The Cincinnati Bengals were 12-4 in 1988. They finished 1st in the AFC Central and 1st in the AFC. They fell to the San Francisco 49ers, 20 to 16, in Super Bowl XXIII on January 22, 1989. It was their second Super Bowl appearance.
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1988 Division Standings
Bengals
Browns
Steelers
1988 Stats
See stats| GP | PTS | YDS | PLY | AVG | RUSH YDS | RUSH ATT | RUSH AVG | PASS YDS | PASS ATT | PASS AVG | SCK | SCKY | 1DWN | RUSH 1DWN | PASS 1DWN | PEN 1DWN | PEN | PEN YDS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Team | 16 | 448 | 6,057 | 985 | 6.1 | 2,710 | 563 | 4.8 | 3,592 | 392 | 9.2 | 30 | 245 | 351 | 159 | 165 | 27 | 82 | 647 |
Team Rank | 1st | 1st | 23rd | 1st | 1st | 2nd | 1st | 14th | 27th | 1st | 9th | 16th | 1st | 1st | 16th | 7th | 3rd | 5th | |
Opponent | 16 | 329 | 5,182 | 1,059 | 4.9 | 2,048 | 493 | 4.2 | 3,508 | 524 | 6.7 | 42 | 374 | 322 | 126 | 177 | 19 | 95 | 873 |
Opponent Rank | 16th | 15th | 22nd | 11th | 18th | 15th | 22nd | 12th | 20th | 10th | 9th | 4th | 25th | 21st | 22nd | 5th | 17th | 8th | |
Net | +119 | +875 | -74 | +1.3 | +662 | +70 | +0.7 | +84 | -132 | +2.5 | -12 | -129 | +29 | +33 | -12 | +8 | -13 | -226 | |
Net Rank | 2nd | 4th | 25th | 1st | 3rd | 7th | 4th | 12th | 27th | 1st | 7th | 25th | 6th | 5th | 17th | 6th | 11th | 5th |
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| NFC East | W | L | T | PCT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
3 | 2 | 1 | .583 | |
2 | 4 | 0 | .333 | |
2 | 4 | 0 | .333 | |
1 | 3 | 1 | .300 | |
| NFC North | W | L | T | PCT |
5 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | |
4 | 2 | 0 | .667 | |
4 | 2 | 0 | .667 | |
3 | 2 | 0 | .600 | |
| NFC South | W | L | T | PCT |
3 | 2 | 0 | .600 | |
2 | 4 | 0 | .333 | |
2 | 4 | 0 | .333 | |
1 | 5 | 0 | .167 | |
| NFC West | W | L | T | PCT |
5 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | |
3 | 3 | 0 | .500 | |
2 | 4 | 0 | .333 | |
2 | 4 | 0 | .333 |
Giants
Eagles
Cowboys
Commanders
Vikings
Packers
Bears
Lions
Panthers
Falcons
Saints
Buccaneers
Cardinals
Rams| AFC East | W | L | T | PCT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
5 | 1 | 0 | .833 | |
4 | 2 | 0 | .667 | |
2 | 4 | 0 | .333 | |
0 | 5 | 0 | .000 | |
| AFC North | W | L | T | PCT |
4 | 2 | 0 | .667 | |
4 | 2 | 0 | .667 | |
4 | 2 | 0 | .667 | |
3 | 2 | 0 | .600 | |
| AFC South | W | L | T | PCT |
4 | 2 | 0 | .667 | |
2 | 4 | 0 | .333 | |
2 | 4 | 0 | .333 | |
1 | 5 | 0 | .167 | |
| AFC West | W | L | T | PCT |
5 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | |
4 | 2 | 0 | .667 | |
3 | 3 | 0 | .500 | |
0 | 6 | 0 | .000 |
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