To me, the last Super Bowl game. Boomer at QB, Krumrie going down, Stanley Wilson disappeared; and yet the Bengals led going into the 4th quarter. And yes, Jerry Rice caught a touchdown, but it was the game TYING TD after which the Bengals took the lead on a field goal with somewhere around 3 minutes remaining, and as Bengal Hawk said, it was that dam John Taylor who caught that pass to end our dreams. My favorite coach Sam Wyche, a really good defense, and awesome offense led by Esiason all went to the wayside in the closing moments of that game. The first Super Bowl was disappointing, especially after we won the Freezer Bowl to get there (still why I think Fouts hates us in his broadcasts), but we started out in the hole and made a valiant comeback only to fall short to the hated 49ers and Montana; I could see why we lost, but still remember the great Kenny Anderson leading us back almost to a win, and yes; it hurt too.But the last Super Bowl for me was the worst. Palmer and Henry going down on the same play after the great completion that brought all of us who were around out of our seats only to be floored was bad, as was pulling defeat out of the jaws of victory in that playoff game in 2015, but who's to say we would have went all the way either of those years? In both of our Super Bowl losses, we were right there, and as it seemingly always happens, ended up short...those were the worst to me.

Paul Brown

(03-22-2017, 12:57 PM)Sled21 Wrote: Nothing will ever hurt as bad as losing the Super Bowl in the last minutes to San Francisco.....twice.

This^^^^......especially XXIII, where we had the lead with 34 seconds to go.

89 Super Bowl. Nothing else compares. I will unabashedly despise the 49er's, Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, and John Taylor for the rest
of my days.

(03-22-2017, 01:43 PM)McC Wrote: I didn't jump up and down.  My feet were nailed to the floor by the feeling in the pit of my stomach.  And one question kept running through my head--How they gonna **** this up.  Seemed like it was almost too far gone to **** up.  And look how creative they got in doing so.  I was never gonna celebrate until it was all zeroes.  

You too?

Playoff loss to the Steelers when Carson Palmer and Henry went down.

Damn SF hung another notable loss on us. Sept 20th, 1987 at Riverfront.

Bengals lead late 26-20 with the ball on their own 30 with six seconds left. Bengals try to run the ball on 4th down to run out the clock, but the play only takes four seconds. San Fran takes over and sure enough Montana hits Rice in end zone. SF kicks extra point and wins 27-26.

(03-22-2017, 02:48 PM)Bengalsrob Wrote: To me, the last Super Bowl game. Boomer at QB, Krumrie going down, Stanley Wilson disappeared; and yet the Bengals led going into the 4th quarter. And yes, Jerry Rice caught a touchdown, but it was the game TYING TD after which the Bengals took the lead on a field goal with somewhere around 3 minutes remaining, and as Bengal Hawk said, it was that dam John Taylor who caught that pass to end our dreams. My favorite coach Sam Wyche, a really good defense, and awesome offense led by Esiason all went to the wayside in the closing moments of that game. The first Super Bowl was disappointing, especially after we won the Freezer Bowl to get there (still why I think Fouts hates us in his broadcasts), but we started out in the hole and made a valiant comeback only to fall short to the hated 49ers and Montana; I could see why we lost, but still remember the great Kenny Anderson leading us back almost to a win, and yes; it hurt too.But the last Super Bowl for me was the worst. Palmer and Henry going down on the same play after the great completion that brought all of us who were around out of our seats only to be floored was bad, as was pulling defeat out of the jaws of victory in that playoff game in 2015, but who's to say we would have went all the way either of those years? In both of our Super Bowl losses, we were right there, and as it seemingly always happens, ended up short...those were the worst to me.

Don't forget that INT drop right before J Taylor caught the winning TD!

(03-22-2017, 01:31 PM)Shake n Blake Wrote: For me it would be the 2016 Steelers loss, hands down. I've been a fan since '93 and I've never seen a playoff win. So to go from jumping up and down in my living room, SURE that the game was clinched, to watching the Bengals choke and completely lose composure was inconceivable. It was the ultimate "Bungle", and summed up Marvin and Mike Brown's tenures perfectly. I mean, what team does that? Gets a game clinching INT, only to immediately fumble the ball on the next drive and follow that with 2 of the dumbest penalties in the history of pro sports?

For the team's entire history, I'd have to say that the '88 team losing the Super Bowl was the biggest loss. That was probably the best Bengals team of all-time, and to lose (especially in that fashion) really hurt the team. They never really recovered, then we lost Wyche and Boomer. Which ushered in the "dark ages".

These are my exact thoughts as well. I didn't become a fan until 98, so I don't have the memories of watching them lose the Super Bowl live. I've only been able to experience it through stories and all the Super Bowl replays on NFLN.

That 2016 playoff game was devastating. I didn't think we were going to advance far in the playoffs, but I figured we'd come out fired up to play the Steelers. Instead, we snoozed for almost 3 full quarters before making a great comeback. Only to watch us lose in the most Bengals-esque way possible.

(03-22-2017, 04:00 PM)The_WiseOne Wrote: Don't forget that INT drop right before J Taylor caught the winning TD!

That was Billups, right?  

(03-22-2017, 04:19 PM)Wyche Wrote: That was Billups, right?  

Yeah it was hit right in the numbers too!!! slipped right between arms and his belly then hit the ground I'll never forget it!!

1) Super Bowl XXIII v. San Francisco (Joe Montana broke my young heart again).
2) 2016 Wild Card game v. Pittsburgh (enough said).
3) 1987 v. San Francisco (first time Joe Montana broke my heart on a last second touchdown to Jerry Rice).
4) 2014 Wild Card game v. San Diego (choke job plain and simple).
5) 2009 opener v. Denver (my worst experience at Paul Brown Stadium).

(03-22-2017, 04:00 PM)The_WiseOne Wrote: Don't forget that INT drop right before J Taylor caught the winning TD!

I just threw up. Literally. Right here at work. All over my desk. My BP is thru the roof. I think I may be having a stroke or a heart attack.

This may sound strange, but zI do not remember the two Super Bowl losses hurting as much as the '15 playoff loss.  I mean I was devastated by the SB losses, but I was still young and full of hope.  Fellow Bengal fans did not burst into laughter after the Super Bowl losses if someone said "There is always next year".  

Also the way we just gave away the '15 game was absolutely sickening.  When the Niners came back to win those Super Bowls they pretty much earned it.  But we just handed the game to the Steelers out of sheer stupidity.

And finally, no matter how much I hate the Niners I hate the Steelers more.  Back in the 80's we were not getting beaten down twice a year almost every year by the Niners.

(03-22-2017, 04:41 PM)fredtoast Wrote: This may sound strange, but zI do not remember the two Super Bowl losses hurting as much as the '15 playoff loss.  I mean I was devastated by the SB losses, but I was still young and full of hope.  Fellow Bengal fans did not burst into laughter after the Super Bowl losses if someone said "There is always next year".  

Also the way we just absolutely gave away the '15 game was absolutely sickening.  When the Niners came back to win those Super Bowls they pretty much earned it.  But we just handed the game to the Steelers out of sheer stupidity.

And finally, no matter how much I hate the Niners I hate the Steelers more.  Back in the 80's we were not getting beaten down twice a year almost every year by the Niners.

Good post. The ending couldn't have been any worse if it were scripted.

You nailed it Fred

(03-22-2017, 04:41 PM)fredtoast Wrote: This may sound strange, but zI do not remember the two Super Bowl losses hurting as much as the '15 playoff loss.  I mean I was devastated by the SB losses, but I was still young and full of hope.  Fellow Bengal fans did not burst into laughter after the Super Bowl losses if someone said "There is always next year".  

Also the way we just absolutely gave away the '15 game was absolutely sickening.  When the Niners came back to win those Super Bowls they pretty much earned it.  But we just handed the game to the Steelers out of sheer stupidity.

And finally, no matter how much I hate the Niners I hate the Steelers more.  Back in the 80's we were not getting beaten down twice a year almost every year by the Niners.

That doesn't sound strange at all. In fact, it makes perfect sense. Very good post  

I never understand Bengal fans who hold a grudge against the 49ers. Granted, I wasn't born until 1988 and was a mere suckling at the time they played their second super bowl but still, why the frustration with the 49er franchise? They won both Super Bowls fair and square. Sure, they had plenty of breaks go their way but that's not their fault. And plus, we only play them. What... Every 4 years on average? They're not anything like that disgusting franchise in PA.  There's nothing to hate, and plenty to respect IMO. 

Here is kind of an obscure loss that hit me really hard.

After three games of the '06 season we were 3-0 with huge road wins against the Chiefs (wildcard team that year), and the defending Super Bowl Champion Steelers. We had won 20 of our last 28 regular season games and Sports Illustarted had us ranked #1 in their power rankings. Palmer had made a miraculous recovery after some predicted that he would not even be ready to play by the start of '06. We seemed to be on top of the world. Then in week 4 the Patriots came into PBS and rolled us 38-13. Serious reality check. At that time watching that game hurt me more than the '05 playoff loss. Once Palmer went down I did not expect us to win, but I was confident we would be back next year contending for a championship. But that beat down by the Pats showed how overrated we really were.

Little did I know that after winning 20 of 28 regular season games we would fall off a cliff and only win 16 of our next 44.

The "Meltdown at Paul Brown". No question. It's the most recent, to the biggest rival, has the biggest flame out, and is the most spectacular.

(03-22-2017, 01:04 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: 1st Super Bowl loss.  4 shots from the 1, couldn't get it in.

Had they won that game, a lot of history since would be much different.

Damn, that was so Heart Breaking. I was just stunned after they failed to get into the end zone on 4 tries, I still don't believe it.