The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football franchise based in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded by former Cleveland Browns head coach Paul Brown, the team joined the NFL as an expansion team in 1968 and began play in 1970. The Bengals have been members of the AFC North since its inception in 2002 and play their home games at Paul Brown Stadium on Cincinnati’s downtown riverfront.
The Bengals were very successful during the 1990s, appearing in Super Bowl XXIII and XXXIII, losing both times to the San Francisco 49ers. After struggling through much of their first two decades of existence, including multiple playoff-less seasons from 1995–2002, they earned five consecutive postseason berths from 2011–2015 before missing out on them for three years following a 6-9-1 finish with Marvin Lewis as head coach for 2019 season before his departure. Under head coach Zac Taylor who was hired to replace Lewis after his dismissal following 16 seasons at helm of franchise ,the bengals have made progress towards rebuilding process that has included drafting Joe Burrow 1st overall pick of 2020 nfl draft ,as well as signing free agents such as receiver tyler boyd and center john miller . they also added new coordinators like Brian Callahan(offense coordinator)and Lou Anarumo(defensive coordinator).
In addition to Burrow, other key players on offense include running back Joe Mixon ,wide receivers A.J Green Tyler Boyd John Ross and tight end Cethan Carter ; while defensive standouts include linebacker Germaine Pratt defensive tackle Geno Atkins cornerbacks Darius Phillips William Jackson III and safety Vonn Bell . The team is currently led by co-owner Mike Brown along with executive vice president Katie Blackburn . As one of just six teams not to win a Super Bowl championship or even appear in one since 1967 when NFL merger took place ,the bengals are still striving for that elusive title but remain hopeful under this new regime led by zac taylor . With promise shown by young core players like burrow mixon green etc., it won’t be long before cincinnati is competing for championships once again .