Esiason became the Bengals' starting quarterback in 1985 after being a second-round pick in the 1984 draft. He made three Pro Bowls during his first stint with the Bengals and led the team to a Super Bowl.
The Bengals, sparked by Ickey Woods and his touchdown dance the "Ickey Shuffle," led the 49ers in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XXIII before Joe Montana led one of the most famous game-winning drives in Super Bowl history.
The Bengals' first playoff victory was fueled by 1981 MVP Ken Anderson's 192 passing yards and Charles Alexander's 72 rushing yards. Pete Johnson scored two touchdowns. Cris Collinsworth added a touchdown catch as well.
And, of course, Hall of Famer Anthony Munoz was blocking.
Cincinnati went 12-4 in the regular season in 1981.
One of the most famous games in Bengals and NFL history was the AFC Championship game in January, 1982. With temperatures at Riverfront Stadium around -9, the Bengals, led by coach Forrest Gregg, beat the Chargers to advance to their first Super Bowl. There they would lose to Montana for the first time.
The Bengals first 3 playoff games and the rise of Ken Anderson
1975: Division round: Dec. 28, 1975 in Oakland: Oakland Raiders 31, Bengals 171973: Division round: Dec. 23, 1973 in Miami: Miami Dolphins 34, Bengals 161970: Division round: Dec. 26, 1970 in Baltimore: Baltimore Colts 17, Bengals 0
The Bengals became a franchise in 1968, and in two seasons founder and Hall of Fame coach Paul Brown led the franchise to an 8-6 record and an AFC Central title. The Bengals lost to Johnny Unitas and eventual Super Bowl V champion Colts.
Three years later, with Anderson as the quarterback and Brown still at the helm, the Bengals returned to the playoffs after a 10-4 season.
Horst Muhlmann's 24-yard field goal is the first playoff points scored in Bengals playoff history, while Neal Craig's 45-yard interception return for a touchdown is the first touchdown in franchise postseason history.
Bengals playoff stats
All this accounts for a 5-14 playoff record for the Bengals.
They are 2-0 in conference championship games and 0-2 in the Super Bowl. The Bengals' biggest hurdle has been the wild-card round with a 1-8 record.
The most points scored was the 41-14 win over the Oilers in 1991, while the only shutout loss remains the 17-0 loss in the Bengals first playoff game.
The Bengals' 439 yards of offense in 2014 against the Chargers is the most in their playoff history, while the the 181 yards allowed in the 21-10 win over the Bills in 1989 is the best mark in franchise postseason history.
Boomer Esiason has most wins in Bengals playoff history at quarterback
Anderson, who became the starting quarterback full time in 1972 and replaced by Esiason in 1985, was 2-4 in the playoffs. Esiason went 3-2 in the playoffs making him the only Bengals quarterback with a winning record in the postseason.
Palmer was 0-2 while and Dalton is tied with Anderson for the most losses with four (0-4).
Dalton was hurt at the end of the 2015 season and missed the 2016 Steelers game. A.J. McCarron was 23-of-41 with 212 passing yards in the loss.
Sam Wyche, Forrest Gregg only Bengals coaches to win in playoffs
There are only five Bengals playoff wins and even fewer coaches with those wins: Two.
Sam Wyche, who played for Paul Brown on the Bengals from 1968-1970, was 3-2 (Esiason was his quarterback) as coach. Gregg, an NFL Hall of Fame player with the Green Bay Packers, became the Bengals coach in 1980 and went 2-2 in playoff games.
Marvin Lewis has the worst record, going 0-7 in playoff games, while Paul Brown was 0-3.
Zac Taylor becomes just the fifth coach in franchise history to coach a playoff game. The five other Bengals coaches (Bill Johnson, Homer Rice, Dave Shula, Bruce Coselt, Dick LeBeau) never made the postseason.
