# 2012 Cincinnati Bengals season

The 2012 season was the Cincinnati Bengals' 43rd in the National Football League (NFL), their 45th overall, their 22nd under the leadership of owner and team president Mike Brown and their 10th under head coach Marvin Lewis. The team improved on their 2011 season, finishing tied with the Baltimore Ravens for the AFC North division title, but lost the tiebreaker to the Ravens. The Bengals, however, made the playoffs as a wild card team, finishing as the 6th seed in the AFC playoffs, but lost to the Houston Texans for a second consecutive season.
2012 was the first non-strike season in Bengals history in which they made it to the NFL playoffs for a second consecutive year.

## Draft

2012 Cincinnati Bengals draft :
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
| 1 | 17 | Dre Kirkpatrick | CB | Alabama | Pick from OAK |
| 1 | 27 | Kevin Zeitler | G | Wisconsin | Pick from NO |
| 2 | 53 | Devon Still | DT | Penn State | |
| 3 | 83 | Mohamed Sanu | WR | Rutgers | |
| 3 | 93 | Brandon Thompson | DT | Clemson | |
| 4 | 116 | Orson Charles | TE | Georgia | |
| 4 | 156 | Shaun Prater | CB | Iowa | |
| 5 | 166 | Marvin Jones | WR | California | Pick from NE |
| 5 | 167 | George Iloka | S | Boise State | Pick from NYG |
| 6 | 191 | Dan Herron | RB | Ohio State | |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career ||||||
Notes
    The team acquired this first-round selection and a conditional 2013 second-round selection in trade that sent quarterback Carson Palmer to the Oakland Raiders.
    From Saints through the Patriots.
    The team acquired this fifth-round selection and a 2013 sixth-round selection in a trade that sent wide receiver Chad Ochocinco to the New England Patriots.
    The team acquired this fifth-round selection in a trade that sent linebacker Keith Rivers to the New York Giants.
The team also traded its seventh-round selection (#228 overall) and cornerback David Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for safety Reggie Nelson.

## Preseason

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
| 1 | August 10 | New York Jets | W 17–6 | 1–0 | Paul Brown Stadium | Recap |
| 2 | August 16 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 24–19 | 2–0 | Georgia Dome | Recap |
| 3 | August 23 | Green Bay Packers | L 13–27 | 2–1 | Paul Brown Stadium | Recap |
| 4 | August 30 | at Indianapolis Colts | L 16–20 | 2–2 | Lucas Oil Stadium | Recap |

## Regular season
### Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
| 1 | September 10 | at Baltimore Ravens | L 13–44 | 0–1 | M&T Bank Stadium | Recap |
| 2 | September 16 | Cleveland Browns | W 34–27 | 1–1 | Paul Brown Stadium | Recap |
| 3 | September 23 | at Washington Redskins | W 38–31 | 2–1 | FedExField | Recap |
| 4 | September 30 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | W 27–10 | 3–1 | EverBank Field | Recap |
| 5 | October 7 | Miami Dolphins | L 13–17 | 3–2 | Paul Brown Stadium | Recap |
| 6 | October 14 | at Cleveland Browns | L 24–34 | 3–3 | Cleveland Browns Stadium | Recap |
| 7 | October 21 | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 17–24 | 3–4 | Paul Brown Stadium | Recap |
| 8 | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| 9 | November 4 | Denver Broncos | L 23–31 | 3–5 | Paul Brown Stadium | Recap |
| 10 | November 11 | New York Giants | W 31–13 | 4–5 | Paul Brown Stadium | Recap |
| 11 | November 18 | at Kansas City Chiefs | W 28–6 | 5–5 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap |
| 12 | November 25 | Oakland Raiders | W 34–10 | 6–5 | Paul Brown Stadium | Recap |
| 13 | December 2 | at San Diego Chargers | W 20–13 | 7–5 | Qualcomm Stadium | Recap |
| 14 | December 9 | Dallas Cowboys | L 19–20 | 7–6 | Paul Brown Stadium | Recap |
| 15 | December 13 | at Philadelphia Eagles | W 34–13 | 8–6 | Lincoln Financial Field | Recap |
| 16 | December 23 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | W 13–10 | 9–6 | Heinz Field | Recap |
| 17 | December 30 | Baltimore Ravens | W 23–17 | 10–6 | Paul Brown Stadium | Recap |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

### Game summaries
#### Week 1: at Baltimore Ravens

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bengals | 0 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
| Ravens | 10 | 7 | 17 | 10 | 44 |
at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland
* Date: September 10
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: 74 °F (23 °C), clear
* Game attendance: 71,064
* Referee: Matt Nicks
* TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden and Lisa Salters
Game information :
First quarter
BAL – Justin Tucker 46-yard field goal, 12:53. Ravens 3–0. Drive: 5 plays, 51 yards, 2:07.
BAL – Ray Rice 7-yard run (Justin Tucker kick), 6:03. Ravens 10–0. Drive: 12 plays, 63 yards, 5:45.
Second quarter
CIN – Mike Nugent 34-yard field goal, 14:52. Ravens 10–3. Drive: 13 plays, 76 yards, 6:11.
BAL – Anquan Boldin 34-yard pass from Joe Flacco (Justin Tucker kick), 12:25. Ravens 17–3. Drive: 5 plays, 82 yards, 2:27.
CIN – BenJarvus Green-Ellis 6-yard run (Mike Nugent kick), 0:18. Ravens 17–10. Drive: 13 plays, 81 yards, 5:34.
Third quarter
CIN – Mike Nugent 19-yard field goal, 8:59. Ravens 17–13. Drive: 12 plays, 79 yards, 6:01.
BAL – Dennis Pitta 10-yard pass from Joe Flacco (Justin Tucker kick), 5:18. Ravens 24–13. Drive: 9 plays, 89 yards, 3:41.
BAL – Justin Tucker 40-yard field goal, 1:13. Ravens 27–13. Drive: 8 plays, 53 yards, 3:09.
BAL – Ed Reed 34-yard interception return (Justin Tucker kick), 0:13. Ravens 34–13.
Fourth quarter
BAL – Ray Rice 1-yard run (Justin Tucker kick), 14:04. Ravens 41–13. Drive: 2 plays, 28 yards, 0:44.
BAL – Justin Tucker 39-yard field goal, 3:03. Ravens 44–13. Drive: 10 plays, 61 yards, 5:20.
Top passers
CIN – Andy Dalton – 22/37, 221 yards, INT
BAL – Joe Flacco – 21/29, 299 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
CIN – BenJarvus Green-Ellis – 18 rushes, 91 yards, TD
BAL – Ray Rice – 10 rushes, 68 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
CIN – Andrew Hawkins – 8 receptions, 86 yards
BAL – Dennis Pitta – 5 receptions, 73 yards, TD :
The Bengals started their season on Monday Night Football against the Ravens. The first quarter was all Ravens as they put up a 10–0 lead when Justin Tucker kicked a 46-yard field goal followed up by Ray Rice running for a 7-yard TD. The Bengals got on the board in the 2nd quarter when Mike Nugent kicked a 34-yard field goal shortening the lead to 10–3. The Ravens pulled away when Anquan Boldin caught a 34-yard TD pass from Joe Flacco for a 17–3 game. The Bengals wrapped up the first half scoring with BenJarvus Green-Ellis running for a 6-yard TD for a 17–10 game. After the break, the Bengals came within 4 when Nugent nailed a 19-yard field goal for a 17–13 game. However, from that moment out it was all Ravens as Dennis Pitta caught a 10-yard TD pass from Joe Flacco for a 24–13 game followed by Tucker's 40-yard field goal to put them ahead 27–13 and Ed Reed's 40-yard interception return for a TD for a 34–13 game. In the last quarter, they wrapped the game up with Rice running for a 1-yard TD for a 41–13 game and Tucker's 39-yard field goal for a 44–13 final score.
With the loss, the Bengals started their season 0–1, losing their regular season opener for 4 out of the last 5 seasons dating back to 2008.

#### Week 2: vs. Cleveland Browns

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Browns | 3 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 27 |
| Bengals | 7 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 34 |
at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
* Date: September 16
* Game time: 1:00 pm. EDT
* Game weather: 76 °F (24 °C), clear
* Game attendance: 63,036
* Referee: Jerry Hughes
* TV announcers (CBS): Bill Macatee and Steve Tasker
Game information :
First quarter
CIN – Pacman Jones 81-yard punt return (Mike Nugent kick), 13:13. Bengals 7–0.
CLE – Phil Dawson 50-yard field goal, 9:01. Bengals 7–3. Drive: 9 plays, 32 yards, 4:12.
Second quarter
CIN – A. J. Green 10-yard pass from Andy Dalton (Mike Nugent kick), 10:27. Bengals 14–3. Drive: 8 plays, 74 yards, 4:25.
CLE – Trent Richardson 32-yard run (Phil Dawson kick), 8:05. Bengals 14–10. Drive: 5 plays, 76 yards, 2:22.
CIN – Mike Nugent 39-yard field goal, 4:45. Bengals 17–10. Drive: 7 plays, 56 yards, 3:20.
Third quarter
CIN – Brandon Tate 44-yard pass from Andy Dalton (Mike Nugent kick), 11:58. Bengals 24–10. Drive: 7 plays, 80 yards, 3:02.
CLE – Trent Richardson 23-yard pass from Brandon Weeden (Phil Dawson kick), 0:07. Bengals 24–17. Drive: 5 plays, 53 yards, 2:12.
Fourth quarter
CIN – Andrew Hawkins 50-yard pass from Andy Dalton (Mike Nugent kick), 10:44. Bengals 31–17. Drive: 8 plays, 77 yards, 4:23.
CLE – Greg Little 24-yard pass from Brandon Weeden (Phil Dawson kick), 7:11. Bengals 31–24. Drive: 8 plays, 80 yards, 3:33.
CIN – Mike Nugent 37-yard field goal, 2:09. Bengals 34–24. Drive: 11 plays, 58 yards, 5:02.
CLE – Phil Dawson 25-yard field goal, 0:20. Bengals 34–27. Drive: 9 plays, 66 yards, 1:49.
Top passers
CLE – Brandon Weeden – 26/37, 322 yards, 2 TD
CIN – Andy Dalton – 24/31, 318 yards, 3 TD, INT
Top rushers
CLE – Trent Richardson – 19 rushes, 109 yards, TD
CIN – BenJarvus Green-Ellis – 21 rushes, 75 yards
Top receivers
CLE – Mohamed Massaquoi – 5 receptions, 90 yards
CIN – Brandon Tate – 3 receptions, 71 yards, TD :
After a tough loss on Monday Night Football, the Bengals returned home for Week 2 against the Browns. The Bengals were able to get the first points on the board with Adam "Pacman" Jones returning a punt 81 yards for a touchdown for a 7–0 lead. The Browns then shortened their lead to 4 points with Phil Dawson's 50-yard field goal to make the score 7–3. The Bengals then moved ahead by 11 points as Andy Dalton found A. J. Green on a 10-yard touchdown pass for a 14–3 lead, however the Browns again came within 4 as Trent Richardson ran for a touchdown from 32 yards out. The Bengals then moved ahead 17–10 with Mike Nugent's 39-yard field goal before halftime. Coming back, the Bengals increased their lead with Dalton finding Brandon Tate on a 44-yard pass for a 24–10 lead. However, The Browns drew closer as Brandon Weeden found Richardson on a 23-yard pass to shorten the game to 24–17. Then the Bengals moved up in the 4th quarter as Dalton found Andrew Hawkins on a 50-yard touchdown pass for a 31–17 lead but the Browns came within a touchdown after Weeden found Greg Little on a 24-yard pass to make the score 31–24. Mike Nugent then nailed a 37-yard field goal to give the Bengals a 34–24 lead then the Browns wrapped things up as Phil Dawson scored a 25-yard field goal for a final score of 34–27.
With the win, the Bengals improved to 1–1.

#### Week 3: at Washington Redskins

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bengals | 14 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 38 |
| Redskins | 7 | 3 | 14 | 7 | 31 |
at FedExField, Landover, Maryland
* Date: September 23
* Game time: 1:00 pm. EDT
* Game weather: 65 °F (18 °C), sunny
* Game attendance: 80,060
* Referee: Matt Nicks
* TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan and Solomon Wilcots
Game information :
First quarter
CIN – A. J. Green 73-yard pass from Mohamed Sanu (Mike Nugent kick), 14:43. Bengals 7–0. Drive: 1 play, 73 yards, 0:17.
WAS – Rob Jackson interception in endzone (Billy Cundiff kick), 11:00. Tied 7–7.
CIN – Armon Binns 48-yard pass from Andy Dalton (Mike Nugent kick), 3:28. Bengals 14–7. Drive: 5 plays, 58 yards, 2:12.
Second quarter
CIN – Mike Nugent 47-yard field goal, 4:36. Bengals 17–7. Drive: 6 plays, 20 yards, 3:15.
CIN – BenJarvus Green-Ellis 1-yard run (Mike Nugent kick), 3:13. Bengals 24–7. Drive: 2 plays, 12 yards, 0:36.
WAS – Billy Cundiff 36-yard field goal, 0:31. Bengals 24–10. Drive: 8 plays, 30 yards, 2:42.
Third quarter
WAS – Alfred Morris 7-yard run (Billy Cundiff kick), 10:23. Bengals 24–17. Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 4:37.
WAS – Santana Moss 3-yard pass from Robert Griffin III (Billy Cundiff kick), 3:29. Tied 24–24. Drive: 10 plays, 86 yards, 5:28.
Fourth quarter
CIN – Jermaine Gresham 6-yard pass from Andy Dalton (Mike Nugent kick), 11:24. Bengals 31–24. Drive: 5 plays, 80 yards, 2:03.
CIN – Andrew Hawkins 59-yard pass from Andy Dalton (Mike Nugent kick), 7:08. Bengals 38–24. Drive: 4 plays, 72 yards, 2:01.
WAS – Robert Griffin III 2-yard run (Billy Cundiff kick), 3:35. Bengals 38–31. Drive: 12 plays, 90 yards, 3:33.
Top passers
CIN – Andy Dalton – 19/27, 328 yards, 3 TD, INT
WAS – Robert Griffin III – 21/34, 221 yards, TD
Top rushers
CIN – BenJarvus Green-Ellis – 17 rushes, 38 yards, TD
WAS – Alfred Morris – 17 rushes, 78 yards, TD
Top receivers
CIN – A. J. Green – 9 receptions, 183 yards, TD
WAS – Fred Davis – 7 receptions, 90 yards :
Sitting at 1–1, the Bengals traveled to Washington to face the Redskins, with rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III making his home debut. On the first play from scrimmage, Bengals' wide receiver and former college quarterback Mohamed Sanu launched a 73-yard touchdown to AJ Green to give Cincinnati an early touchdown advantage. Bengals third-year quarterback Andy Dalton started his day with a 0-yard interception touchdown by Rob Jackson that tied the game at seven, but soon went on an impressive tear the rest of the game. Dalton rebounded with a 48-yard touchdown to Armon Binns, part of 17 unanswered points by the Bengals that gave them a 24–7 lead late in the first half. Billy Cundiff added a late field goal that made the score 24–10, Cincinnati, at half time. The Redskins made a run at the Bengals in the third quarter, scoring back-to-back touchdowns on a touchdown run by Alfred Morris and a two-yard pass from Griffin to Santana Moss, which tied the game at 24. However, on the first two fourth-quarter drives for Cincinnati, Dalton gave his team the lead back—firing two touchdowns, one to Jermaine Gresham from six yards away, the other to Andrew Hawkins who dashed and weaved his way for a 59-yard score that put Cincinnati once again up 14, 38–24. Robert Griffin III scrambled and dived his way into the end zone with three-and-a-half minutes remaining, but the Redskins' comeback effort fell short as Griffin's hail Mary pass was knocked away on the final play.
With the win, the Bengals improved to 2–1.

#### Week 4: at Jacksonville Jaguars

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bengals | 3 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 27 |
| Jaguars | 0 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
at EverBank Field, Jacksonville, Florida
* Date: September 30
* Game time: 4:05 pm. EDT
* Game weather: 86 °F (30 °C), partly cloudy
* Game attendance: 63,030
* Referee: Ed Hochuli
* TV announcers (CBS): Marv Albert and Rich Gannon
Game information :
First quarter
CIN – Mike Nugent 35-yard field goal, 6:10. Bengals 3–0. Drive: 14 plays, 74 yards, 6:11.
Second quarter
JAX – Marcedes Lewis 2-yard pass from Blaine Gabbert (Josh Scobee kick), 13:33. Jaguars 7–3. Drive: 13 plays, 77 yards, 7:37.
CIN – Chris Pressley 1-yard pass from Andy Dalton (Mike Nugent kick), 6:16. Bengals 10–7. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:43.
CIN – Andy Dalton 1-yard run (Mike Nugent kick), 1:11. Bengals 17–7. Drive: 6 plays, 60 yards, 2:06.
Third quarter
JAX – Josh Scobee 21-yard field goal, 3:04. Bengals 17–10. Drive: 14 plays, 77 yards, 7:55.
Fourth quarter
CIN – A. J. Green 18-yard pass from Andy Dalton (Mike Nugent kick), 13:51. Bengals 24–10. Drive: 8 plays, 80 yards, 4:13.
CIN – Mike Nugent 35-yard field goal, 12:38. Bengals 27–10. Drive: 4 plays, 0 yards, 1:01.
Top passers
CIN – Andy Dalton – 20/31, 244 yards, 2 TD
JAX – Blaine Gabbert – 23/34, 186 yards, TD, INT
Top rushers
CIN – BenJarvus Green-Ellis – 26 rushes, 82 yards
JAX – Maurice Jones-Drew – 13 rushes, 38 yards
Top receivers
CIN – A. J. Green – 6 receptions, 117 yards, TD
JAX – Justin Blackmon – 6 receptions, 48 yards :
With the win, the Bengals improved to 3–1, their 3rd 3–1 start under head coach Marvin Lewis.

#### Week 5: vs. Miami Dolphins

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Dolphins | 0 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 17 |
| Bengals | 6 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 13 |
at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
* Date: October 7
* Game time: 1:00 pm. EDT
* Game weather: 49 °F (9 °C), cloudy
* Game attendance: 61,162
* Referee: Walt Coleman
* TV announcers (CBS): Marv Albert and Rich Gannon
Game information :
First quarter
CIN – Mike Nugent 42-yard field goal, 10:35. Bengals 3–0. Drive: 4 plays, 2 yards, 1:19.
CIN – Mike Nugent 24-yard field goal, 0:13. Bengals 6–0. Drive: 13 plays, 72 yards, 6:02.
Second quarter
MIA – Daniel Thomas 1-yard run (Dan Carpenter kick), 6:54. Dolphins 7–6. Drive: 9 plays, 63 yards, 4:04.
Third quarter
MIA – Reggie Bush 13-yard run (Dan Carpenter kick), 12:18. Dolphins 14–6. Drive: 3 plays, 36 yards, 0:54.
MIA – Dan Carpenter 46-yard field goal, 8:35. Dolphins 17–6. Drive: 7 plays, 22 yards, 2:39.
Fourth quarter
CIN – A. J. Green 2-yard pass from Andy Dalton (Mike Nugent kick), 14:15. Dolphins 17–13. Drive: 9 plays, 57 yards, 5:07.
Top passers
MIA – Ryan Tannehill – 17/26, 223 yards
CIN – Andy Dalton – 26/43, 234 yards, TD, 2 INT
Top rushers
MIA – Reggie Bush – 19 rushes, 48 yards, TD
CIN – Bernard Scott – 5 rushes, 40 yards
Top receivers
MIA – Brian Hartline – 4 receptions, 59 yards
CIN – A. J. Green – 9 receptions, 65 yards, TD :
With the loss, the Bengals dropped to 3–2. With the Ravens' win over the Chiefs, the Bengals now sit in 2nd place in the AFC North.

#### Week 6: at Cleveland Browns

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bengals | 7 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 24 |
| Browns | 0 | 7 | 6 | 21 | 34 |
at Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
* Date: October 14
* Game time: 1:00 pm. EDT
* Game weather: 70 °F (21 °C), sunny
* Game attendance: 67,060
* Referee: Pete Morelli
* TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan and Solomon Wilcots
Game information :
First quarter
CIN – Jermaine Gresham 55-yard pass from Andy Dalton (Mike Nugent kick), 7:07. Bengals 7–0. Drive: 3 plays, 63 yards, 1:35.
Second quarter
CLE – Josh Gordon 71-yard pass from Brandon Weeden (Phil Dawson kick), 14:51. Tied 7–7. Drive: 6 plays, 87 yards, 2:11.
CIN – A. J. Green 4-yard pass from Andy Dalton (Mike Nugent kick), 1:54. Bengals 14–7. Drive: 3 plays, 27 yards, 1:17.
Third quarter
CLE – Phil Dawson 41-yard field goal, 8:25. Bengals 14–10. Drive: 4 plays, 7 yards, 1:28.
CLE – Phil Dawson 38-yard field goal, 6:27. Bengals 14–13. Drive: 4 plays, 5 yards, 1:05.
Fourth quarter
CLE – Montario Hardesty 1-yard run (Phil Dawson kick), 14:56. Browns 20–14. Drive: 10 plays, 66 yards, 5:17.
CIN – Mike Nugent 44-yard field goal, 11:11. Browns 20–17. Drive: 8 plays, 34 yards, 3:45.
CLE – Benjamin Watson 3-yard pass from Brandon Weeden (Phil Dawson kick), 8:00. Browns 27–17. Drive: 6 plays, 63 yards, 3:11.
CLE – Sheldon Brown 19-yard interception return (Phil Dawson kick), 7:50. Browns 34–17.
CIN – A. J. Green 57-yard pass from Andy Dalton (Mike Nugent kick), 5:21. Browns 34–24. Drive: 6 plays, 79 yards, 2:29.
Top passers
CIN – Andy Dalton – 31/46, 381 yards, 3 TD, 3 INT
CLE – Brandon Weeden – 17/29, 231 yards, 2 TD, INT
Top rushers
CIN – BenJarvus Green-Ellis – 16 rushes, 62 yards
CLE – Montario Hardesty – 15 rushes, 56 yards, TD
Top receivers
CIN – A. J. Green – 7 receptions, 135 yards, 2 TD
CLE – Josh Gordon – 3 receptions, 99 yards, TD :
With the surprising loss, the Bengals dropped to 3–3 and their 4-game winning streak against the Browns was snapped.

#### Week 7: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Steelers | 3 | 11 | 3 | 7 | 24 |
| Bengals | 7 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 17 |
at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
* Date: October 21
* Game time: 8:20 pm. EDT
* Game attendance: 63,411
* Referee: Clete Blakeman
* TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya
Game information :
First quarter
PIT – Shaun Suisham 42-yard field goal, 10:26. Steelers 3–0. Drive: 9 plays, 36 yards, 4:34.
CIN – Cedric Peerman 5-yard run (Mike Nugent kick), 2:17. Bengals 7–3. Drive: 15 plays, 80 yards, 8:09.
Second quarter
CIN – A. J. Green 8-yard pass from Andy Dalton (Mike Nugent kick), 8:29. Bengals 14–3. Drive: 1 play, 8 yards, 0:05.
PIT – Shaun Suisham 47-yard field goal, 3:07. Bengals 14–6. Drive: 10 plays, 60 yards, 5:22.
PIT – Heath Miller 9-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger (Ben Roethlisberger-Heath Miller pass), 0:24. Tied 14–14. Drive: 6 plays, 29 yards, 0:59.
Third quarter
CIN – Mike Nugent 48-yard field goal, 11:09. Bengals 17–14. Drive: 7 plays, 32 yards, 3:51.
PIT – Shaun Suisham 42-yard field goal, 8:17. Tied 17–17. Drive: 6 plays, 37 yards, 2:52.
Fourth quarter
PIT – Chris Rainey 11-yard run (Shaun Suisham kick), 14:16. Steelers 24–17. Drive: 8 plays, 67 yards, 4:42.
Top passers
PIT – Ben Roethlisberger – 27/38, 278 yards, TD, INT
CIN – Andy Dalton – 14/28, 105 yards, TD, INT
Top rushers
PIT – Jonathan Dwyer – 17 rushes, 122 yards
CIN – BenJarvus Green-Ellis – 18 rushes, 69 yards
Top receivers
PIT – Antonio Brown – 7 receptions, 96 yards
CIN – Ryan Whalen – 4 receptions, 31 yards :
The Bengals went home for a divisional game against their longtime rival Steelers. The Steelers came into this stadium 0–3 in road games. Despite the Bengals holding an 11-point lead in the second quarter, it was erased as the Steelers won the game 24–17. The loss dropped the Bengals to 3–4 and 3rd place in the AFC North.

#### Week 9: vs. Denver Broncos

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Broncos | 3 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 31 |
| Bengals | 0 | 3 | 10 | 10 | 23 |
at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
* Date: November 4
* Game time: 1:00 pm. EST
* Game weather: 48 °F (9 °C), partly cloudy
* Game attendance: 63,623
* Referee: Scott Green
* TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf
Game information :
First quarter
DEN – Matt Prater 43-yard field goal, 7:55. Broncos 3–0. Drive: 12 plays, 55 yards, 5:26.
Second quarter
CIN – Mike Nugent 28-yard field goal, 14:12. Tied 3–3. Drive: 10 plays, 57 yards, 4:23.
DEN – Eric Decker 13-yard pass from Peyton Manning (Matt Prater kick), 10:15. Broncos 10–3. Drive: 8 plays, 80 yards, 3:57.
Third quarter
DEN – Trindon Holliday 105-yard kickoff return (Matt Prater kick), 14:49. Broncos 17–3.
CIN – A. J. Green 10-yard pass from Andy Dalton (Mike Nugent kick), 11:33. Broncos 17–10. Drive: 6 plays, 80 yards, 3:16.
CIN – Mike Nugent 49-yard field goal, 1:17. Broncos 17–13. Drive: 9 plays, 49 yards, 4:13.
Fourth quarter
CIN – BenJarvus Green-Ellis 2-yard run (Mike Nugent kick), 14:10. Bengals 20–17. Drive: 4 plays, 27 yards, 0:51.
DEN – Joel Dreessen 1-yard pass from Peyton Manning (Matt Prater kick), 11:47. Broncos 24–20. Drive: 5 plays, 80 yards, 2:23.
DEN – Eric Decker 4-yard pass from Peyton Manning (Matt Prater kick), 3:36. Broncos 31–20. Drive: 8 plays, 46 yards, 5:02.
CIN – Mike Nugent 41-yard field goal, 0:52. Broncos 31–23. Drive: 12 plays, 47 yards, 2:44.
Top passers
DEN – Peyton Manning – 27/35, 291 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT
CIN – Andy Dalton – 26/42, 299 yards, TD, INT
Top rushers
DEN – Willis McGahee – 23 rushes, 66 yards
CIN – BenJarvus Green-Ellis – 17 rushes, 56 yards, TD
Top receivers
DEN – Eric Decker – 8 receptions, 99 yards, TD
CIN – Jermaine Gresham- 6 receptions, 108 yards :
The Bengals returned home following their bye week for a week 9 matchup with the Denver Broncos. They entered the game having lost three straight games following their 3–1 start to the season. Entering the game, Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning had never lost to Cincinnati in his career. The two teams traded field goals early, with Broncos kicker Matt Prater connecting on a 43-yard field goal and the Bengals Mike Nugent successfully booting a 28-yard attempt. On the Broncos possession following the Bengals field goal, Peyton Manning masterfully moved the Broncos down the field, dissecting the Cincinnati secondary quickly, leading to an eight play, eighty yard drive, highlighted by a forty-five yard strike to receiver Demarious Thomas, and culminated with a thirteen-yard pass to Eric Decker for the score. Following the Broncos touchdown, Denver led 10–3. The Broncos increased their lead to a score of 17–3 on the opening kickoff of the second half, as receiver Trindon Holliday returned the football 105 yards for the score, dealing a sharp blow to a Bengals team that had previously been sticking close to the Broncos. The score appeared to motivate the Bengals, as they scored the next seventeen points. Second year receiver AJ Green captured a touchdown reception for the seventh straight game, after quarterback Andy Dalton found him on a 10-yard strike. Each of the next two Denver possessions were ended by Cincinnati cornerback Terrance Newman intercepting Denver quarterback Peyton Manning. A forty-nine yard Mike Nugent field goal, and a two-yard BenJarvus Green-Ellis touchdown run were the result of the two ensuing Bengal possessions; giving them a 20–17 advantage. Peyton Manning then engineered back-to-back touchdown drives, separated by Andy Dalton throwing an interception of his own. Because the drives took place in the fourth quarter, Manning was officially credited with his forty-eighth career game-winning drive, surpassing Dan Marino for the NFL record. The Bengals attempted a late comeback, scoring three points on a Mike Nugent field goal, but were unable to recover an onside kick attempt to give themselves a chance to tie the game.
With the loss, the Bengals dropped to 3–5.

#### Week 10: vs. New York Giants

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Giants | 3 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 13 |
| Bengals | 14 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 31 |
at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
* Date: November 11
* Game time: 1:00 pm. EST
* Game weather: 69 °F (21 °C), partly cloudy
* Game attendance: 56,614
* Referee: Mike Carey
* TV announcers (Fox): Thom Brennaman, Brian Billick and Laura Okmin (blacked out locally)
Game information :
First quarter
CIN – A. J. Green 56-yard pass from Andy Dalton (Mike Nugent kick), 12:34. Bengals 7–0. Drive: 5 plays, 79 yards, 2:26.
CIN – Andrew Hawkins 11-yard pass from Andy Dalton (Mike Nugent kick), 10:53. Bengals 14–0. Drive: 3 plays, 11 yards, 0:18.
NYG – Lawrence Tynes 23-yard field goal, 5:34. Bengals 14–3. Drive: 6 plays, 22 yards, 3:00.
Second quarter
CIN – Mike Nugent 28-yard field goal, 4:17. Bengals 17–3. Drive: 15 plays, 60 yards, 7:46.
NYG – Lawrence Tynes 31-yard field goal, 0:11. Bengals 17–6. Drive: 14 plays, 69 yards, 4:06.
Third quarter
CIN – Jermaine Gresham 10-yard pass from Andy Dalton (Mike Nugent kick), 6:37. Bengals 24–6. Drive: 3 plays, 12 yards, 0:35.
CIN – Mohamed Sanu 10-yard pass from Andy Dalton (Mike Nugent kick), 4:20. Bengals 31–6. Drive: 3 plays, 16 yards, 1:21.
Fourth quarter
NYG – Andre Brown 2-yard run (Lawrence Tynes kick), 2:46. Bengals 31–13. Drive: 13 plays, 98 yards, 5:22.
Top passers
NYG – Eli Manning – 29/46, 215 yards, 2 INT
CIN – Andy Dalton – 21/30, 199 yards, 4 TD
Top rushers
NYG – Andre Brown – 7 rushes, 65 yards, TD
CIN – BenJarvus Green-Ellis – 15 rushes, 50 yards
Top receivers
NYG – Hakeem Nicks – 9 receptions, 75 yards
CIN – A. J. Green – 7 receptions, 85 yards, TD :
The Cincinnati Bengals entered their week ten matchup with the New York Giants reeling after four consecutive losses, separated by their week 8 bye week. Following their 3–1 start to the season, the Bengals had lost all momentum and fallen heavily in the AFC standings. Despite being heavy underdogs, the Bengals dominated the defending Super Bowl champions from start to finish, forcing four turnovers. With the win, they improved to 4–5 and snapped their 4-game losing streak.

#### Week 11: at Kansas City Chiefs

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bengals | 7 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 28 |
| Chiefs | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
* Date: November 18
* Game time: 1:00 pm. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: 59 °F (15 °C), sunny
* Game attendance: 63,336
* Referee: Gene Steratore
* TV announcers (CBS): Marv Albert and Rich Gannon
Game information :
First quarter
KC – Ryan Succop 34-yard field goal, 8:31. Chiefs 3–0. Drive: 8 plays, 59 yards, 2:59.
CIN – A. J. Green 4-yard pass from Andy Dalton (Mike Nugent kick), 2:51. Bengals 7–3. Drive: 11 plays, 78 yards, 5:40.
Second quarter
CIN – Andy Dalton 1-yard run (Mike Nugent kick), 7:52. Bengals 14–3. Drive: 5 plays, 57 yards, 2:13.
CIN – BenJarvus Green-Ellis 1-yard run (Mike Nugent kick), 0:53. Bengals 21–3. Drive: 11 plays, 79 yards, 5:23.
KC – Ryan Succop 33-yard field goal, 0:00. Bengals 21–6. Drive: 7 plays, 65 yards, 0:53.
Third quarter
No scoring plays.
Fourth quarter
CIN – Mohamed Sanu 14-yard pass from Andy Dalton (Mike Nugent kick), 9:39. Bengals 28–6. Drive: 12 plays, 72 yards, 5:21.
Top passers
CIN – Andy Dalton – 18/29, 230 yards, 2 TD
KC – Brady Quinn – 9/14, 95 yards
Top rushers
CIN – BenJarvus Green-Ellis – 25 rushes, 101 yards, TD
KC – Jamaal Charles – 17 rushes, 87 yards
Top receivers
CIN – A. J. Green – 6 receptions, 91 yards, TD
KC – Tony Moeaki – 4 receptions, 73 yards :
The Bengals entered their week eleven matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs sporting a 4–5 record coming off an upset victory over reigning the Super Bowl champions, the New York Giants. The Bengals cruised to an easy victory, not allowing a touchdown on defense. With the win, the Bengals improved to 5–5.

#### Week 12: vs. Oakland Raiders

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Raiders | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Bengals | 14 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 34 |
at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
* Date: November 25
* Game time: 1:00 pm. EST
* Game weather: 34 °F (1 °C), mostly sunny
* Game attendance: 56,503
* Referee: Alberto Riveron
* TV announcers (CBS): Bill Macatee and Steve Tasker (blacked out locally)
Game information :
First quarter
CIN – BenJarvus Green-Ellis 1-yard run (Mike Nugent kick), 9:12. Bengals 7–0. Drive: 5 plays, 58 yards, 2:19.
CIN – Mohamed Sanu 2-yard pass from Andy Dalton (Mike Nugent kick), 2:59. Bengals 14–0. Drive: 9 plays, 88 yards, 4:28.
Second quarter
CIN – Mohamed Sanu 5-yard pass from Andy Dalton (Mike Nugent kick), 7:28. Bengals 21–0. Drive: 13 plays, 89 yards, 5:58.
CIN – Mike Nugent 55-yard field goal, 0:00. Bengals 24–0. Drive: 2 plays, 11 yards, 0:08.
Third quarter
OAK – Sebastian Janikowski 55-yard field goal, 10:28. Bengals 24–3. Drive: 6 plays, 13 yards, 3:32.
OAK – Denarius Moore 20-yard pass from Carson Palmer (Sebastian Janikowski kick), 2:21. Bengals 24–10. Drive: 5 plays, 52 yards, 3:08.
Fourth quarter
CIN – Mike Nugent 20-yard field goal, 12:29. Bengals 27–10. Drive: 6 plays, 44 yards, 2:23.
CIN – Jermaine Gresham 7-yard pass from Andy Dalton (Mike Nugent kick), 3:39. Bengals 34–10. Drive: 12 plays, 84 yards, 5:11.
Top passers
OAK – Carson Palmer – 19/34, 146 yards, TD, INT
CIN – Andy Dalton – 16/30, 210 yards, 3 TD
Top rushers
OAK – Marcel Reece – 15 rushes, 74 yards
CIN – BenJarvus Green-Ellis – 19 rushes, 129 yards, TD
Top receivers
OAK – Jeremy Stewart – 6 receptions, 37 yards
CIN – A. J. Green – 3 receptions, 111 yards :
In Carson Palmer's long-awaited return to the Queen City after departing following the 2010 season, the Bengals set the tone from the beginning of the contest, with Geno Atkins slamming a play-action Palmer to the turf on the game's first play from scrimmage. After a BenJarvus Green-Ellis one-yard touchdown run opened the scoring for Cincinnati, quarterback Andy Dalton tossed back-to-back red zone scores to wide receiver Mohamed Sanu to give Cincinnati a 21-point advantage. Kicker Mike Nugent added on to that lead with a 55-yard field goal as time expired in the second quarter to give the Bengals a 24–0 lead going into intermission. Oakland responded with a great third quarter, however; following Sebastian Janikowski's own 55-yarder that put Oakland on the board, Palmer lofted a 20-yard touchdown to Denarius Moore that made the score 24–10, Bengals. After a Kevin Huber punt gave Oakland the ball back and a chance to cut the lead into single digits, Palmer was sacked and stripped by Manny Lawson near midfield, and linebacker Rey Maualuga recovered. It was all Cincinnati after that as Nugent knocked his second field goal of the game to extend Cincinnati's lead to three possessions. Dalton added one more touchdown on the day, finding tight end Jermaine Gresham from seven yards away to make the score 34–10, which stood as the final.
Coming into the game, A. J. Green had a streak of nine consecutive games in which he scored a touchdown. That streak, however, was snapped in this game, although he did have 111 receiving yards on three catches.

#### Week 13: at San Diego Chargers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bengals | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 20 |
| Chargers | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California
* Date: December 2
* Game time: 4:25 pm. EST/1:25 p.m. PST
* Game weather: 66 °F (19 °C), cloudy
* Game attendance: 54,980
* Referee: Walt Coleman
* TV announcers (CBS): Marv Albert and Rich Gannon
Game information :
First quarter
CIN – Jermaine Gresham 19-yard pass from Andy Dalton (Mike Nugent kick), 7:39. Bengals 7–0. Drive: 16 plays, 91 yards, 7:21.
Second quarter
SD – Nick Novak 20-yard field goal, 14:57. Bengals 7–3. Drive: 13 plays, 79 yards, 7:42.
SD – Demorrio Williams 31-yard interception return (Nick Novak kick), 14:09. Chargers 10–7.
CIN – Mike Nugent 19-yard field goal, 9:38. Tied 10–10. Drive: 10 plays, 82 yards, 4:35.
SD – Nick Novak 19-yard field goal, 0:00. Chargers 13–10. Drive: 11 plays, 85 yards, 1:45.
Third quarter
No scoring plays.
Fourth quarter
CIN – Andy Dalton 6-yard run (Mike Nugent kick), 4:11. Bengals 17–13. Drive: 14 plays, 55 yards, 7:42.
CIN – Mike Nugent 24-yard field goal, 2:47. Bengals 20–13. Drive: 4 plays, 7 yards, 1:07.
Top passers
CIN – Andy Dalton – 25/38, 211 yards, TD, 2 INT
SD – Philip Rivers – 26/48, 280 yards, INT
Top rushers
CIN – BenJarvus Green-Ellis – 25 rushes, 118 yards
SD – Ryan Mathews – 9 rushes, 26 yards
Top receivers
CIN – A. J. Green – 9 receptions, 85 yards
SD – Danario Alexander – 6 receptions, 102 yards :
With the win, the Bengals went to 7–5.

#### Week 14: vs. Dallas Cowboys

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 3 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 20 |
| Bengals | 10 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 19 |
at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
* Date: December 9
* Game time: 1:00 pm. EST
* Game weather: 38 °F (3 °C), cloudy
* Game attendance: 63,590
* Referee: Bill Vinovich
* TV announcers (Fox): Thom Brennaman, Brian Billick, and Laura Okmin
Game information :
First quarter
DAL – Dan Bailey 37-yard field goal, 8:36. Cowboys 3–0. Drive: 12 plays, 61 yards, 6:24.
CIN – Andrew Hawkins 8-yard pass from Andy Dalton (Josh Brown kick), 6:41. Bengals 7–3. Drive: 5 plays, 70 yards, 1:55.
CIN – Josh Brown 25-yard field goal, 1:39. Bengals 10–3. Drive: 8 plays, 40 yards, 3:58.
Second quarter
DAL – DeMarco Murray 1-yard run (Dan Bailey kick), 10:33. Tied 10–10. Drive: 4 plays, 27 yards, 1:27.
CIN – Josh Brown 33-yard field goal, 3:24. Bengals 13–10. Drive: 12 plays, 66 yards, 7:09.
Third quarter
CIN – Josh Brown 25-yard field goal, 9:22. Bengals 16–10. Drive: 12 plays, 70 yards, 5:38.
CIN – Josh Brown 52-yard field goal, 6:45. Bengals 19–10. Drive: 6 plays, 18 yards, 1:09.
Fourth quarter
DAL – Dez Bryant 27-yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 6:35. Bengals 19–17. Drive: 8 plays, 68 yards, 3:12.
DAL – Dan Bailey 40-yard field goal, 0:00. Cowboys 20–19. Drive: 13 plays, 50 yards, 3:44.
Top passers
DAL – Tony Romo – 25/43, 268 yards, TD, INT
CIN – Andy Dalton – 20/33, 206 yards, TD, INT
Top rushers
DAL – DeMarco Murray – 21 rushes, 53 yards, TD
CIN – BenJarvus Green-Ellis – 12 rushes, 89 yards
Top receivers
DAL – Jason Witten – 4 receptions, 62 yards
CIN – Marvin Jones Jr. – 3 receptions, 45 yards :
Dan Bailey's clutch field goal to beat Cincinnati dropped the Bengals' record to 7–6. It was the second consecutive game in which A. J. Green did not record a touchdown reception; he had in eight straight before that. This would also be Cincinnati's last home loss until week 10 in 2014 against Cleveland.

#### Week 15: at Philadelphia Eagles

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bengals | 10 | 0 | 14 | 10 | 34 |
| Eagles | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
* Date: December 13
* Game time: 8:20 pm. EST
* Game weather: 36 °F (2 °C), cloudy
* Game attendance: 69,144
* Referee: Carl Cheffers
* TV announcers (NFLN): Brad Nessler, Mike Mayock and Alex Flanagan
Game information :
First quarter
CIN – BenJarvus Green-Ellis 1-yard run (Josh Brown kick), 11:10. Bengals 7–0. Drive: 6 plays, 44 yards, 3:01.
CIN – Josh Brown 24-yard field goal, 7:51. Bengals 10–0. Drive: 4 plays, 5 yards, 1:59.
Second quarter
PHI – Riley Cooper 11-yard pass from Nick Foles (Alex Henery kick), 11:40. Bengals 10–7. Drive: 4 plays, 64 yards, 1:38.
PHI – Alex Henery 22-yard field goal, 7:37. Tied 10–10. Drive: 8 plays, 26 yards, 2:04.
PHI – Alex Henery 20-yard field goal, 0:17. Eagles 13–10. Drive: 7 plays, 11 yards, 1:35.
Third quarter
CIN – Andy Dalton 11-yard run (Josh Brown kick), 1:10. Bengals 17–13. Drive: 8 plays, 40 yards, 4:34.
CIN – Wallace Gilberry 25-yard fumble return (Josh Brown kick), 0:21. Bengals 24–13.
Fourth quarter
CIN – Josh Brown 32-yard field goal, 14:12. Bengals 27–13. Drive: 4 plays, -1 yards, 0:53.
CIN – A. J. Green 5-yard pass from Andy Dalton (Josh Brown kick), 12:47. Bengals 34–13. Drive: 5 plays, 33 yards, 1:25.
Top passers
CIN – Andy Dalton – 13/27, 127 yards, TD
PHI – Nick Foles – 16/33, 180 yards, TD, INT
Top rushers
CIN – BenJarvus Green-Ellis – 25 rushes, 106 yards, TD
PHI – Bryce Brown – 16 rushes, 34 yards
Top receivers
CIN – Jermaine Gresham – 6 receptions, 63 yards
PHI – Jeremy Maclin – 4 receptions, 73 yards :
The Bengals improved to 8–6 by winning in Philadelphia on Thursday Night Football, thus securing their second consecutive non-losing season for the first time since 2003–2006. Cincinnati is now 2–0 at Lincoln Financial Field and hopes to secure a second straight playoff appearance by beating the Steelers (7–7) on the other side of Pennsylvania in Week 16.

#### Week 16: at Pittsburgh Steelers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bengals | 7 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
| Steelers | 0 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
* Date: December 23
* Game time: 1:00 pm. EST
* Game weather: 35 °F (2 °C), sunny
* Game attendance: 63,236
* Referee: Mike Carey
* TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz and Phil Simms
Game information :
First quarter
CIN – Leon Hall 17-yard interception return (Josh Brown kick), 2:15. Bengals 7–0.
Second quarter
CIN – Josh Brown 41-yard field goal, 1:53. Bengals 10–0. Drive: 6 plays, 19 yards, 1:59.
PIT – Antonio Brown 60-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger (Shaun Suisham kick), 1:09. Bengals 10–7. Drive: 2 plays, 73 yards, 0:44.
Third quarter
PIT – Shaun Suisham 40-yard field goal, 4:01. Tied 10–10. Drive: 10 plays, 45 yards, 5:07.
Fourth quarter
CIN – Josh Brown 43-yard field goal, 0:04. Bengals 13–10. Drive: 2 plays, 21 yards, 0:10.
Top passers
CIN – Andy Dalton – 24/41, 278 yards, 2 INT
PIT – Ben Roethlisberger – 14/28, 220 yards, TD, 2 INT
Top rushers
CIN – BenJarvus Green-Ellis – 15 rushes, 14 yards
PIT – Rashard Mendenhall – 11 rushes, 50 yards
Top receivers
CIN – A. J. Green – 10 receptions, 116 yards
PIT – Antonio Brown – 5 receptions, 97 yards, TD :
With the victory over their hated rival in Western Pennsylvania, the Bengals increased their regular season record to 9–6 and finished 6–2 in road games, clinching a winning season and playoff spot for the third time in the last four seasons and also clinching consecutive winning seasons and playoff berths for the first time since 1981 and 1982 seasons. By improving to 5–7 at Heinz Field, Cincinnati defeated the Steelers for the first time since 2009 when they won the AFC North after going 6–0 against their three rivals. This was the first time since 1988 when the Bengals had a successful two-week road trip in Pennsylvania.
Due to the Ravens clinching the AFC North following a victory over the Giants a few hours later, the Bengals were assigned to one of the two wild card seeds along with the Indianapolis Colts (10–5). With the Colts' victory over the Chiefs that day, the Bengals were locked into the 6th seed since the Colts had a better record than them against common opponents (4–1 vs. 3–2).

#### Week 17: vs. Baltimore Ravens

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Ravens | 7 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 17 |
| Bengals | 0 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 23 |
at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
* Date: December 30
* Game time: 1:00 pm. EST
* Game weather: 26 °F (−3 °C), partly cloudy
* Game attendance: 61,565
* Referee: Ron Winter
* TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan and Solomon Wilcots
Game information :
First quarter
BAL – Anthony Allen 2-yard run (Justin Tucker kick), 0:17. Ravens 7–0. Drive: 7 plays, 80 yards, 3:35.
Second quarter
CIN – Marvin Jones Jr. 11-yard pass from Andy Dalton (Josh Brown kick), 0:39. Tied 7–7. Drive: 5 plays, 42 yards, 1:28.
Third quarter
CIN – Josh Brown 47-yard field goal, 6:15. Bengals 10–7. Drive: 4 plays, 23 yards, 1:35.
CIN – Josh Brown 32-yard field goal, 2:24. Bengals 13–7. Drive: 6 plays, 26 yards, 2:12.
Fourth quarter
BAL – Tyrod Taylor 1-yard run (Justin Tucker kick), 12:50. Ravens 14–13. Drive: 11 plays, 81 yards, 4:34.
CIN – Josh Brown 38-yard field goal, 7:16. Bengals 16–14. Drive: 5 plays, 45 yards, 1:38.
CIN – Carlos Dunlap 14-yard interception return (Josh Brown kick), 6:06. Bengals 23–14.
BAL – Justin Tucker 49-yard field goal, 1:21. Bengals 23–17. Drive: 14 plays, 46 yards, 4:45.
Top passers
BAL – Tyrod Taylor – 15/25, 149 yards, INT
CIN – Andy Dalton – 10/15, 78 yards, TD
Top rushers
BAL – Bernard Pierce – 22 rushes, 89 yards
CIN – Brian Leonard – 10 rushes, 34 yards
Top receivers
BAL – Ed Dickson – 6 receptions, 64 yards
CIN – Brandon Tate – 3 receptions, 53 yards :
After a tough road win over the Steelers, the Bengals returned home for a Week 17 duel against the Ravens. Quarterback Andy Dalton left the game to rest up for the playoffs in the second half after completing 10 passes in 15 attempts for 78 yards and one touchdown. The Bengals were able to snap their 4-game losing streak against the Ravens and finish their season 10–6. And with the Patriots and Broncos' wins and the Texans' loss, the Bengals traveled to Houston to take on the #3 seeded Texans in the playoffs.

## Standings

AFC North :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| $^{(4)}$ Baltimore Ravens | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 4–2 | 8–4 | 398 | 344 | L1 |
| $^{(6)}$ Cincinnati Bengals | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 3–3 | 7–5 | 391 | 320 | W3 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 3–3 | 5–7 | 336 | 314 | W1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 2–4 | 5–7 | 302 | 368 | L3 |

## Postseason
### Schedule

| Round | Date | Opponent (seed) | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
| Wild Card | January 5, 2013 | at Houston Texans (3) | L 13–19 | 0–1 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |

### Game summaries
#### AFC Wild Card Playoffs: at (3) Houston Texans

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bengals | 0 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 13 |
| Texans | 3 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 19 |
at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
* Date: January 5, 2013
* Game time: 4:30 p.m. EST/3:30 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
* Game attendance: 71,738
* Referee: Alberto Riveron
* TV announcers (NBC): Dan Hicks, Mike Mayock and Alex Flanagan
Game information :
First quarter
HOU – Shayne Graham 48-yard field goal, 7:49. Texans 3–0. Drive: 9 plays, 65 yards, 4:19.
Second quarter
HOU – Shayne Graham 27-yard field goal, 13:07. Texans 6–0. Drive: 12 plays, 60 yards, 7:05.
CIN – Leon Hall 21-yard interception return (Josh Brown kick), 9:30. Bengals 7–6.
HOU – Shayne Graham 22-yard field goal, 2:19. Texans 9–7. Drive: 13 plays, 76 yards, 7:11.
Third quarter
HOU – Arian Foster 1-yard run (Shayne Graham kick), 10:31. Texans 16–7. Drive: 6 plays, 51 yards, 3:20.
CIN – Josh Brown 34-yard field goal, 7:48. Texans 16–10. Drive: 7 plays, 64 yards, 2:43.
Fourth quarter
HOU – Shayne Graham 24-yard field goal, 14:17. Texans 19–10. Drive: 8 plays, 20 yards, 3:49.
CIN – Josh Brown 47-yard field goal, 9:03. Texans 19–13. Drive: 10 plays, 32 yards, 5:14.
Top passers
CIN – Andy Dalton – 14/30, 127 yards, INT
HOU – Matt Schaub – 29/38, 262 yards, INT
Top rushers
CIN – BenJarvus Green-Ellis – 11 rushes, 63 yards
HOU – Arian Foster – 32 rushes, 140 yards, TD
Top receivers
CIN – A. J. Green – 5 receptions, 80 yards
HOU – Owen Daniels – 9 receptions, 91 yards :
The #6 seed Bengals traveled to Houston to take on the #3 seeded Texans in a defensive showdown. However, the Bengals lost in the playoffs for the second straight year while at the same time losing their fifth straight playoff game dating to 1991, ending their season with an overall record of 10–7 and dropped to 0–4 under Marvin Lewis in the playoffs.

## Statistics
### Team leaders

| | Player(s) | Value |
| Passing Yards | Andy Dalton | 3669 Yards |
| Passing Touchdowns | Andy Dalton | 27 TDs |
| Rushing Yards | BenJarvus Green-Ellis | 1094 Yards |
| Rushing Touchdowns | BenJarvus Green-Ellis | 6 TDs |
| Receiving Yards | A. J. Green | 1350 Yards |
| Receiving Touchdowns | A. J. Green | 11 TDs |
| Points | Mike Nugent | 92 Points |
| Kickoff Return Yards | Brandon Tate | 622 Yards |
| Punt Return Yards | Adam Jones | 275 Yards |
| Tackles | Vontaze Burfict | 127 Tackles |
| Sacks | Geno Atkins | 12.5 Sacks |
| Interceptions | Chris Crocker | 3 INTs |
Stats values are correct through Week 14.

### League rankings

* Total Offense (YPG): 356.8 (15th)
* Passing (YPG): 242 (13th)
* Rushing (YPG): 115.1 (T-13th)
* Total Defense (YPG): 331.3 (8th)
* Passing (YPG): 221 (11th)
* Rushing (YPG): 110.3 (11th)
Stats correct through week 14.