In the Bengals’ first 23 seasons, the team boasted a winning record of 171-168-1, with seven playoff appearances and a pair of Super Bowl appearances. After the young expansion team gained some experience, they only had six losing seasons in 19 years, compiling an impressive 152-132 mark during that era from 1972 to 1990.
But in 1991 that all changed. From the last year of Sam Wyche's tenure as head coach to the years of Dave Shula, Bruce Coslet and Dick LeBeau, the Bengals suffered through 11 losing seasons in 12 years, compiling a miserable 55-137 record in that span.