The 2013 Cincinnati Bengals season was the franchise's 44th season in the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
, the 46th overall, and the 11th under
head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...
Marvin Lewis. The Bengals improved on their 10–6 regular season record from
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...
and clinched the
AFC North division title. However, the Bengals lost 27–10 to the
San Diego Chargers in the
playoffs
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eit ...
– the third consecutive season that the Bengals had lost in the Wild Card round. Their training camp was featured on the HBO show Hard Knocks.
2013 draft class
Notes
:
The Bengals acquired this second-round selection as part of a trade that sent
quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
Carson Palmer
Carson Hilton Palmer (born December 27, 1979) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, primarily with the Cincinnati Bengals and Arizona Cardinals. He played college football at ...
to the
Oakland Raiders.
:
The Bengals acquired this sixth-round selection as part of a 2011 trade that sent
wide receiver Chad Johnson to the
New England Patriots.
:
The Bengals traded their original seventh-round selection (No. 227 overall) to the
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
in exchange for
safety
Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk.
Meanings
There are two slightly dif ...
Taylor Mays.
:
Compensatory selection
The National Football League Draft, also called the NFL Draft or (officially) the Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the league's most common source of player recruitment. Each team is given a position in the drafting o ...
.
Staff
Final roster
Schedule
Preseason
Regular season
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Postseason
Game summaries
Regular season
Week 1: at Chicago Bears
The Bengals would build a 21-10 lead, but it would vanish as the Bears would rally to win.
With the loss, the Bengals started 0-1 for the second straight season.
Week 2: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
With their second straight victory over the Steelers, the Bengals went to 1-1, and beat the Steelers at home for the first time since 2009.
Week 3: vs. Green Bay Packers
The Bengals defeated the
Green Bay Packers 34–30, and also became the first team in NFL history to lead by 14 points, then trail by 16 and eventually win.
Week 4: at Cleveland Browns
With the loss, the Bengals fell to 2–2.
Week 5: vs. New England Patriots
The Bengals improved to 3-2. They also defeated
Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He spent his first 20 seasons with the New England Patriots organization, with which ...
for the first time ever.
Week 6: at Buffalo Bills
Mike Nugent
Michael Nugent (born March 2, 1982) is a former American football placekicker. He played college football for Ohio State University, and was twice recognized as a consensus All-American. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the second round o ...
would kick the game-winning field goal in overtime to seal the game for the Bengals. With the win, the Bengals went to 4-2 and picked up their first win in Buffalo since 1985, snapping their 6-game road losing streak against the Bills.
Week 7: at Detroit Lions
Mike Nugent would come through with the clutch as the Bengals won 27-24 for the second week in a row. With their 5th straight win in Detroit, the Bengals went to 5-2.
Week 8: vs. New York Jets
With the easy win, the Bengals improved to 6-2. This win also remains the largest in the Marvin Lewis era, as of 2016. The 49 points were also the most scored by the Bengals since 2009 against the Bears.
Week 9: at Miami Dolphins
Andy Dalton
Andrew Gregory Dalton (born October 29, 1987) is an American football quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed "Red Rifle", Dalton previously played for the Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, and ...
would have a rough night, as he was intercepted 3 times. The game would end with him getting sacked in the end zone by
Cameron Wake. This was also the first overtime game to end on a safety since 2004.
Week 10: at Baltimore Ravens
Despite out gaining Baltimore in total yardage, 364-189, and a hail mary at the end of regulation to force overtime, Andy Dalton threw 3 interceptions in the loss. With the loss, the Bengals fell to 6-4.
Week 11: vs. Cleveland Browns
The Bengals set a franchise record for most points scored in 1 quarter with 31 in this game.
With the win, the Bengals improved to 7-4.
Week 13: at San Diego Chargers
The Chargers opened the game by driving 45 yards to the Bengals 31, but on 3rd-and-10,
Philip Rivers
Philip Michael Rivers (born December 8, 1981) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons, primarily with the Chargers franchise. He played college football at NC State and was se ...
completed a 13-yard pass to
Antonio Gates who was stripped by
Reggie Nelson with
George Iloka recovering for Cincinnati. After both teams swapped punts, the Bengals marched 67 yards in 10 plays with
BenJarvus Green-Ellis rushing for a 4-yard touchdown on the first play of the 2nd quarter. The Bengals responded on their very next drive, driving 78 yards in only 8 plays with Rivers bombing a 30-yard touchdown pass to
Ladarius Green
Ladarius Green (born May 29, 1990) is a former American football tight end. He played college football at Louisiana–Lafayette and was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft.
Early life
Green was born in Be ...
. After both teams swapped punts again,
Andy Dalton
Andrew Gregory Dalton (born October 29, 1987) is an American football quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed "Red Rifle", Dalton previously played for the Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, and ...
was intercepted by
Eric Weddle
Eric Steven Weddle (born January 4, 1985) is an American former American football, football Safety (gridiron football position), safety who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. He played college football at University of ...
who returned it 21 yards to the Chargers 45. The game was a 7-7 deadlock at halftime. However, on the Chargers opening drive of the second half Rivers was intercepted by
Dre Kirkpatrick
D'Andre Lawan "Dre" Kirkpatrick (born October 26, 1989) is an American football cornerback who is a free agent. He played college football at the University of Alabama and was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the first round of the 2012 NF ...
at the Bengals 25. The Bengals responded by driving 59 yards on a 10-play drive with Dalton connecting with superstar receiver
A. J. Green on a 21-yard touchdown pass for a 14-7 lead. The Chargers drove to the Bengals 31, but were forced to punt. But the Bengals drove 61 yards before
Mike Nugent
Michael Nugent (born March 2, 1982) is a former American football placekicker. He played college football for Ohio State University, and was twice recognized as a consensus All-American. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the second round o ...
booted a 47-yard field goal, extending the lead to 17-7. On their next drive, Rivers hit
Keenan Allen
Keenan Alexander Allen (born April 27, 1992) is an American football wide receiver for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at California before leaving after his junior year. He was draft ...
for 14 yards, but Iloka forced Allen to fumble and
Vincent Rey recovered for the Bengals. The Bengals took over at the Chargers 34. Two plays later Dalton threw a short pass to for 5 yards, but was stripped by
Marcus Gilchrist with Weddle recovering and returning the ball 27 yards to the Bengals 43. The Chargers reached the Bengals 30 and
Nick Novak made it a 7-point game at 17-10 with his 48-yard field goal. The Bengals ended the game with a Green-Ellis 5-yard run to the Chargers 3-yard line with less than two minutes remaining. With the win the Bengals improved to 8-4.
Week 14: vs. Indianapolis Colts
With the win, the Bengals improved to 9-4.
Week 15: at Pittsburgh Steelers
With the loss, the Bengals fell to 9–5 and enabled their division rival Ravens to be in the running for the AFC North title.
Week 16: vs. Minnesota Vikings
With the win, the Bengals improved to 10–5, and with the Ravens' loss to the Patriots later in the evening, they clinched the AFC North title.
Week 17: vs. Baltimore Ravens
With the win, the Bengals surpassed their win total from
2012.
Postseason
AFC Wild Card Playoffs: vs. (6) San Diego Chargers
The Bengals lost the AFC Wild Card playoff game against the Chargers, 27–10, thus eliminating them. This loss also gives the team their 6th straight playoff loss dating back to the
1990 playoffs.
Standings
Division
Conference
Statistics
Team
Updated December 31, 2013
Individual
Passing
Updated December 31, 2013
Rushing
Updated January 3, 2014
Receiving
Updated January 3, 2014
Field Goals
Updated January 10, 2014
Punting
Updated January 10, 2014
Punt Returns
Updated January 14, 2014
Kick Returns
Updated January 14, 2014
Defense
Updated December 7, 2013
References
External links
*
{{2013 NFL season by team
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
Cincinnati Bengals seasons
AFC North championship seasons
Cincin