1975 Cincinnati Bengals season
NFL team season
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The 1975 Cincinnati Bengals season was the franchise's 6th season in the National Football League, and the 8th overall.
| 1975 Cincinnati Bengals season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Paul Brown |
| Home stadium | Riverfront Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 11–3 |
| Division place | 2nd AFC Central |
| Playoffs | Lost Divisional Playoffs (at Raiders) 28–31 |
The final season for Paul Brown as head coach, Cincinnati opened the season with six straight wins and went on to post an 11–3 record, their best regular-season mark. The Bengals qualified as the AFC wild card team for the playoffs, but lost to the Oakland, 31–28, in the divisional round of the playoffs. Ken Anderson won his second NFL passing championship. A serious blow was the loss of defensive tackle Mike Reid, who, only 27, retired in the off-season to pursue a career in music.
The team qualified for the postseason for the third time in just eight years of existence, but 1975 would be the last time that the Bengals would do so until 1981. The Bengals ended the season at 11-3, with all of their losses coming in division play, losing twice to the eventual champion Steelers, and a road loss to Cleveland. They finished 8–0 against teams outside of the AFC Central.
This was Bill Walsh's final season as offensive coordinator in Cincinnati. He departed after the season to join the San Diego Chargers with the same role, and then went on to become head coach at Stanford University, and then the San Francisco 49ers, where he later won 3 Super Bowls with them, which included 2 against the Bengals.
Offseason
NFL draft
| 1975 Cincinnati Bengals draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 | Glenn Cameron | Linebacker | Florida | |
| 2 | 39 | Al Krevis | Offensive tackle | Boston College | |
| 3 | 55 | Gary Burley | Defensive end | Pittsburgh | |
| 3 | 64 | Gary Sheide | Quarterback | BYU | |
| 3 | 77 | Bo Harris | Linebacker | LSU | |
| 4 | 97 | Stan Fritts | Running back | North Carolina State | |
| 5 | 120 | Pat McInally * | Wide receiver | Harvard | |
| 5 | 122 | Jeff West | Punter | Cincinnati | |
| 6 | 142 | Tom Shuman | Quarterback | Penn State | |
| 6 | 145 | Rollen Smith | Defensive back | Arkansas | |
| 7 | 170 | Chris Devlin | Linebacker | Penn State | |
| 8 | 195 | Ricky Davis | Defensive back | Alabama | |
| 9 | 220 | Greg Dubinetz | Guard | Yale | |
| 9 | 227 | Lofell Williams | Wide receiver | Virginia Union | |
| 10 | 245 | Rockey Felker | Defensive back | Mississippi State | |
| 11 | 276 | Marvin Cobb | Defensive back | USC | |
| 12 | 301 | Jack Novak | Tight end | Wisconsin | |
| 13 | 326 | Ron Rosenberg | Linebacker | Montana | |
| 14 | 351 | Frank Haywood | Defensive tackle | North Carolina State | |
| 15 | 376 | Greg Enright | Placekicker | Southern Oregon | |
| 16 | 401 | John Tuttle | Wide receiver | Kansas State | |
| 17 | 432 | Elvin Charity | Defensive back | Yale | |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Personnel
Staff / Coaches
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Strength and conditioning
| |||||
Roster
Regular season
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 21 | Cleveland Browns | W 24–17 | 1–0 | Riverfront Stadium | Recap | |
| 2 | September 28 | at New Orleans Saints | W 21–0 | 2–0 | Louisiana Superdome | Recap | |
| 3 | October 5 | at Houston Oilers | W 21–19 | 3–0 | Astrodome | Recap | |
| 4 | October 12 | New England Patriots | W 27–10 | 4–0 | Riverfront Stadium | Recap | |
| 5 | October 19 | Oakland Raiders | W 14–10 | 5–0 | Riverfront Stadium | Recap | |
| 6 | October 26 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 21–14 | 6–0 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | Recap | |
| 7 | November 2 | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 24–30 | 6–1 | Riverfront Stadium | Recap | |
| 8 | November 9 | at Denver Broncos | W 17–16 | 7–1 | Mile High Stadium | Recap | |
| 9 | November 17 | Buffalo Bills | W 33–24 | 8–1 | Riverfront Stadium | Recap | |
| 10 | November 23 | at Cleveland Browns | L 23–35 | 8–2 | Cleveland Stadium | Recap | |
| 11 | November 30 | Houston Oilers | W 23–19 | 9–2 | Riverfront Stadium | Recap | |
| 12 | December 7 | at Philadelphia Eagles | W 31–0 | 10–2 | Veterans Stadium | Recap | |
| 13 | December 13 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 14–35 | 10–3 | Three Rivers Stadium | Recap | |
| 14 | December 21 | San Diego Chargers | W 47–17 | 11–3 | Riverfront Stadium | Recap | |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
Season summary
Week 1
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Browns | 0 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 17 |
| • Bengals | 14 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
- Date: September 21
- Location: Riverfront Stadium • Cincinnati
- Game start: 1:00 p.m.
- Game weather: 57 °F (14 °C), wind 11 mph (18 km/h)
| 1 | CIN | Isaac Curtis 27-yard pass from Ken Anderson (Dave Green kick) | Bengals 7–0 | |
| 1 | CIN | Boobie Clark 14-yard run (Dave Green kick) | Bengals 14–0 | |
| 2 | CLE | Don Cockroft 18-yard field goal | Bengals 14–3 | |
| 2 | CIN | Dave Green 44-yard field goal | Bengals 17–3 | |
| 3 | CIN | Lenvil Elliott 3-yard run (Dave Green kick) | Bengals 24–3 | |
| 3 | CLE | Greg Pruitt 8-yard run (Don Cockroft kick) | Bengals 24–10 | |
| 3 | CLE | Charlie Hall recovered fumble in end zone (Don Cockroft kick) | Bengals 24–17 | |
Week 7
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Steelers | 0 | 10 | 13 | 7 | 30 |
| Bengals | 3 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 24 |
- Date: November 2
- Location: Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
- Game attendance: 58,418
| 1 | CIN | Dave Green 23-yard field goal | Bengals 3–0 | |
| 2 | PIT | Roy Gerela 42-yard field goal | Tie 3–3 | |
| 2 | PIT | Lynn Swann 37-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Roy Gerela kick) | Steelers 10–3 | |
| 3 | PIT | Rocky Bleier 3-yard run (Roy Gerela kick) | Steelers 17–3 | |
| 3 | PIT | Lynn Swann 25-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (kick failed) | Steelers 23–3 | |
| 4 | CIN | Charlie Joiner 34-yard pass from Ken Anderson (Dave Green kick) | Steelers 23–10 | |
| 4 | CIN | Essex Johnson 3-yard pass from Ken Anderson (Dave Green kick) | Steelers 23–17 | |
| 4 | PIT | Terry Bradshaw 1-yard run (Roy Gerela kick) | Steelers 30–17 | |
| 4 | CIN | Chip Myers 22-yard pass from Ken Anderson (Dave Green kick) | Steelers 30–24 | |
Week 12
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Bengals | 7 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 31 |
| Eagles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
- Date: December 7
- Location: Veterans Stadium • Philadelphia
- Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: 40 °F (4 °C) • Wind 14 mph (23 km/h)
| 1 | CIN | Ed Williams 1-yard run (Dave Green kick) | Bengals 7–0 | |
| 2 | CIN | Stan Fritts 3-yard run (Dave Green kick) | Bengals 14–0 | |
| 2 | CIN | Ed Williams 10-yard pass from Ken Anderson (Dave Green kick) | Bengals 21–0 | |
| 2 | CIN | Dave Green 48-yard field goal | Bengals 24–0 | |
| 4 | CIN | John Reaves 3-yard run (Dave Green kick) | Bengals 31–0 | |
Standings
| AFC Central | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| (1) Pittsburgh Steelers | 12 | 2 | 0 | .857 | 6–0 | 10–1 | 373 | 162 | L1 |
| (4) Cincinnati Bengals | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 3–3 | 8–3 | 340 | 246 | W1 |
| Houston Oilers | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 2–4 | 7–4 | 293 | 226 | W3 |
| Cleveland Browns | 3 | 11 | 0 | .214 | 1–5 | 2–8 | 218 | 372 | L1 |
Team stats
| 1975 Cincinnati Bengals Team Stats | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| TEAM STATS | Bengals | Opponents | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| TOTAL FIRST DOWNS | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rushing | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Passing | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Penalty | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| TOTAL NET YARDS | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Avg Per Game | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total Plays | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Avg. Per Play | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NET YARDS RUSHING | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Avg. Per Game | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total Rushes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NET YARDS PASSING | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Avg. Per Game | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sacked Yards Lost | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gross Yards | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Att. Completions | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Completion Pct. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Intercepted | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| PUNTS-AVERAGE | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| PENALTIES-YARDS | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FUMBLES-BALL LOST | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| TOUCHDOWNS | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rushing | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Passing | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Returns | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Score by Periods | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Tot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bengals | |||||
| Opponents |
Team leaders
- Passing: Ken Anderson (377 Att, 228 Comp, 3169 Yds, 60.5 Pct, 21 TD, 11 Int, 93.9 Rating)
- Rushing: Boobie Clark (167 Att, 594 Yds, 3.6 Avg, 17 Long, 4 TD)
- Receiving: Isaac Curtis (44 Rec, 934 Yds, 21.2 Avg, 55 Long, 7 TD)
- Scoring: Dave Green, 70 points (10 FG; 40 PAT)
Playoffs
| Round | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Divisional | December 28 | at Oakland Raiders | L 28–31 | 0–1 | Oakland Coliseum | Recap |
Awards and records
- Ken Anderson, Led NFL, Passer Rating, 93.9 Rating [5]