1990 Cincinnati Bengals season

1990 Cincinnati Bengals season
General manager	Paul Brown
Head coach	Sam Wyche
Home field	Riverfront Stadium
Results
Record	9–7
Division place	1st AFC Central
Playoff finish	Won Wild Card Playoffs (vs. Oilers) 41–14 Lost Divisional Playoffs (at Raiders) 10–20
Pro Bowlers	T Anthony Muñoz TE Rodney Holman RB James Brooks SS David Fulcher

The 1990 Cincinnati Bengals season was the franchise's 23rd year in professional football and its 21st with the National Football League (NFL). The Bengals won the AFC Central division for the second time in three seasons.

The Bengals would finish the season 9–7 and make the playoffs. In the postseason, Cincinnati won over the Houston Oilers in the wild-card round 41–14, but lost to the Los Angeles Raiders 20–10 in the divisional round. The Bengals would not make the playoffs again until the 2005 season and would not win a playoff game again until their Super Bowl-appearing 2021 season beginning what eventually became an 8-game playoff losing streak, tied with the Detroit Lions for longest in NFL history.

Offseason

NFL draft

Main article: 1990 NFL draft

1990 Cincinnati Bengals draft
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
1	12	James Francis	Linebacker	Baylor
2	38	Harold Green *	Running back	South Carolina
3	65	Bernard Clark	Linebacker	Miami (FL)
4	91	Mike Brennan	Offensive tackle	Notre Dame
5	122	Lynn James	Wide receiver	Arizona State
6	150	Don Odegard	Defensive back	UNLV
7	177	Craig Ogletree	Linebacker	Auburn
8	204	Doug Wellsandt	Tight end	Washington State
9	234	Mitchell Price	Defensive back	Tulane
10	261	Eric Crigler	Offensive tackle	Murray State
11	288	Tim O'Connor	Offensive tackle	Virginia
12	314	Andre Riley	Wide receiver	Washington
Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Personnel

Staff

1990 Cincinnati Bengals staff

Front office President – John Sawyer General Manager – Paul Brown Assistant General Manager – Mike Brown Director of Player Personnel – Pete Brown Head coaches Head Coach – Sam Wyche Offensive coaches Quarterbacks – Dana Bible Running Backs – Jim Anderson Wide Receivers – Mike Stock Tight Ends – Bill Johnson Offensive Line – Jim McNally

Defensive coaches Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Backs – Dick LeBeau Defensive Line – Chuck Studley Linebackers – Dick Selcer Special teams coaches Special Teams – Marv Braden Strength and conditioning Strength – Kim Wood

Roster

1990 Cincinnati Bengals roster

Quarterbacks (QB)  7 Boomer Esiason 10 Todd Philcox  4 Erik Wilhelm Running backs (RB) 42 Eric Ball KR 21 James Brooks 28 Harold Green 36 Stanford Jennings KR 30 Ickey Woods FB Wide receivers (WR) 86 Mike Barber 81 Eddie Brown 80 Lynn James 85 Tim McGee Tight ends (TE) 82 Rodney Holman 84 Eric Kattus 87 Jim Riggs

Offensive linemen (OL) 60 Mike Brennan T 68 Paul Jetton G/C 64 Bruce Kozerski C 73 Ken Moyer G 78 Anthony Muñoz T 75 Bruce Reimers G 76 Kirk Scrafford T 63 Joe Walter T Defensive linemen (DL) 99 Jason Buck DE 98 David Grant DE 71 Mike Hammerstein NT 69 Tim Krumrie NT 72 Skip McClendon DE 96 Natu Tuatagaloa DE

Linebackers (LB) 53 Leo Barker OLB 57 Bernard Clark ILB 50 James Francis OLB 52 Craig Ogletree OLB 59 Kevin Walker ILB 51 Leon White OLB 91 Carl Zander ILB Defensive backs (DB) 24 Lewis Billups CB 27 Barney Bussey S 45 Carl Carter CB 33 David Fulcher SS 25 Rod Jones CB 32 Mitchell Price 22 Eric Thomas CB 41 Solomon Wilcots FS Special teams 55 Ed Brady LS  3 Jim Breech K 11 Lee Johnson P

Practice squad 62 Eric Crigler G/T 47 active, 5 inactive, 1 practice squad Reserve 74 Brian Blados G (IR) 29 Rickey Dixon S (IR) 88 Reggie Rembert WR (IR) 83 Kendal Smith WR (IR) 20 Craig Taylor RB (IR) Rookies in italics

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Recap
1	September 9	New York Jets	W 25–20	1–0	Riverfront Stadium	Recap
2	September 16	at San Diego Chargers	W 21–16	2–0	Jack Murphy Stadium	Recap
3	September 23	New England Patriots	W 41–7	3–0	Riverfront Stadium	Recap
4	October 1	at Seattle Seahawks	L 16–31	3–1	Kingdome	Recap
5	October 7	at Los Angeles Rams	W 34–31 (OT)	4–1	Anaheim Stadium	Recap
6	October 14	at Houston Oilers	L 17–48	4–2	Astrodome	Recap
7	October 22	at Cleveland Browns	W 34–13	5–2	Cleveland Stadium	Recap
8	October 28	at Atlanta Falcons	L 17–38	5–3	Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium	Recap
9	November 4	New Orleans Saints	L 7–21	5–4	Riverfront Stadium	Recap
10	Bye
11	November 18	Pittsburgh Steelers	W 27–3	6–4	Riverfront Stadium	Recap
12	November 25	Indianapolis Colts	L 20–34	6–5	Riverfront Stadium	Recap
13	December 2	at Pittsburgh Steelers	W 16–12	7–5	Three Rivers Stadium	Recap
14	December 9	San Francisco 49ers	L 17–20 (OT)	7–6	Riverfront Stadium	Recap
15	December 16	at Los Angeles Raiders	L 7–24	7–7	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum	Recap
16	December 23	Houston Oilers	W 40–20	8–7	Riverfront Stadium	Recap
17	December 30	Cleveland Browns	W 21–14	9–7	Riverfront Stadium	Recap

Game summaries

Week 1 vs Jets

Week One: New York Jets (0–0) at Cincinnati Bengals (0–0)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Jets	0	10	7	3	20
Bengals	0	3	7	15	25

at Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio

• Date: September 9
• Game time: 4:00 p.m.
• Game weather: 72 °F (22.2 °C)
• Game attendance: 56,467
• Referee: Dale Hamer
• TV: NBC
• Box Score, Box Score

Game information

First quarter No scoring Second quarter CIN – Jim Breech 43-yard field goal, 14:52. Bengals 3–0. NYJ – Al Toon 46-yard pass from Ken O'Brien (Pat Leahy kick), 6:12. Jets 7–3. NYJ – Pat Leahy 33-yard field goal, 0:00. Jets 10–3. Third quarter CIN – Eddie Brown 10-yard pass from Boomer Esiason (Jim Breech kick), 10:34. Tie 10–10. NYJ – Al Toon 9-yard pass from Ken O'Brien (Pat Leahy kick), 4:44. Jets 17–10. Fourth quarter NYJ – Pat Leahy 26-yard field goal, 13:47. Jets 20–10. CIN – James Brooks 3-yard pass from Boomer Esiason (Jim Breech kick), 9:46. Jets 20–17. CIN – Safety, David Fulcher tackled Ken O'Brien in end zone, 8:59. Jets 20–19. CIN – Jim Breech 44-yard field goal, 4:46. Bengals 22–20. CIN – Jim Breech 37-yard field goal, 2:12. Bengals 25–20. Top passers NYJ – Ken O'Brien – 27/49, 300 yards, TD, 2 int CIN – Boomer Esiason – 17/30, 202 yards, 2 TD, 2 int Top rushers NYJ – Freeman McNeil – 7 rushes, 24 yards Brad Baxter – 5 rushes, 24 yards CIN – James Brooks – 15 rushes, 67 yards Top receivers NYJ – Al Toon – 8 receptions, 118 yards, 2 TD CIN – Tim McGee – 6 receptions, 84 yards

Week 2

1 2 3 4 Total • Bengals 0 14 0 7 21 Chargers 13 3 0 0 16 Date: September 16 Location: Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego, California Game start: 1:00 p.m. Game weather: 70 °F (21.1 °C), wind 8 miles per hour (13 km/h; 7.0 kn) Referee: Red Cashion TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Bill Walsh

Scoring summary 1 SD Ronnie Harmon 36 yard pass from Billy Joe Tolliver (Fuad Reveiz kick) SD 7–0 1 SD Joe Caravello 17 yard pass from Billy Joe Tolliver (kick failed) SD 13–0 2 CIN James Brooks 10 yard pass from Boomer Esiason (Jim Breech kick) SD 13–7 2 SD Fuad Reveiz 19 yard field goal SD 16–7 2 CIN Eddie Brown 30 yard pass from Boomer Esiason (Jim Breech kick) SD 16–14 4 CIN Eddie Brown 23 yard pass from Boomer Esiason (Jim Breech kick) CIN 21–16

Week 13

1 2 3 4 Total • Bengals 7 9 0 0 16 Steelers 6 0 3 3 12 Date: December 2 Location: Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Game start: 1:00 p.m. Game weather: 44 °F (6.7 °C); wind 7 miles per hour (11 km/h; 6.1 kn) Referee: Jerry Markbreit Television network: NBC

Scoring summary Q1 PIT Gary Anderson 32 yard field goal PIT 3–0 Q1 CIN Eddie Brown 50 yard pass from Boomer Esiason (Jim Breech kick) CIN 7–3 Q1 PIT Gary Anderson 36 yard field goal CIN 7–6 Q2 CIN Bubby Brister tackled by James Francis in end zone CIN 9–6 Q2 CIN James Brooks 7 yard run (Jim Breech kick) CIN 16–6 Q3 PIT Gary Anderson 29 yard field goal CIN 16–9 Q4 PIT Gary Anderson 48 yard field goal CIN 16–12

Week 17 vs Browns

Week Sixteen: Cleveland Browns (3–12) at Cincinnati Bengals (8–7)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Browns	0	0	14	0	14
Bengals	0	14	0	7	21

at Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio

• Date: December 30
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 52 °F (11 °C)
• Game attendance: 60,041
• Referee: Gene Barth
• Pro-Football-Reference.com, The Football Database

Game information

First quarter No scoring Second quarter CIN – James Francis 17-yard interception return (Jim Breech kick), 7:10. Bengals 7–0. CIN – Rodney Holman 22-yard pass from Boomer Esiason (Jim Breech kick), 2:14. Bengals 14–0. Drive: Third quarter CLE – Kevin Mack 2-yard run (Jerry Kauric kick), 13:36. Bengals 14–7. Drive: CLE – Brian Brennan 16-yard pass from Mike Pagel (Jerry Kauric kick), 10:28. Tie 14–14. Drive: Fourth quarter CIN – Eric Ball 48-yard pass from Boomer Esiason (Jim Breech kick), 8:40. Bengals 21–14. Drive: Top passers CLE – Mike Pagel – 14/32, 184 yards, TD, 3 int CIN – Boomer Esiason – 10/16, 154 yards, 2 TD, 2 int Top rushers CLE – Kevin Mack – 16 rushes, 85 yards, TD CIN – James Brooks – 17 rushes, 84 yards Top receivers CLE – Webster Slaughter – 6 receptions, 115 yards CIN – Eric Ball – 1 reception, 48 yards, TD

Standings

AFC Central
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
(3) Cincinnati Bengals	9	7	0	.563	5–1	8–4	360	352	W2
(6) Houston Oilers	9	7	0	.563	4–2	8–4	405	307	W1
Pittsburgh Steelers	9	7	0	.563	2–4	6–6	292	240	L1
Cleveland Browns	3	13	0	.188	1–5	2–10	228	462	L2

Best performances

• James Brooks, December 23, 1990, 201 rushing yards vs. Houston Oilers

Playoffs

Schedule

Main article: 1990–91 NFL playoffs

Week	Date	Opponent (seed)	Result	Record	Venue	Venue
Wildcard	January 6, 1991	Houston Oilers (6)	W 41–14	1–0	Riverfront Stadium	60,012
Divisional	January 13, 1991	at Los Angeles Raiders (2)	L 10–20	1–1	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum	92,045

Team leaders

Passing

Player	Att	Comp	Yds	TD	INT	Rating
Boomer Esiason	402	224	3031	24	22	77.0

Rushing

Player	Att	Yds	YPC	Long	TD
James Brooks	195	1004	5.1	56	5
Ickey Woods	64	268	4.2	32	6

Receiving

Player	Rec	Yds	Avg	Long	TD
Eddie Brown	44	706	16.0	50	9

Defensive

Player	Tackles	Sacks	INTs	FF	FR
James Francis	76	8.0	1	2	0
Barney Bussey	57	2.0	4	0	1

Kicking and punting

Player	FGA	FGM	FG%	XPA	XPM	XP%	Points
Jim Breech	21	17	81.0%	44	41	93.2%	92

Player	Punts	Yards	Long	Blkd	Avg.
Lee Johnson	64	2705	70	0	42.3

Special teams

Player	KR	KRYards	KRAvg	KRLong	KRTD	PR	PRYards	PRAvg	PRLong	PRTD
Stanford Jennings	29	584	20.1	33	0	0	0	0.0	0	0
Mitchell Price	10	191	19.1	33	0	29	251	8.7	66	1

Awards and records

All-Pros

• Anthony Muñoz LT, 1st Team All-Pro

All-Rookies

• James Francis OLB, PFWA All-Rookie Team

Records

• Boomer Esiason, franchise record, most passing yards in one game, 490 yards (achieved on October 7, 1990)

Milestones

• James Brooks, 1st 200 yard rushing game, December 23, 1990, 201 rushing yards vs. Houston Oilers
• James Brooks, 3rd 1000 yard rushing season (1,004 yards)

External links

• 1990 Cincinnati Bengals at Pro-Football-Reference.com