The Cincinnati Bengals have reached the playoffs six times and lost every time except for one. The Las Vegas Raiders, who are in their first year of existence, have yet to meet any NFL teams this season.
The “raiders vs bengals 2021” is the first time these two teams have met in the NFL Playoffs. The Bengals and Raiders both play in the AFC North. The last time they played was on January 6, 2019, when Cincinnati defeated Oakland by a score of 35-20.
The Cincinnati Bengals and the Las Vegas Raiders come into Super Wild Card Weekend of the NFL Playoffs from opposite ends of the spectrum. In Week 18, the Bengals had already clinched the AFC North and were happy to rest quarterback Joe Burrow against the Cleveland Browns and settle for the fourth spot. To secure a playoff spot and the No. 5 seed in 2021, the Raiders needed an overtime field goal in the last two seconds of the regular season.
The two original American Football League clubs are meeting for the third time in history, and the first time since one of the game’s greatest players suffered one of the most horrific injuries. It will also be the second time the clubs will meet off this season. The Super Wild Card Round begins on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. on NBC with the Bengals and Raiders.
When the Bengals first faced the Raiders in the NFL Playoffs in 1975, their prayers were not fulfilled.
Michael Zagaris/Getty Images | Ted Hendricks
In the Divisional Round of the 1975 playoffs, the Bengals and Raiders met for the first time. It’s possible that you don’t recall the Raiders’ 31-28 triumph at the Oakland Coliseum because of what transpired in the game before it on that late December Sunday afternoon. That would be the “Hail Mary” game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Minnesota Vikings, in which Roger Staubach connected with Drew Pearson on a 50-yard touchdown pass in the last minute to give the Cowboys a 17-14 win.
The Bengals attempted their own comeback magic, falling down 31-14 in the fourth quarter before rallying for two touchdowns to tie it 31-28 and recovering the ball on a fumble recovery at the Raiders’ 37-yard line with 4:19 left.
However, a sack near the goal line and an incomplete throw on fourth down ended that scoring chance. With 50 seconds remaining, all dreams of completing the comeback were dashed when the Bengals went all out to stop a Ray Guy punt, instead running into Guy and handing the Raiders a game-clinching first down.
The 1991 Bo Jackson injury game was the most well-known of the two prior playoff encounters.
January 13, 1991 1990 AFC Divisional Round Playoff Los Angeles #Raiders 20 Bengals 10
QB Jay Schroeder connected with WR Mervyn Fernandez & TE Ethan Horton for TDs. PK Jeff Jaeger had 2 FGs.
RB Bo Jackson had 77 yds. before his injury. RB Marcus Allen had 164 offensive yds. pic.twitter.com/TjYwup47Jf
— AFL Godfather 🏴☠️👓🏈 (@NFLMAVERICK) January 13, 2022
All eyes were on the Bengals and Raiders in their most recent playoff battle in 1991, when the Raiders won at the LA Coliseum but lost running back Bo Jackson to a catastrophic hip injury in the third quarter, thus ending his football career and severely limiting his baseball career.
The Bengals were tied 10-10 in the fourth quarter against the Raiders before Raiders quarterback Jay Schroeder put the game away with two throws, advancing them to the Divisional Round with a 41-14 Wild Card win against the Houston Oilers. On 3rd-and-20 from their own 22, Tim Brown caught a 26-yard touchdown pass. Schroeder connected with tight end Ethan Horton for a 41-yard touchdown and a 17-10 advantage three plays later.
The Raiders added a field goal to make the final score 20-10. The Raiders were unable to overcome the loss of Jackson, and they were defeated in the AFC Championship Game the following week by the up-and-coming Buffalo Bills, who advanced to their first of four straight Super Bowls with a stunning 51-3 victory.
The Bengals’ 20-10 setback was the first in a string of eight straight playoff losses, which they will continue in Saturday’s game.
Back in Week 11, the Bengals had no issue with the Raiders.
The Bengals were coming off a two-game losing skid that had lowered their record to 6-4 when they traveled to Las Vegas in Week 11. The Bengals, though, bounced back from their bye week with a dominating 32-13 win.
Joe Mixon led the Bengals with 121 yards running and two touchdowns, while Burrow went 20-for-29 for 148 yards and one score in his 10th game back from a season-ending knee injury the year before. However, the touchdown pass was crucial: With 5:03 left, a six-yard pass to rookie Ja’Marr Chase gave the Bengals a comfortable 22-13 lead.
Mixon’s second touchdown came after an interception on the Raiders’ next drive, giving Cincinnati a dominating 29-13 lead with 3:56 remaining.
The Raiders plummeted to 5-5 after their third consecutive defeat. However, Las Vegas would go on to win four consecutive games to earn a Wild Card berth. They’ll now go to Cincinnati for the first Raiders-Bengals playoff game in the city’s history.
Stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference
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The “bengals vs raiders 2019” is a question that has been asked for many years. The Cincinnati Bengals and the Las Vegas Raiders have met in the NFL Playoffs four times.
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