The Cincinnati Bengals were 12-4 in 1981. They finished 1st in the AFC Central and 1st in the AFC. They fell to the San Francisco 49ers, 26 to 21, in Super Bowl XVI. It was their first Super Bowl appearance.
Scores & Schedules
See schedule
SD 
BUF 
PIT 
Bengals 
Oilers 
Browns 1981 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 | 421 | 5,968 | 1,078 | 5.5 | 1,973 | 493 | 4.0 | 4,200 | 550 | 7.6 | 35 | 205 | 361 | 124 | 210 | 27 | 109 | 896 |
Team Rank | 3rd | 2nd | 12th | 2nd | 17th | 18th | 17th | 4th | 5th | 6th | 12th | 24th | 3rd | 14th | 3rd | 8th | 19th | 15th | |
Opponent | 16 | 304 | 5,289 | 1,055 | 5.0 | 1,881 | 465 | 4.0 | 3,757 | 548 | 6.9 | 42 | 349 | 324 | 126 | 167 | 31 | 104 | 787 |
Opponent Rank | 12th | 12th | 15th | 14th | 9th | 3rd | 16th | 22nd | 25th | 11th | 8th | 21st | 21st | 20th | 18th | 23rd | 12th | 23rd | |
Net | +117 | +679 | +23 | +0.5 | +92 | +28 | 0.0 | +443 | +2 | +0.8 | -7 | -144 | +37 | -2 | +43 | -4 | +5 | +109 | |
Net Rank | 2nd | 5th | 14th | 5th | 12th | 13th | 15th | 6th | 12th | 6th | 8th | 24th | 6th | 17th | 2nd | 17th | 18th | 22nd |
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NFL 2025 Rankings
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NFL 2025 Division Standings
| NFC East | W | L | T | PCT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Eagles | 4 | 1 | 0 | .800 |
 Commanders | 3 | 2 | 0 | .600 |
| NFC North | W | L | T | PCT |
 Lions | 4 | 1 | 0 | .800 |
 Packers | 2 | 1 | 1 | .625 |
| NFC South | W | L | T | PCT |
 Buccaneers | 4 | 1 | 0 | .800 |
 Falcons | 2 | 2 | 0 | .500 |
| NFC West | W | L | T | PCT |
 49ers | 4 | 1 | 0 | .800 |
 Seahawks | 3 | 2 | 0 | .600 |
Patriots 
Colts 
Jaguars 
Broncos 
DAL 
KC 
NYJ 
LV 
NYG 
ARI 
LAR 
BAL 
