The 1986 season was the Cincinnati Bengals' 17th season in the National Football League (NFL), their 19th overall, and their third under head coach Sam Wyche. The Bengals were one of two teams with ten wins[1] that failed to make the AFC playoffs in 1986.
| 1986 Cincinnati Bengals season | |
|---|---|
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| Head coach | Sam Wyche |
| Home field | Riverfront Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 10–6 |
| Division place | 2nd AFC Central |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Third-year quarterback Boomer Esiason, who had the best season of his career, passed for a team-record 3,959 yards, 24 touchdowns and 17 interceptions with a completion percentage of 58.2 and a passer rating of 87.7, while halfback James Brooks rushed for 1,087 yards as the Bengals went 10-6, narrowly missing a playoff berth. Linebacker Reggie Williams was selected NFL Man of the Year for his efforts to charity and the community. The Bengals amassed a club-record 621 yards net offense in a 52–21 victory over the New York Jets on December 21. No NFL team has since matched that total in a regulation-time game since.
Offseason
NFL draft
| 1986 Cincinnati Bengals draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | Joe Kelly | Linebacker | Washington | |
| 1 | 21 | Tim McGee | Wide receiver | Tennessee | |
| 2 | 38 | Lewis Billups | Defensive back | North Alabama | |
| 3 | 58 | Jim Skow | Defensive end | Nebraska | |
| 3 | 65 | Mike Hammerstein | Defensive tackle | Michigan | |
| 3 | 78 | David Fulcher * | Defensive back | Arizona State | |
| 4 | 91 | Eric Kattus | Tight end | Michigan | |
| 4 | 99 | Doug Gaynor | Quarterback | Long Beach State | |
| 5 | 123 | Leon White | Linebacker | BYU | |
| 6 | 152 | Gary Hunt | Defensive back | Memphis | |
| 7 | 177 | Pat Franklin | Running back | Texas State | |
| 8 | 204 | David Douglas | Guard | Tennessee | |
| 9 | 230 | Cary Whittingham | Linebacker | BYU | |
| 10 | 262 | Jeff Shaw | Defensive tackle | Salem (WV) | |
| 11 | 289 | Tim Stone | Offensive tackle | Kansas State | |
| 11 | 294 | Tom Flaherty | Linebacker | Northwestern | |
| 12 | 316 | Steve Bradley | Quarterback | Indiana | |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Roster
| Quarterbacks Running backs Wide receivers Tight ends
| Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
| Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
| Reserve lists
| ||||||
Regular season
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 7, 1986 | at Kansas City Chiefs | L 24–14 | 0–1 | 43,430 |
| 2 | September 14, 1986 | Buffalo Bills | W 36–33 | 1–1 | 52,714 |
| 3 | September 18, 1986 | at Cleveland Browns | W 30–13 | 2–1 | 78,779 |
| 4 | September 28, 1986 | Chicago Bears | L 44–7 | 2–2 | 55,146 |
| 5 | October 5, 1986 | at Green Bay Packers | W 34–28 | 3–2 | 51,230 |
| 6 | October 13, 1986 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 24–22 | 4–2 | 54,283 |
| 7 | October 19, 1986 | Houston Oilers | W 31–28 | 5–2 | 53,844 |
| 8 | October 26, 1986 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 30–9 | 5–3 | 50,815 |
| 9 | November 2, 1986 | at Detroit Lions | W 24–17 | 6–3 | 52,423 |
| 10 | November 9, 1986 | at Houston Oilers | L 32–28 | 6–4 | 32,130 |
| 11 | November 16, 1986 | Seattle Seahawks | W 34–7 | 7–4 | 54,410 |
| 12 | November 23, 1986 | Minnesota Vikings | W 24–20 | 8–4 | 53,003 |
| 13 | November 30, 1986 | at Denver Broncos | L 34–28 | 8–5 | 58,705 |
| 14 | December 7, 1986 | at New England Patriots | W 31–7 | 9–5 | 60,633 |
| 15 | December 14, 1986 | Cleveland Browns | L 34–3 | 9–6 | 58,062 |
| 16 | December 21, 1986 | New York Jets | W 52–21 | 10–6 | 51,619 |
Standings
| AFC Central | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Cleveland Browns(1) | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 5–1 | 10–2 | 391 | 310 | W5 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 3–3 | 7–5 | 409 | 394 | W1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 3–3 | 4–8 | 307 | 336 | L1 |
| Houston Oilers | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–5 | 3–9 | 274 | 329 | W2 |
Team leaders
Passing
| Player | Att | Comp | Yds | TD | INT | Rating |
| Boomer Esiason | 469 | 273 | 3959 | 24 | 17 | 87.7 |
Rushing
| Player | Att | Yds | YPC | Long | TD |
| James Brooks | 205 | 1087 | 5.3 | 56 | 5 |
| Larry Kinnebrew | 131 | 519 | 4.0 | 39 | 8 |
| Stanley Wilson | 68 | 379 | 5.6 | 58 | 8 |
Receiving
| Player | Rec | Yds | Avg | Long | TD |
| Cris Collinsworth | 62 | 1024 | 16.5 | 46 | 10 |
Defensive
| Player | Tackles | Sacks | INTs | FF | FR |
| Tim Krumrie | 113 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Louis Breeden | 56 | 0.0 | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| Emmanual King | 70 | 9.0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
Kicking and punting
| Player | FGA | FGM | FG% | XPA | XPM | XP% | Points |
| Jim Breech | 32 | 17 | 53.1% | 51 | 50 | 98.0 | 101 |
| Player | Punts | Yards | Long | Blkd | Avg. |
| Jeff Hayes | 56 | 1965 | 52 | 2 | 35.1 |
Special teams
| Player | KR | KRYards | KRAvg | KRLong | KRTD | PR | PRYards | PRAvg | PRLong | PRTD |
| Tim McGee | 43 | 1007 | 23.4 | 94 | 0 | 3 | 21 | 7.0 | 9 | 0 |
| Mike Martin | 4 | 83 | 20.8 | 21 | 0 | 13 | 96 | 7.4 | 14 | 0 |
Awards and records
- Boomer Esiason, franchise record (since broken), most passing yards in one game, 425 yards (vs. New York Jets, on December 21, 1986) [3]
- Boomer Esiason, franchise record (since broken), most passing yards in one season, 3,959 yards [4]
- Boomer Esiason, franchise record, most touchdown passes in one game, 5 passes (achieved on December 21, 1986) [4]
Milestones
- James Brooks, 1000 yard rushing season (1,087) [5]
- Cris Collinsworth, 1000 yard receiving season (1,024) [6]