a memorable one. After winning their first ever game as a member of the NFL, their inaugural game in the brand new Riverfront Stadium, they would lose six games in a row.

The 1973 Cincinnati Bengals season was the franchise's 4th season in the National Football League, and the 6th overall.

The 1975 Cincinnati Bengals season was the franchise's 6th season in the National Football League, and the 8th overall.

The 1976 Cincinnati Bengals season was the franchise's 7th season in the National Football League, and the 9th overall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1981 Buffalo Bills season</span> 22nd season in franchise history

The 1981 Buffalo Bills season was the franchise's 12th season in the National Football League, and the 22nd overall.

The 1978 Cincinnati Bengals season was the franchise's 9th season in the National Football League, and the 11th overall.

The 1983 season was the Cincinnati Bengals' 14th season in the National Football League, their 16th overall, and their fourth and final under head coach Forrest Gregg.

The 1969 Cincinnati Bengals season was the team's second year as a franchise, and their final season in professional football's American Football League (AFL).

The 1972 Cincinnati Bengals season was the franchise's 3rd season in the National Football League, and the 5th overall. Starting off the 1972 season winning five of seven games, the Bengals looked primed to win the division as they had in 1970. They lost a key divisional game at Pittsburgh, 40–17, followed by a pair of close losses at home against Oakland (20–14) and Baltimore 20–19. Head coach Paul Brown gave Ken Anderson the starting quarterback job, and the Bengals responded by winning three out of the last four games giving the Bengals an overall 8–6 season, but not good enough for the playoffs once again. Three times in their history, the Bengals have won without scoring a touchdown, including September 24, 1972, when kicker Horst Muhlmann's five field goals fueled a 15–10 victory over Pittsburgh at Riverfront Stadium. Twice in Bengals history, two Cincinnati players have broken the 100-yard rushing mark in the same game, with the first coming October 29, 1972, when fullback Doug Dressler gained 110 yards and halfback Essex Johnson ran for 103 yards in a 30–7 win versus Houston. The latest-drafted player ever to make the Bengals roster for a regular-season game was K-P Dave Green of Ohio University. Green was the 418th selection in the 1972 draft, taken in the 17th round. He did not make the roster in 1972, and had a brief stint with Houston in 1973 before being re-acquired by Cincinnati.

The 1974 Cincinnati Bengals season was the franchise's 5th season in the National Football League, and the 7th overall. Cincinnati traded Bill Bergey to Philadelphia for two first-round draft choices and a third-round pick in 1977. Jim LeClair replaced Bergey at middle linebacker. Ken Anderson won the NFL passing championship and completed a club-record 64.9 percent of his attempts. Cornerback Lemar Parrish led the NFL in punt returns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Wisconsin Badgers football team</span> American college football season

The 2012 Wisconsin Badgers football team represent the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Badgers, led by seventh-year head coach Bret Bielema, through December 4, 2012, and Barry Alvarez for the Rose Bowl are members of the Leaders Division of the Big Ten Conference and play their home games at Camp Randall Stadium. The Badgers lost their final game 20-14 in the Rose Bowl to the Stanford Cardinal of the Pac-12 Conference on January 1, 2013.

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.