2015 Cincinnati Bengals season

2015 Cincinnati Bengals season
Head coach	Marvin Lewis
Owner	Mike Brown
Home field	Paul Brown Stadium
Results
Record	12–4
Division place	1st AFC North
Playoff finish	Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Steelers) 18–16
Pro Bowlers	DT Geno Atkins TE Tyler Eifert WR A.J. Green FS Reggie Nelson OT Andrew Whitworth DE Carlos Dunlap CB Adam Jones RB Cedric Peerman

The 2015 Cincinnati Bengals season was the franchise's 46th season in the National Football League, the 48th overall and the thirteenth under head coach Marvin Lewis.

The Cincinnati Bengals got off to a franchise best start after beating the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field by a score of 16–10, improving them to 7–0. Their winning streak ended in Week 10 with a loss to the Houston Texans in Cincinnati. Later in the season they clinched a playoff spot for a franchise record fifth straight year. They clinched their second AFC North title in the last three seasons with their Week 15 loss at the Denver Broncos because of the Steelers loss to the Ravens the day before. They lost to the Steelers in the Wild Card 16–18. This marked the 25th consecutive season without a playoff win for the Bengals. They also became the first team in NFL history to lose five consecutive playoff games in the first round.

2015 draft class

2015 Cincinnati Bengals Draft

Round	Selection	Player	Position	College
1	21	Cedric Ogbuehi	OT	Texas A&M
2	53	Jake Fisher	OT	Oregon
3	85	Tyler Kroft	TE	Rutgers
	99	Paul Dawson	LB	TCU
4	120	Josh Shaw	S	USC
	135	Marcus Hardison	DT	Arizona State
5	157	C.J. Uzomah	TE	Auburn
6	197	Derron Smith	S	Fresno State
7	238	Mario Alford	WR	West Virginia

Compensatory selection 3rd round pick awarded for losing Michael Johnson in free agency.

Staff

2015 Cincinnati Bengals staff
	Front office President – Mike Brown Senior vice president of player personnel – Pete Brown Executive vice president – Katie Blackburn Vice president of player personnel – Paul Brown Director of player personnel – Duke Tobin Head coaches Head coach – Marvin Lewis Assistant head coach and offensive line coach – Paul Alexander Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator – Hue Jackson Quarterbacks – Ken Zampese Running backs – Kyle Caskey Wide receivers – James Urban Tight ends – Jonathan Hayes Offensive line assistant and quality control – Brian Braswell			Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator – Paul Guenther Defensive line – Jay Hayes Linebackers – Matt Burke Assistant linebackers and quality control – David Lippincott Defensive backs – Vance Joseph Defensive backs – Mark Carrier Defensive assistant and quality control – Marcus Lewis Special teams coaches Special teams coordinator – Darrin Simmons Special teams assistant and quality control – Brayden Coombs Strength and conditioning Strength and conditioning – Chip Morton Strength and conditioning assistant – Jeff Friday

Final roster

2015 Cincinnati Bengals final roster
	Quarterbacks 14 Andy Dalton  5 AJ McCarron  3 Keith Wenning Running backs 25 Giovani Bernard 33 Rex Burkhead 32 Jeremy Hill 30 Cedric Peerman Wide receivers 15 Mario Alford 18 A. J. Green 82 Marvin Jones 12 Mohamed Sanu 19 Brandon Tate Tight ends 85 Tyler Eifert 44 Jake Fisher 89 Ryan Hewitt 81 Tyler Kroft 87 C.J. Uzomah		Offensive linemen 61 Russell Bodine C 65 Clint Boling G 60 T. J. Johnson C 70 Cedric Ogbuehi T 71 Andre Smith T 77 Andrew Whitworth T 73 Eric Winston T 68 Kevin Zeitler G Defensive linemen 97 Geno Atkins DT 93 Will Clarke DE 96 Carlos Dunlap DE 95 Wallace Gilberry DE 91 Marcus Hardison DT 99 Margus Hunt DE 90 Michael Johnson DE 94 Domata Peko DT 92 Pat Sims DT 98 Brandon Thompson DT		Linebackers 55 Vontaze Burfict OLB 47 Paul Dawson OLB 50 A. J. Hawk OLB 59 Emmanuel Lamur OLB 58 Rey Maualuga MLB 57 Vincent Rey MLB Defensive backs 29 Leon Hall CB 43 George Iloka SS 24 Adam Jones CB 27 Dre Kirkpatrick CB 37 Chris Lewis-Harris CB 20 Reggie Nelson FS 26 Josh Shaw CB 40 Derron Smith SS 36 Shawn Williams FS Special teams 46 Clark Harris LS 10 Kevin Huber P  2 Mike Nugent K		Reserve lists 21 Darqueze Dennard CB (IR) 53 Marquis Flowers OLB (IR) 86 James Wright WR (IR) Practice squad 66 Trey Hopkins G 41 Asa Jackson CB 84 Jake Kumerow WR 88 Matt Lengel TE 45 Trevor Roach LB 33 Terrell Watson HB 34 James Wilder, Jr. HB 69 DeShawn Williams DT Rookies in italics 53 Active, 3 Inactive, 10 Practice squad

Schedule

Preseason

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Game site	NFL.com recap
1	August 14	New York Giants	W 23–10	1–0	Paul Brown Stadium	Recap
2	August 24	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	L 11–25	1–1	Raymond James Stadium	Recap
3	August 29	Chicago Bears	W 21–10	2–1	Paul Brown Stadium	Recap
4	September 3	at Indianapolis Colts	W 9–6	3–1	Lucas Oil Stadium	Recap

Regular season

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Game site	NFL.com recap
1	September 13	at Oakland Raiders	W 33–13	1–0	O.co Coliseum	Recap
2	September 20	San Diego Chargers	W 24–19	2–0	Paul Brown Stadium	Recap
3	September 27	at Baltimore Ravens	W 28–24	3–0	M&T Bank Stadium	Recap
4	October 4	Kansas City Chiefs	W 36–21	4–0	Paul Brown Stadium	Recap
5	October 11	Seattle Seahawks	W 27–24 (OT)	5–0	Paul Brown Stadium	Recap
6	October 18	at Buffalo Bills	W 34–21	6–0	Ralph Wilson Stadium	Recap
7	Bye
8	November 1	at Pittsburgh Steelers	W 16–10	7–0	Heinz Field	Recap
9	November 5	Cleveland Browns	W 31–10	8–0	Paul Brown Stadium	Recap
10	November 16	Houston Texans	L 6–10	8–1	Paul Brown Stadium	Recap
11	November 22	at Arizona Cardinals	L 31–34	8–2	University of Phoenix Stadium	Recap
12	November 29	St. Louis Rams	W 31–7	9–2	Paul Brown Stadium	Recap
13	December 6	at Cleveland Browns	W 37–3	10–2	FirstEnergy Stadium	Recap
14	December 13	Pittsburgh Steelers	L 20–33	10–3	Paul Brown Stadium	Recap
15	December 20	at San Francisco 49ers	W 24–14	11–3	Levi's Stadium	Recap
16	December 28	at Denver Broncos	L 17–20 (OT)	11–4	Sports Authority Field at Mile High	Recap
17	January 3	Baltimore Ravens	W 24–16	12–4	Paul Brown Stadium	Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Postseason

Playoff round	Date	Opponent (seed)	Result	Record	Game site	NFL.com recap
Wild Card	January 9, 2016	Pittsburgh Steelers (6)	L 16–18	0–1	Paul Brown Stadium	Recap

Game summaries

Regular season

Week 1: at Oakland Raiders

The Bengals started their season on the road against the Raiders. They would score first when Jeremy Hill ran for a TD from 3 yards out 7-0 lead in the first quarter for that quarter's only score. They increase their lead in the second quarter when Mike Nugent nailed a 32-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead followed up by Hill running for a 2-yard TD for a 17-0 lead followed up by Andy Dalton finding Tyler Eifert on a 13-yard TD pass for a 24-0 lead at halftime. After the break, the Bengals went back to work as Dalton and Eifert hooked up again this time on an 8-yard TD pass (with a failed PAT) for a 30-0 lead. Nugent put a 35-yard field goal through for a 33-0 lead. In the fourth quarter, it was all Raiders when Backup QB Matt McGloin found Marcel Reese on 2 straight TD passes: from 11 and 9 yards out (with a failed 2-point conversion) for 33-7 and the final score of 33-13.

With the win, the Bengals started their season 1-0. The team would also improve to 1-10 against the Raiders in Oakland.

Week 2: vs. San Diego Chargers

The Bengals' home opener was against the Chargers. In the first quarter, Andy Dalton found A.J. Green on a 16-yard pass for a 7-0 lead. The Chargers would later on score when Josh Lambo kicked a 40-yard field goal for a 7-3 game. They drew closer in the second quarter, when Lambo kicked another field goal from 32 yards out for a 7-6 game. The Bengals moved ahead by 8 when Andy Dalton found Marvin Jones on a 45-yard pass for a 14-6 game at halftime. In the third quarter, the Chargers once again came within a point when Philip Rivers found Stevie Johnson on a 10-yard pass for a 14-13 game. The Bengals pulled ahead by 4 when Mike Nugent kicked a 21-yard field goal for a 17-13 game. In the fourth quarter, Dalton found Tyler Eifert on a 9-yard pass for a 24-13 lead. The Chargers would come within 5 as Rivers found Malcolm Floyd on a 40-yard pass for a 24-19 game. After pressuring the Bengals' offense, the Chargers got the ball back. Though one of Rivers's comeback passes was picked off sealing the win for the Bengals.

With the win, the Bengals improved to 2-0.

Week 3: at Baltimore Ravens

After a tough win at home over the Chargers, the Bengals traveled to Baltimore to take on the Ravens. All of the first half points came for the Bengals only. They would score in the first quarter Andy Dalton ran for a 7-yard TD for a 7-0 lead. Followed up in the second quarter when Dalton found Marvin Jones on a 16-yard TD pass for a 14-0 lead at halftime. The Ravens were able to get on the board in the third quarter when Joe Flacco found Steve Smith Sr. on a 50-yard TD pass for a 14-7 game and the only score of the period. In the fourth quarter, the Ravens took the lead at first coming within 4 when Justin Tucker put a 21-yard field goal through for a 14-10 game and then when C.J. Mosley returned a fumble 41 yards for a TD for a 17-14 lead. The Bengals retook the lead when Dalton found A.J. Green on an 80-yard TD pass for a 21-17 game before the Ravens went back into the lead when Flacco found Smith Sr. again this time on a 16-yard TD pass for a 24-21 game. Dalton and Green hooked up on the last score of the game: A 7-yard TD pass for the final score 28-24.

With their 4th straight win over the Ravens, the Bengals improved to 3-0 for the 2nd straight season, and captured their 4th 3-0 start under Marvin Lewis.

Week 4: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

After a tough win over the Ravens, the Bengals returned home for a game against the Chiefs. They would score first in the first quarter when Jeremy Hill ran for an 8-yard TD for a 7-0 lead. Cairo Santos then put a 22-yard field goal through to give the Chiefs their first score of the game 7-3. The Bengals moved ahead by 11 when Giovani Bernard ran for a 13-yard TD for a 14-3 game. In the second quarter, it was all Chiefs as Santos nailed 3 straight field goals eventually to get within 2 points before halftime: from 40, 51, and 34 yards out for 14-6, 14-9, and the 14-12 score at halftime. The Bengals however got back to work in the third quarter when Andy Dalton found Brandon Tate on a 55-yard TD pass increasing their lead to 21-12. The Chiefs came within 6 as Santos put a 40-yard field goal through for a 21-15 game. The Bengals moved ahead by 14 when Hill ran for a 5-yard TD (with a successful 2-point conversion) for a 29-15 game. In the fourth quarter, the Chiefs moved within 11 as Santos put a 29-yard field goal through for a 29-18 game. The Bengals would pretty much seal the game when Hill ran for a 1-yard TD for a 36-18 game. The Chiefs wrapped up the scoring of the game when Santos kicked yet another 51-yard field goal for the eventual final score of 36-21.

With the win, the Bengals improved to 4-0, their first such start since 2005. The defense also didn't allow a single touchdown (just 7 field goals).

Week 5: vs. Seattle Seahawks

The Bengals returned home to take on the Seahawks. They would score first in the first quarter when Andy Dalton found Tyler Eifert on a 14-yard TD pass for a 7-0. The Seahawks scored 24 straight points: later on in the quarter they managed to tie it up when Russel Wilson found Jermaine Kearse on a 30-yard TD pass for a 7-7 game. In the second quarter, the Seahawks took the lead as Steven Hauschka nailed a 24-yard field goal for a 10-7 game at halftime. In the third quarter, the Seahawks went back to work as Thomas Rawls ran for a 69-yard TD for a 17-7 game followed up by Bobby Wagner returning a fumble 23 yards for a TD for a 24-7 game. In the fourth quarter, the Bengals would start a reign of 20 straight points: First starting out when Dalton and Eifert hooked up again on a 10-yard TD pass for a 24-14 game followed by Dalton running for a 5-yard TD for a 24-21 game. Mike Nugent then kicked a 31-yard field goal through for a tied game at 24-24. In overtime, Nugent would kick the game winning 42-yard field goal for the 27-24 win.

With the win, the Bengals improved to 5-0.

Week 6: at Buffalo Bills

With the win, the Bengals improved to 6-0, their first such start since 1988 which would also see them on a 6-game winning streak. This would be their third 6-0 start in franchise history.

Week 8: at Pittsburgh Steelers

Despite the return of Ben Roethlisberger, the Bengals managed to come from behind and win the game 16-10 and achieve a mark of 7-0 for the first time in franchise history.

Week 9: vs. Cleveland Browns

The Bengals defeated Johnny Manziel and the Browns and improved to a franchise-best 8–0 on the season. Tight end Tyler Eifert caught three touchdown passes from Andy Dalton in the game, as he tied the club record for TDs in a season by a TE (9).

Week 10: vs. Houston Texans

The Bengals looked to remain undefeated as they hosted J.J. Watt and the Houston Texans. The Texans' starting quarterback, Brian Hoyer, left the game with a concussion, but recently signed backup T.J. Yates threw a fourth-quarter touchdown pass to DeAndre Hopkins. Andy Dalton drove the Bengals into Texans' territory, but A.J. Green fumbled, sealing the Texans' 10-6 victory over the Bengals.

With the loss, the Bengals drop to 8-1, and were no longer undefeated, leaving the New England Patriots as the only unbeaten team in the AFC at that point.

Week 11: at Arizona Cardinals

The 8-1 Bengals traveled to Arizona to face the 7-2 Cardinals and former Bengals #1 overall draft pick Carson Palmer.

With the loss, the Bengals fell to 8-2.

Week 12: vs. St. Louis Rams

In Week 12, the Bengals looked to bounce back from two straight losses after starting 8–0. Rams Quarterback Nick Foles threw 3 Interceptions and the Bengals routed the Rams in Cincinnati, 31–7, to move to 9–2. With a Pittsburgh to loss to Seattle later that evening, the Bengals re-gained a 3-game lead in the AFC North Division.

Week 13: at Cleveland Browns

With the convincing road win, the Bengals improved to 10–2 on the season, sweeping the Browns for the first time since 2011.

Week 14: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Not only did the Bengals lose 33-20 and drop to 10-3, but lost quarterback Andy Dalton to a broken thumb in the first quarter. He missed the rest of the season and his loss shattered the Bengals' Super Bowl hopes. Second year quarterback A.J. McCarron took over for the game's remainder. Along with Dalton, Tyler Eifert, who returned from a stinger, left the game with a concussion.

Week 15: at San Francisco 49ers

This was A.J. McCarron's first game as starting quarterback, and the Bengals' first win at San Francisco since 1974.

Week 16: at Denver Broncos

Due to the Steelers' loss to the Ravens the previous day, the Bengals entered the game as the AFC North champions. The Bengals rushed out to a 14–0 lead in the first half on a McCarron touchdown pass and a Mohamed Sanu rush, but Denver cut the deficit to 11 points as Brandon McManus nailed a short 23-yard field goal with just 18 seconds remaining before halftime. In the second half, momentum shifted mightily after a missed field goal by Mike Nugent in the third. Emmanuel Sanders hauled in an 8-yard pass from Brock Osweiler to cut the deficit to 14–10, and Denver claimed the lead for the first time in the game on a 39-yard touchdown run by C.J. Anderson with 11:17 remaining in the 4th Quarter. The Bengals marched down the field to tie the game on Mike Nugent's season-long 52-yard field goal, making the score 17–17 at the end of regulation. The tired Bengals failed to put any points on the board in the extra period, allowing a 37-yard McManus field goal to make the score 20–17 Denver. A botched snap on the ensuing Bengals drive was recovered by the Broncos, ending the game and Cincinnati's hopes for a first-round bye in the playoffs. With the loss, the Bengals fell to 11–4 on the season.

Week 17: vs. Baltimore Ravens

Cincinnati returned home to Paul Brown Stadium to face the AFC North rival Baltimore Ravens in the final game of the NFL regular season. After offensive struggles by both teams during the opening quarter, the Ravens got on the board with a 28-yard field goal by Justin Tucker. Later on in the quarter, Tucker would add three more with another field goal, this time from 50 yards out. With 1:56 remaining in the first half, Tyler Eifert, back after missing two games due to injury, caught a 22-yard pass from McCarron as the Bengals took the lead, 7–6. Baltimore would later re-take the lead, 9–7, as time expired in the half with a third Tucker field goal from 49 yards. Cincinnati came out strong in the second half, scoring 17 unanswered points en route to the 24–16 victory. 57,254 were in attendance, the smallest crowd at Paul Brown Stadium of the season.

With the win, the Bengals finished the season tying their franchise-best record in a 16-game season at 12-4. However, the Broncos' win over the Chargers later on in the day gave the Bengals the #3 seed in the postseason.

Postseason

AFC Wild Card Playoffs: vs. #6 Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers put up a 15-0 lead before the Bengals scored 16 unanswered in the fourth quarter to lead it 16-15. The Steelers drove down the field down the field and retook the lead when Chris Boswell made it 18-16. AJ McCarron tried to go for a miracle with 0:06 left in the game but it fell incomplete leading to the Bengals being one and done for a 5th year in a row and dropping their overall record to 12-5.

The Bengals are the first team to go to the playoffs for 5 straight years and be one and done.

The team also dropped to 0-2 against the Steelers in the postseason and 0-7 with Marvin in the postseason.

Standings

Division

AFC North
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
(3) Cincinnati Bengals	12	4	0	.750	5–1	9–3	419	279	W1
(6) Pittsburgh Steelers	10	6	0	.625	3–3	7–5	423	319	W1
Baltimore Ravens	5	11	0	.313	3–3	4–8	328	401	L1
Cleveland Browns	3	13	0	.188	1–5	2–10	278	432	L3

Conference

AFC
#	Team	Division	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	SOS	SOV	STK
Division Leaders
1[lower-alpha 1]	Denver Broncos	West	12	4	0	.750	4–2	8–4	.500	.479	W2
2[lower-alpha 1]	New England Patriots	East	12	4	0	.750	4–2	9–3	.473	.448	L2
3[lower-alpha 1]	Cincinnati Bengals	North	12	4	0	.750	5–1	9–3	.477	.406	W1
4	Houston Texans	South	9	7	0	.563	5–1	7–5	.496	.410	W3
Wild Cards
5	Kansas City Chiefs	West	11	5	0	.688	5–1	10–2	.496	.432	W10
6[lower-alpha 2]	Pittsburgh Steelers	North	10	6	0	.625	3–3	7–5	.504	.463	W1
Did not qualify for the playoffs
7[lower-alpha 2]	New York Jets	East	10	6	0	.625	3–3	7–5	.441	.388	L1
8[lower-alpha 3]	Buffalo Bills	East	8	8	0	.500	4–2	7–5	.508	.438	W2
9[lower-alpha 3]	Indianapolis Colts	South	8	8	0	.500	4–2	6–6	.500	.406	W2
10	Oakland Raiders	West	7	9	0	.438	3–3	7–5	.512	.366	L1
11	Miami Dolphins	East	6	10	0	.375	1–5	4–8	.469	.469	W2
12[lower-alpha 3]	Jacksonville Jaguars	South	5	11	0	.313	2–4	5–7	.473	.375	L3
13[lower-alpha 3]	Baltimore Ravens	North	5	11	0	.313	3–3	4–8	.508	.425	L1
14	San Diego Chargers	West	4	12	0	.250	0–6	3–9	.527	.328	L2
15[lower-alpha 3]	Cleveland Browns	North	3	13	0	.188	1–5	2–10	.531	.271	L3
16[lower-alpha 3]	Tennessee Titans	South	3	13	0	.188	1–5	1–11	.492	.375	L4
Tiebreakers[lower-alpha 4]
1 2 3 Denver finished ahead of New England and Cincinnati for the No. 1 seed based on head-to-head sweep. New England finished ahead of Cincinnati for the No. 2 seed based on record vs. common opponents — New England's cumulative record against Buffalo, Denver, Houston and Pittsburgh was 4–1, while Cincinnati's cumulative record against the same four teams was 2–3. 1 2 Pittsburgh finished ahead of the New York Jets for the No. 6 seed and qualified for the last playoff spot based on record vs. common opponents — Pittsburgh's cumulative record against Cleveland, Indianapolis, New England and Oakland was 4–1, while the Jets' cumulative record against the same four teams was 3–2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 The tiebreaker was based on head-to-head victory. ↑ When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest ranked remaining team from each division.

References

External links

• Official website