Cincinnati Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals apparently owe their unusual name (and distinctive orange and black striped helmets) to a particularly large Bengal tiger that once inhabited the Cincinnati zoo. The team plays up to the moniker by blasting the Guns N’ Roses track “Welcome to the Jungle” every time the Bengals take to the field (Paycor Stadium is also located on a large tract of forested land by the river, thus slotting particularly well into its “Jungle” sobriquet). Unfortunately for Cincinnati football fans, the Bengals have proven pretty toothless on the field over many years of their nearly six decades of existence (they were dubbed “The Bungles” by a TV announcer for the Pittsburgh Steelers), spending long stretches without even a sniff of the postseason. The 1980s provided a reprieve from the doldrums, as the Bengals, led by future Hall of Famer Anthony Munoz at offensive tackle, Ken Anderson at quarterback, and Isaac Curtis at wide receiver, not only qualifying for the playoffs on numerous occasions, but clawing their way through to Super Bowl XVI in 1981 and Super Bowl XXIII in 1988. Sadly, they ended up on the wrong end of the scoreline on both occasions, falling twice to the mighty San Francisco 49ers by the tight margins of 26-21 and 20-16. The worst years were yet to come, as the Bengals went on to spend the next 14 consecutive postseasons on the golf course, posting losing records in all 14 seasons. The 2000s saw the team pick up steam again under coach Marvin Lewis (who was hired after the Bengals’ worst-ever season in 2002 when they finished 2-14), who rebuilt the squad into a team that could at least make the playoffs, even if they lost seven straight Wild Card matchups. Current coach Zac Taylor has had an even bigger impact, taking the Bengals all the way to Super Bowl LVI in 2021, where they lost out to the Los Angeles Rams, and the AFC Championship in 2022, where they lost a heartbreaker 23-20 to the Kansas City Chiefs. Long-suffering Bengals fans will be hoping to see their team build on this success and bring home the title that the city has been craving for so many years.