1988 Cincinnati Bengals: Back to the Jungle

1988 Cincinnati Bengals: Back to the Jungle

[paypal_donation_button]1988 Cincinnati Bengals: Back to the Jungle

While there were quite a few changes to the team compared to their run in 1981, the 1988 Cincinnati Bengals brought with them a potent balanced attack on offense that could stun opposing defenses, and a stingy defense that could take away the football at any given moment. The Bengals went 12-4 in the 1988 regular season, finishing 2 games ahead of the Cleveland Browns and the Houston Oilers to win the AFC Central division.

The Bengals jumped out to a strong 6-0 start in the regular season, having a 6-game winning streak that began with a 21-14 win over the Phoenix Cardinals in Week 1 on September 4, and ended with a 36-19 win over the New York Jets in Week 6 on October 9. The Bengals had their biggest win against the Pittsburgh Steelers by the score of 42-7 in Week 10 on November 6.

Quarterback Boomer Esiason completed 233 of 388 pass attempts for 3,572 yards and 28 touchdowns. In the 2nd Round of the 1988 NFL Draft, the Bengals took UNLV fullback Elbert “Ickey” Woods with the 31st pick, and Woods didn’t disappoint. Best known for his “Ickey Shuffle” touchdown dance, Woods had 1,066 yards off 203 rushing attempts and scored 15 touchdowns on the ground. Woods also had 21 receptions for 199 yards.

Running back James Brooks had 931 yards off 182 rushing attempts and scored 8 touchdowns on the ground. Brooks was also a great receiving threat as he had 29 receptions for 287 yards and 6 touchdowns. Fullback Stanley Wilson had 398 yards off 112 rushing attempts and 2 touchdowns on the ground.

Wide receiver Eddie Brown had 53 receptions for 1,273 yards and 9 touchdowns. Wide receiver Tim McGee had 36 receptions for 686 yards and 6 touchdowns. Tight end Rodney Holman had 39 receptions for 527 yards and 3 touchdowns. Having a reduced receiving role but still a solid threat, Cris Collinsworth had 13 receptions for 227 yards and 1 touchdown.

Running back Stanford Jennings handled kick returning duties exceptionally well as he had 32 kick returns for 684 yards and scored 1 touchdown. Wide receiver Ira Hillary was the balanced special teams threat as he had 166 yards off 17 punt returns and 195 yards off 12 kick returns.

Nose Tackle Tim Krumrie led Cincinnati’s defense in tackles with 152, and he also had 3 sacks. Defensive back and linebacker Barney Bussey had 4 sacks. Defensive end Jim Skow had 9.5 sacks. Defensive lineman Jason Buck had 6 sacks. Coming from the University of West Virginia as the 84th pick in the 4th Round of the 1988 NFL Draft, defensive lineman David Grant had 5 sacks. Linebacker Leo Barker and outside linebacker Leon White both had 3 sacks. Outside linebacker Reggie Williams had 2.5 sacks.

Corner-back Eric Thomas had 64 tackles and led the team with 7 interceptions. Strong safety David Fulcher had 5 interceptions for 38 yards and 1 touchdown. Corner-back Lewis Phillips had 4 interceptions. Defensive back Ray Horton had 3 interceptions. Free safety Solomon Wilcots, inside linebacker Carl Zander and the 5th overall pick of the 1988 NFL Draft, defensive back Rickey Dixon, all had 1 interception.

On December 31, 1988 the Bengals played against the Seattle Seahawks in the Division Round, and the Bengals would win the game 21-13. Stanley Wilson had a 3-yard touchdown run in the 1st quarter to put the Bengals on the board, and then Wilson came back in the 2nd quarter with another 3-yard touchdown run. Ickey Woods followed that up with a 1-yard touchdown run to give Cincinnati a commanding 21-0 lead. Seattle fullback John Williams had a 7-yard touchdown run in the 4th quarter, and then quarterback Dave Krieg had a 1-yard touchdown run, but the comeback bid for the Seahawks fell short.

The Bengals then took on the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship Game on January 8, 1989, and Cincinnati would prevail with a 21-10 win. Bills quarterback Jim Kelly outperformed Boomer Esiason as Kelly went 14 for 30 in pass attempts for 163 yards and 1 touchdown. However, Kelly also threw 3 costly interceptions. Ickey Woods carried the heavy load for the Bengals as he had 102 yards off 29 rushing attempts and scored 2 touchdowns.

Ickey would get his first touchdown off a 1-yard run in the 1st quarter, but Buffalo would respond in the 2nd quarter with a 9-yard touchdown pass from Jim Kelly to wide receiver Andre Reed. After James Brooks caught a 10-yard touchdown pass from Boomer Esiason later on, Bills kicker Scott Norwood kicked a 39-yard field goal. Ickey would get his second touchdown in the 4th quarter with another 1-yard run to put the Bills away.

The Cincinnati Bengals would then get their shot at avenging their Super Bowl XVI loss by playing the NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XXIII at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, Florida. Unfortunately for the Bengals, the 49ers would once again triumph on January 22 by the score of 20-16. The game got off to a rocky start for both teams as 49ers offensive tackle Steve Wallace went down with a broken ankle, and then Cincinnati’s Tim Krumrie went down with an injured left leg.

A total of 5 field goals were kicked in Super Bowl XXIII, and both teams traded field goals in the first 3 quarters. San Francisco’s Mike Cofer kicked a 41-yard field goal in the 1st quarter, and then Cincinnati kicker Jim Breech kicked a 34-yard field goal in the 2nd quarter. Breech came back with a 43-yard field goal in the 3rd quarter and Cofer responded with a 32-yard field goal.

The Bengals got a boost when Stanford Jennings had 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to put Cincinnati up 13-6. However, the 49ers owned the 4th quarter as wide receiver Jerry Rice caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Joe Montana to tie the game at 13-13. After Jim Breech kicked a 40-yard field goal to put the Bengals back in front 16-13, the 49ers would embark on a successful 92-yard drive which spanned from 3:10 remaining to just 0:34 left in the game as Montana completed a 10-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver John Taylor to dash Cincinnati’s hopes of revenge. Jerry Rice would be named Super Bowl XXIII Most Valuable Player.