1988: Bengals Dominate First Half, Defeat Seahawks in AFC Divisional Playoff Game

The Cincinnati Bengals were the top-seeded team in the AFC as they hosted the Seattle Seahawks in a Divisional Playoff game on December 31, 1988. The Bengals were 4-11 in 1987 but climbed to the top of the AFC Central with a 12-4 record in ’88. Head Coach Sam Wyche’s team operated a high-powered offense that was the league’s most productive and was directed by QB Boomer Esiason, who received multiple MVP honors but struggled with a sore shoulder late in the season. The running game topped the NFL and featured veteran RB James Brooks plus unheralded rookie FB Ickey Woods (pictured above), who entertained fans with the “Ickey Shuffle” after each of his 15 touchdowns. The defense was less heralded, utilizing a 3-4 alignment anchored by All-Pro NT Tim Krumrie.

Seattle, coached by Chuck Knox, topped the AFC West with a 9-7 record, which reflected the team’s inconsistency. QB Dave Krieg missed time with a shoulder separation and 34-year-old WR Steve Largent had injury problems that limited his effectiveness. The Seahawks were better at running the ball with RB Curt Warner and FB John L. Williams, but the team was typically outgained by its opponents as the defense ranked 24^th in the NFL.

It was a cold and cloudy late afternoon at Riverfront Stadium, where the Bengals had not lost all season, with 58,560 fans in attendance. Cincinnati had the game’s first possession and went 85 yards in 11 plays. Boomer Esiason completed passes to WR Cris Collinsworth for 30 yards and WR Eddie Brown for 23 and Ickey Woods ran effectively. FB Stanley Wilson ran gained the last three yards for a touchdown and Jim Breech added the extra point.

The teams traded punts before a long pass by Dave Krieg was intercepted by CB Eric Thomas. In a series that extended into the second quarter, the Bengals drove 75 yards in 10 plays. Esiason started off with a pass to TE Rodney Holman for 11 yards and James Brooks (pictured below) followed up with a 26-yard run to the Seattle 38. Woods and Brooks ran the ball to the 15, Esiason again connected with Holman for a gain of nine, and two plays later, Wilson ran for another three-yard TD. Breech converted to make the score 14-0.

A short series by the Seahawks that ended with a punt was followed by a five-play, 56-yard Cincinnati possession. Woods took off for 30 yards on the first play, Brooks had a 17-yard carry, and Wilson gained eight to reach the Seattle one. Two plays later, it was Woods reaching the end zone and Breech’s PAT had the Bengals up by a comfortable 21-0 score, and that remained the tally at halftime. Cincinnati had dominated on the ground, rolling up 165 rushing yards in the first thirty minutes, to none for Seattle.

The teams exchanged punts to start the third quarter. Seattle finally put together a promising drive as Krieg completed passes to WR Brian Blades for 13 yards and John L. Williams for 24. A sack by LB Reggie Williams had the Seahawks facing a third-and-21 situation at the Cincinnati 45, but a pass interference penalty erased the deficit and advanced the ball to the 21. Krieg passed the Seahawks to the three, but a fourth-and-two throw was broken up in the end zone by CB Rickey Dixon and the visitors came up empty.

The Bengals responded with a long drive of 95 yards with Woods and Brooks largely carrying the load. Esiason completed three passes, the first to Holman for 24 yards and the last to Brooks for nine yards to set up a fourth-and-two situation at the Seattle three. Woods came up short on the next play and the Seahawks had the ball back on downs, but at their own two with the period almost over.

Two plays into the fourth quarter, a Krieg pass was intercepted to give the Bengals the ball at their own 40, but two plays after that Esiason fumbled while being sacked and NT Joe Nash recovered for Seattle. Krieg threw to Blades for 17 yards and TE John Spagnola for seven to reach the Cincinnati seven, and three plays later the Seahawks finally got on the board on a seven-yard pass to Williams. Norm Johnson added the point after.

A three-and-out series by the Bengals resulted in a punt and the Seahawks drove 69 yards in nine plays. Krieg connected with WR Paul Skansi for 11 yards in a third-and-ten situation and a completion to WR Ray Butler for 32 yards advanced the ball to the Cincinnati 12. Three plays later, Krieg kept the ball himself for a one-yard TD, but, critically, Johnson missed the extra point and Seattle remained behind by eight points with just under six minutes to play.

Another short Cincinnati series resulted in a punt, but this time the Seahawks were unable to move the ball as Krieg threw three incomplete passes and the visitors punted as well. With the help of a 20-yard run by Woods, the Bengals reached the Seattle 44 on their next series before punting and pinning the Seahawks back at their two yard line with 2:40 remaining on the clock. Krieg was able to complete four passes, but not his last three as the drive – and Seattle’s season – ended at the Cincinnati 44. The Bengals won by a final score of 21-13.

Cincinnati had the lead in total yards (345 to 294), with 254 yards of that total coming on the ground as opposed to just 18 rushing yards for the Seahawks. The Bengals also had the edge in first downs (22 to 19) and time of possession (35:19 to 24:41). Seattle turned the ball over three times, to two suffered by Cincinnati.

Ickey Woods gained 126 yards on 23 rushing attempts that included a touchdown and James Brooks added 72 yards on 13 carries. Stanley Wilson contributed 45 yards on 7 rushes that included the two short TDs. Boomer Esiason completed just 7 of 19 passes for 108 yards and no TDs but also gave up no interceptions. Rodney Holman was the only Cincinnati receiver with more than one catch, pulling in three passes for 44 yards.

For the Seahawks, Dave Krieg was successful on 24 of 50 throws for 297 yards and a touchdown while being intercepted twice. John L. Williams (pictured at left), who gained just 10 rushing yards on 7 attempts, caught 11 passes for 137 yards and a TD. Brian Blades contributed 5 catches for 78 yards. Curt Warner was held to 11 yards on 8 carries.

“They (the Bengals) did a good job the first half, we didn’t, and that’s where we lost the game,” summed up Dave Krieg for the Seahawks.

The Bengals won again the next week as they defeated Buffalo for the AFC Championship, but then lost a closely-contested Super Bowl to the 49ers. Seattle dropped to 7-9 in 1989 and didn’t return to the postseason until 1999.

The loss to Cincinnati also was Chuck Knox’s last postseason coaching appearance. His teams (the Rams and Bills in addition to the Seahawks) reached the playoffs a total of eleven times, compiling a 7-11 record (3-4 with Seattle).   

1989: Late Drive Gives 49ers Win Over Bengals in Super Bowl XXIII

Super Bowl XXIII on January 22, 1989 featured a rematch of two teams who had met in the Super Bowl following the 1981 season. The winning team in that earlier Super Bowl was the San Francisco 49ers, and under Head Coach Bill Walsh they had won a second championship in 1984. However, they had fallen short in the next three years, and it had been especially disappointing in 1987 when they put together the best record in the league but were upset in the Divisional round by the Vikings. There were questions about QB Joe Montana (pictured above), so outstanding in that first Super Bowl-winning year and beyond, but coming off back surgery in ’86 and challenged by younger backup Steve Young in 1988. RB Roger Craig had a great year (2036 yards from scrimmage), but star WR Jerry Rice was hindered by an ankle injury. The Niners were sputtering at 6-5 after eleven games of the ’88 season, but then won four of their last five to top the NFC West with a 10-6 record. Montana was at his best in the playoff run as San Francisco gained revenge on the Vikings at home and then dominated the Bears in the NFC Championship game at Chicago.

The AFC Champions, as in ’81, were the Cincinnati Bengals, now coached by Sam Wyche. They had made a dramatic jump from 4-11 in 1987 to 12-4 in ’88. QB Boomer Esiason was the consensus league MVP and RB Ickey Woods rushed for 1066 yards and 15 touchdowns (followed by the “Ickey Shuffle”) behind an outstanding offensive line; backfield mate James Brooks contributed another 931 yards. WR Eddie Brown (53 catches, 1273 yards) and TE Rodney Holman (39 receptions, 527 yards) headed a good group of receivers. The defense was not as impressive but contained stars in All-Pro NT Tim Krumrie (who would be lost to a broken leg early in the Super Bowl) and two Pro Bowlers in the secondary, CB Eric Thomas and SS David Fulcher. The Bengals defeated Seattle in the Divisional playoff round and Buffalo for the AFC title, although there were concerns that Esiason was being slowed by injuries.

There were 75,129 fans on hand at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, along with the usual mammoth television audience, and they were anticipating a shootout between the two potent offenses. Instead, the first half was low-scoring. Both teams punted on their first possession before the 49ers, backed up to their own three yard line to start, put together a long 12-play scoring drive that covered 73 yards. Montana completed three passes along the way but, after reaching the Cincinnati 24, had three straight incompletions that included a drop by Craig. Mike Cofer kicked a 41-yard field goal to make it 3-0.

That was the score heading into the second quarter as San Francisco mounted another drive following a punt by the Bengals. Montana completed a pass to Rice that gained 30 yards to the Cincinnati 11. On third-and-eight, FB Tom Rathman ran for seven yards up the middle and was stopped at the two. However, following a bad snap, Cofer shanked the 19-yard field goal attempt.

The Bengals went three-and-out, and while Lee Johnson’s punt sailed 63 yards, WR John Taylor’s return was for 45 yards to the Cincinnati 46. The Niners moved backward from there, however, as a lateral to RB Harry Sydney lost 10 yards and Montana was sacked for a loss of two more. Craig broke off a 13-yard run on third-and-22, but fumbled and DE Jim Skow recovered for the Bengals at his own 41. Cincinnati moved into San Francisco territory, but DE Daniel Stubbs sacked Esiason for an eight-yard loss to the 50 on a third-and-ten play. Johnson’s punt pinned the 49ers back at their 11 and, in the battle for field position, Cincinnati came out ahead when Barry Helton’s 37-yard punt was returned to the San Francisco 44.

Esiason completed an 18-yard pass to WR Tim McGee and runs by Brooks and Woods got the ball to the 16. Jim Breech booted a 34-yard field goal and the score was tied at 3-3 going into halftime.

The Bengals started off the second half with a long scoring drive that covered 63 yards in 12 plays. Along the way, Esiason threw to WR Cris Collinsworth for 23 yards and Brooks for 20. An 11-yard completion to Collinsworth on a third-and-eight play moved Cincinnati to the San Francisco 22, but the drive stalled there and Breech kicked a 43-yard field goal that put the Bengals in front at 6-3.

On the first play following a punt by the Niners, Esiason was intercepted by rookie LB Bill Romanowski, giving San Francisco the ball at the Cincinnati 23. Cofer was successful on a 32-yard field goal that evened the tally at 6-6, but it didn’t stay that way for long. RB Stanford Jennings returned the ensuing kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown and, with the successful extra point, the Bengals were back in front at 13-6.

Down by seven points, San Francisco’s offense came alive as Montana finished out the third quarter with a 31-yard completion to Rice and started off the final period by going deep to Craig out of the backfield for 40 more to the Cincinnati 14. After a throw intended for Taylor was almost picked off, Montana completed a touchdown pass to Rice, who just managed to get the ball into the end zone and, with Cofer’s PAT, the score was even at 13-13.

Following a Cincinnati punt, Montana again passed for a long gain, hitting Rice for 44 yards to the Bengals’ 38. After Craig’s seven-yard run, the drive stalled and the 49ers came up empty when Cofer was wide to the right on a 49-yard field goal attempt.

Starting from their own 32, the Bengals moved methodically down the field. Esiason connected with WR Ira Hillary for 17 yards on a third-and-13 play, Woods had back-to-back carries that gained 17 more yards, and a pass to Brooks gained 12. Breech kicked a 40-yard field goal and the Bengals were up by 16-13 with 3:20 remaining in the fourth quarter.

An illegal block on the kickoff return started the 49ers off at their own eight yard line. Montana completed three straight passes to start off the series, gaining 22 yards. Craig ran twice and, on third-and-two, Montana found Rice for 17 yards. It was Montana to Craig for 13 yards down the middle, but after an incompletion the Niners were backed up due to an illegal player downfield on another pass play. Montana followed up by throwing to Rice, running a crossing pattern, for a 27-yard gain to the Cincinnati 18. San Francisco was now within field goal range, but Montana went to the air twice more. The first was to Craig for eight yards and, following a timeout, the second was to Taylor in the end zone for a ten-yard touchdown (Taylor’s only catch of the day, pictured below). The 49ers had gone 92 yards in 11 plays and, with the successful extra point, were up by four points with 34 seconds remaining on the clock.


After a short pass on Cincinnati’s first play, three passes fell incomplete, the last broken up by CB Eric Wright at the San Francisco 25, and the 49ers were champions by a score of 20-16.

The 49ers outgained Cincinnati by 452 yards to 229 and had 23 first downs to the Bengals’ 13. The highest-scoring team in the NFL scored no offensive touchdowns and was held to just 123 net passing yards as Esiason was sacked five times (to three of Montana). The 49ers turned the ball over twice, while Cincinnati had one.

Joe Montana completed 23 of 36 passes for 357 yards with two touchdowns and none intercepted, and was at his best in the closing drive. Jerry Rice (pictured below) was the game’s MVP, however, as he had 11 catches for 215 yards (a Super Bowl record) and one TD. Roger Craig rushed for 71 yards on 17 carries and pulled in 8 passes for 101 yards. LB/DE Charles Haley accounted for two of the team’s five sacks.


For the Bengals, Boomer Esiason was successful on just 11 of his 25 throws for 144 yards and was picked off once. WR Eddie Brown was the club’s top receiver with 4 catches for 44 yards. Ickey Woods ran the ball 20 times for 79 yards.

The win in Super Bowl XXIII marked the end of Bill Walsh’s successful tenure as head coach of the 49ers. He chose to move exclusively to the front office and defensive coordinator George Seifert took over as coach for 1989. The result was the same – another NFC title and a win in the Super Bowl over Denver (and by a much larger margin).

Sam Wyche, whose job was in trouble after the losing year in ’87, was rewarded with a new contract for 1989. Much was expected of the Bengals, but they dropped to 8-8 and missed the postseason altogether.

1989: Karlis & Vikings Defense Sink the Bengals, Secure Playoff Spot

The two teams meeting at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis on Christmas night, December 25, 1989, were both trying to secure playoff spots in the season’s final week of play. The Minnesota Vikings, under Head Coach Jerry Burns, had been tied with Green Bay atop the NFC Central at 9-6 and, with the Packers having won the day before, needed a victory to win the division (they had the advantage over Green Bay in the division record tiebreaker and would not be able to gain wild card entry with a second place finish). The visiting Cincinnati Bengals, coached by Sam Wyche, were 8-7 and couldn’t win the AFC Central, but still had a chance at a wild card spot.

The Vikings had been underachieving contenders the previous two years, considering the talent on the roster, and had swung a huge deal during the season to obtain RB Herschel Walker from Dallas (ultimately, the Cowboys profited far more than Minnesota). But while unbeatable in the Metrodome, they had gone 2-6 on the road, including an overtime loss the previous week at Cleveland. After making an initial splash, Walker proved to be ill-suited in an offense which further suffered from QB Wade Wilson’s inconsistency and injury-plagued performances by WR Anthony Carter and TE Steve Jordan, who had held out during training camp (contract issues were a significant behind-the-scenes problem). Defense had kept the Vikings alive, in particular the play of DE Chris Doleman (pictured at top) and DT Keith Millard, who led an outstanding pass rush.


Cincinnati had won the AFC Championship in 1988, losing a close Super Bowl contest to the 49ers, but FB Ickey Woods, the key to the ground game in ’88, went down for the year in the season’s second contest. After getting off to a 4-1 start, the Bengals played inconsistently despite the presence of QB Boomer Esiason (pictured at left), wide receivers Eddie Brown and Tim McGee, TE Rodney Holman, and RB James Brooks. The undersized defensive line had difficulty mounting a pass rush, although the backfield, led by SS David Fulcher, was formidable.

The Vikings started off well as Wilson passed to RB Rick Fenney for a 26-yard gain on the game’s first play from scrimmage and proceeded to drive 65 yards in 10 plays, culminating in a 31-yard field goal by Rich Karlis. Following a Cincinnati punt, Minnesota marched to another Karlis field goal, of 37 yards, and held a 6-0 lead after one quarter.

It appeared that Minnesota might take decisive control in the second quarter as Karlis booted two more field goals, from 22 and 42 yards, and in between, following an interception of an Esiason pass by safety Darrell Fullington, Wilson tossed an 11-yard touchdown pass to Fenney. The score was 19-0 midway through the period. The Bengals finally got on the board, however, thanks to a 10-play, 77-yard drive that was capped by Esiason’s 34-yard touchdown pass to Brown.

Cincinnati got the ball back once more in the last two minutes of the half, and Esiason came out throwing but, after the Bengals had driven into Minnesota territory at the 43, he was intercepted by LB Scott Studwell. A 50-yard pass play from Wilson to WR Hassan Jones got the Vikings down to the Cincinnati seven, and Karlis, who had already tied the existing league record with a seven-field goal performance earlier in the season, booted his fifth, from 24 yards. It was 22-7 at the half, but could have been far more lopsided.

Three plays into the third quarter, the margin narrowed as Esiason connected with Holman for a 65-yard touchdown. While it was now 22-14, both offenses bogged down, and the Vikings sacked Esiason three times and forced two fumbles. After the second fumble recovery, Minnesota drove to the Cincinnati 15 but Fenney fumbled and DE Jason Buck recovered for the Bengals to snuff out the threat.

Near the end of the period, Vikings LB Mark Dusbabek intercepted Esiason at the Cincinnati 43, but the ensuing possession failed to add to the Minnesota lead when, now into the fourth quarter, Karlis missed a 52-yard field goal that hit the right upright and bounced away.

The Bengals drove down the field, converting a third-and-fifteen situation with an Esiason completion to McGee for 18 yards. Five plays later, the quarterback threw to RB Craig Taylor for an 18-yard touchdown, and with the successful extra point by Jim Breech, Minnesota’s lead was now down to one point at 22-21.

It was the turn of the Vikings to put together a long drive and, helped along by three penalties on the Bengals, they got down to the one yard line. On a fourth-and-goal play, Coach Burns passed up the easy field goal and chose to go for the touchdown - he was rewarded when Wilson completed a pass to reserve TE Brent Novoselsky for a TD. The successful PAT by Karlis put Minnesota up by eight points.

The teams traded punts and, with just over three minutes remaining, Cincinnati took over on its own five yard line and began to move methodically down the field. Esiason was successful on his first eight passes and a 17-yard completion to McGee on fourth-and-two took the Bengals to the Minnesota 22 yard line. The drive stalled, however, and an apparent fourth-down scoring pass to Brown was wiped out by a penalty. The Vikings held on to win by a score of 29-21.

The Bengals outgained Minnesota (309 yards to 274) and had the edge in first downs (26 to 24), but also gave up five turnovers, as opposed to one by the Vikings. Minnesota’s pass rushers sacked Esiason six times (Chris Doleman accounted for four of them), although the Bengals got to Wilson on four occasions (LB Reggie Williams had two).


Wade Wilson (pictured at right) completed 19 of 35 passes for 303 yards with two touchdowns and none intercepted. Anthony Carter caught 7 passes for 118 yards and Hassan Jones added another 90 yards on four receptions. Rick Fenney led the team in rushing with 62 yards on 17 attempts and also grabbed 5 passes for another 51 yards and a TD. Herschel Walker gained just 43 yards on 12 carries.

Boomer Esiason, playing catchup almost all the way and being hit often, went to the air 54 times and had 31 completions for 367 yards with three touchdowns but also three interceptions. James Brooks had a typically productive day leading the team with 93 yards on 15 carries and also catching 12 passes for 66 more yards. Eddie Brown gained 109 yards on 6 catches with a TD and Rodney Holman contributed 84 yards on his three receptions that included a touchdown.

Minnesota won the NFC Central with the resulting 10-6 record but lost badly to the 49ers in the Divisional playoff. At 8-8, Cincinnati ended up not only out of the postseason but at the bottom of the AFC Central (the three other teams all made it into the playoffs, although Houston and Pittsburgh were only a game better than the Bengals at 9-7. The Steelers would have been eliminated had Cincinnati won).

Boomer Esiason was the top-rated passer in the AFC (92.1 rating) and also threw the most touchdown passes (28). He was selected to the Pro Bowl for the second straight year.

James Brooks ran for a career-high 1239 yards on 221 carries for an AFC-leading 5.6 average (the highest among NFL running backs as Eagles QB Randall Cunningham led the league with a 6.0 average). His 1545 yards from scrimmage ranked fifth in the NFL. He, too, went to the Pro Bowl for the second consecutive time and third of an eventual four.

Chris Doleman led the NFL with 21 sacks and was a consensus first team All-NFL selection as well as being named to the Pro Bowl for the third (of an eventual four) straight years. Teammate Keith Millard ranked third with 18 as Minnesota ended up recording a total of 71 sacks, the second-most in NFL history.


Despite playing in just 13 games, the barefoot-kicking Rich Karlis (pictured at left) had a career-year in leading the NFL with 31 field goals, out of 39 attempts. He had played seven seasons with the Broncos but was a late preseason cut following a contract dispute. Following his big year, Karlis held out again in 1990 and the Vikings, after picking up Donald Igwebuike off waivers from Tampa Bay, chose to let him go. He signed on with the Lions during the season, covering for injured veteran Eddie Murray for six games, but was let go when Murray returned. It proved to be his final year in the NFL.