2013

Summary

Coach Marvin Lewis led the Bengals to their third straight playoff appearance — a franchise first. Cincinnati won its third AFC North Division title under Lewis, posting an 11-5 record and clinching the crown with a 42-14 rout of Minnesota in Game 15. The Bengals went 8-0 at home for the second time in club history (also 1988), and they were among only five NFL clubs to reach the postseason each year from 2011-13. They were in the postseason for the fourth time in five years, among only six teams to qualify four or more times in that span. For the third straight season, however, the playoffs ended all too soon for Cincinnati, as San Diego prevailed 27-10 in a first round game at Paul Brown Stadium. The '13 team played three overtime games, most in a season in franchise history. They won the first OT contest, but lost in OT in consecutive weeks in Games 9 and 10. It was the first time in franchise history for the team to play two straight OT games. The consecutive losses dropped the team's record to 6-4, but Lewis' club closed the season with five wins in the last six games. QB Andy Dalton set franchise records for passing yards (4293) and TD passes in a season (33), and he became one of only five QBs in NFL history to pilot a playoff club in his first three seasons in the league. WR A.J. Green was named to the Pro Bowl for the third time in his three-year career, and he set club records for most 100-yard receiving games in a season (six) and most consecutive 100-yard receiving games (five). Second-year WR Marvin Jones also posted a club mark, becoming the first Bengal with four TD receptions in a game (Oct. 27 vs. N.Y. Jets). Jones accomplished his feat in the franchise's 700th regular-season game. Green (11) and Jones (10) became the first Bengals duo to each hit double figures in TD receptions in a season. Marvin Lewis earned a "coaching-tree" compliment after the season when, in an NFL rarity, each of his coordinators signed as NFL head coaches. Offensive coordinator Jay Gruden went to Washington, and defensive boss Mike Zimmer went to Minnesota. Also in the TV realm, the Bengals in '13 agreed for the second time in five years to be featured during preseason on the all-access" HBO series, "Hard Knocks." The club allowed virtually unfettered access to team activities to crews from NFL Films. Though many NFL clubs have shied from invitations to be a Hard Knocks team, the Bengals won the AFC North title for the second straight time after doing the show, as they also won after doing Hard Knocks in 2009.

AFC Wild Card Playoff

The AFC North Division champion Bengals piled up a 439-318 yardage edge in their Wild Card playoff vs. San Diego, but the Chargers won with relative ease while posting a plus-four edge in turnover differential (four takeaways, no giveaways). The Bengals held a 10-7 halftime lead, but San Diego went ahead on an 80-yard TD drive on its first possession of the third quarter. The Chargers added a third-quarter FG after Bengals QB Andy Dalton lost a fumble, and the Chargers tacked on a fourth-quarter TD following an INT. The Bengals' lone TD came on a four-yard second-quarter pass from Dalton to TE Jermaine Gresham. WR Marvin Jones set a Bengals postseason record with 130 receiving yards, topping a former mark of 120 by Cris Collinsworth, and Dalton's 334 passing yards were second-most in Bengals postseason annals. The Chargers, a Wild Card playoff entry, advanced to a Divisional round game at New England.

League Rankings

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Individual Leaders

Coaching Staff

2013 NFL Draft: April 25 - 27

*NOTE: The Bengals received two compensatory picks (Nos. 240 and 251).

Pro Bowl

Players selected for the 2013 NFL Draft: LB Vontaze Burfict, WR A.J. Green