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This Bengals trivia quiz has 50 free questions with answers and covers the whole history of the Cincinnati Bengals, from Paul Brown's 1968 expansion team at Nippert Stadium to the Joe Burrow era at Paycor. You will get the tiger-stripe helmets of 1981, the Freezer Bowl, two Super Bowl losses to San Francisco, the Ickey Shuffle, the 'Bungles' years, Marvin Lewis, Ochocinco and Corey Dillon's record day, then the 2021 run that ended the NFL's longest playoff-win drought and Super Bowl LVI. It works for a Who Dey watch party, a Cincinnati bar trivia round or a quick argument-settler in the group chat. The easy questions any fan can hit; the hard ones ask about draft slots, MVP seasons, stadium history and the coaches behind the no-huddle. Every answer was checked against Pro Football Reference-grade encyclopedic sources before publishing, and each question explains itself as soon as you answer.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01Which former Cleveland Browns coach founded the Bengals and coached them for their first eight seasons?
Paul Brown
He chose the exact shade of orange used by his old team, and his son Mike still runs the franchise.
Q 02The Bengals began play in 1968 as a member of which organisation?
The American Football League
The franchise was approved on May 23, 1967, and joined the NFL through the 1970 merger; the first season ended 3-11.
Q 03The Bengals' first home, still used by the Cincinnati Bearcats, was which venue?
Nippert Stadium
They moved to Riverfront Stadium on the Ohio River in 1970, sharing it with the Reds.
Q 04In which year did the Bengals introduce their orange helmets with black tiger stripes?
1981
The then-unique design arrived the same season the team reached its first Super Bowl.
Q 05The Bengals lost both of their 1980s Super Bowls to which team?
San Francisco 49ers
Super Bowl XVI ended 26-21 and Super Bowl XXIII 20-16, both decided by a Hall of Fame quarterback's offense.
Q 06Where was Super Bowl XVI, the first played in a cold-weather city, held?
Pontiac Silverdome, Michigan
Ken Anderson threw for 300 yards and Cris Collinsworth caught 5 passes for 107, but a goal-line stand doomed Cincinnati.
Q 07What was the wind chill at the Freezer Bowl, the Bengals' 1981 AFC Championship win over San Diego?
-59 F
The 27-7 win at Riverfront Stadium on January 10, 1982 remains the coldest game in NFL history by wind chill.
Q 08Which Bengals quarterback was named NFL MVP in 1981 after playing college ball at tiny Augustana College?
Ken Anderson
A third-round pick in 1971, he spent all 16 seasons in Cincinnati and set a completion-percentage record of 70.6% in 1982 that stood for over 25 years.
Q 09Which left-handed Bengals quarterback won the NFL MVP award in 1988?
Boomer Esiason
Born Norman Julius Esiason, he later became a CBS analyst and WFAN morning host, and his foundation fights cystic fibrosis.
Q 10Which 1988 Bengals head coach, with Bruce Coslet, made the no-huddle the team's standard offense?
Sam Wyche
He had been talked out of retirement in 1979 to join Bill Walsh's 49ers staff, the team that beat him in Super Bowl XXIII.
Q 11Rookie running back Elbert Woods scored 15 rushing touchdowns in 1988 and celebrated each with what?
The Ickey Shuffle
Better known by his nickname, the UNLV product revived the dance in a 2014 GEICO commercial at a deli counter.
Q 12In Super Bowl XXIII, which 49ers receiver caught the winning touchdown pass with 34 seconds left?
John Taylor
The 92-yard drive undid a Bengals lead built partly on Stanford Jennings's 93-yard kickoff return; Rice was MVP with 215 yards.
Q 13Super Bowl XXIII was played on January 22, 1989, at which Miami venue?
Joe Robbie Stadium
The Miami venue has since been renamed several times and is now Hard Rock Stadium.
Q 21Chad Johnson played college football at which school after transferring in 2000?
Oregon State
He later reached the final four on Dancing with the Stars in 2010.
Q 22The Bengals' riverfront stadium opened on August 19, 2000, under what name?
Paul Brown Stadium
It was renamed Paycor Stadium in a 2022 naming-rights deal.
Q 23What is the nickname of Paycor Stadium?
The Jungle
The stadium seats 65,515 and looks out on the Ohio River bridges.
Q 24The Bengals' official mascot, a Bengal tiger, is named what?
Q 14Which offensive tackle, drafted from USC in 1980, became the first career-long Bengal in the Hall of Fame?
Anthony Munoz
He made 11 Pro Bowls, was inducted in 1998, and was named to the NFL's 100th Anniversary All-Time Team.
Q 15After 1990, how many years did the Bengals go without a playoff berth or a winning record?
14
The stretch earned them the nickname 'The Bungles', coined by Steelers broadcaster Myron Cope.
Q 16Which Steelers broadcaster coined the disparaging nickname 'The Bungles'?
Myron Cope
The two teams have met twice a year since becoming division rivals in 1970.
Q 17On October 22, 2000, Corey Dillon broke Walter Payton's single-game rushing record with how many yards?
278
As a rookie in 1997 he had already broken Jim Brown's 40-year-old rookie single-game mark with 246 yards against Tennessee.
Q 18Which team did Corey Dillon torch for his record-setting 2000 rushing day?
Denver Broncos
Dillon was traded to New England in 2004 and was the top rusher in the Patriots' Super Bowl XXXIX win.
Q 19Which head coach, hired in 2003, led the Bengals for 16 seasons without a playoff win?
Marvin Lewis
He was the 2009 AP Coach of the Year and had run the record-setting Ravens defense that won Super Bowl XXXV.
Q 20Wide receiver Chad Johnson legally changed his surname in 2008 to what?
Ochocinco
It was a nod to his No. 85 jersey; he still holds franchise records with 751 catches and 10,783 receiving yards.
Who Dey
The name comes from the fans' chant, which asks who is going to beat the Bengals.
Q 25The Bengals' rivalry with the Cleveland Browns is often called what?
The Battle of Ohio
The Baltimore rivalry grew out of the same family tree, when the original Browns moved and became the Ravens.
Q 26Which head coach did the Bengals hire in 2019, taking them to Super Bowl LVI three seasons later?
Zac Taylor
He arrived from the Rams staff and ended up facing them in the Super Bowl.
Q 27Joe Burrow won the 2019 Heisman Trophy playing for which university?
LSU
He had transferred from Ohio State in May 2018 after realising he would not start, then won a national title.
Q 28With which pick of the 2020 NFL draft did the Bengals select Joe Burrow?
First overall
Sportswriters nicknamed him 'Joe Cool' and 'Joe Brrr' for his calm under pressure.
Q 29Joe Burrow attended high school in The Plains, Ohio, but he was born in which state?
Iowa
His father Jimmy was a college coach, and the family moved with the jobs before settling near Athens, Ohio.
Q 30Which award did Joe Burrow win from the AP after returning from knee surgery in 2021?
Comeback Player of the Year
In 2024 he led the league with 4,918 passing yards and 43 touchdowns.