Following a 2009 division championship, the team never jelled despite having veteran talent, including that of high-profile free agent WR Terrell Owens. After a 2-1 start, the Bengals tied a dubious team one-season record by losing 10 in a row. Wins in two of the last three games did little to ease the dissatisfaction. Head coach Marvin Lewis ended the season with an expired contract, but two days after the season finale, it was announced that Lewis had signed to return for a franchise-record ninth season in 2011, a wise move given that the next five Bengals teams would make the playoffs. In '10, Owens and WR Chad Johnson combined for 139 receptions for 1814 yards and 13 TDs, and Cedric Benson rushed for 1111 yards while Carson Palmer passed for 3970. But the team could not deliver in the clutch. Opponents scored eight TDs on returns (INTs, fumbles, kicks), and the Bengals were minus-eight in turnover differential. Injuries played a part, as the Bengals were forced to place 17 players on the Reserve/Injured list, and nine were veteran defensive players who would have started or seen significant action if healthy. The season was the last one in stripes for Chad Johnson, who completed the year with franchise career record records (still standing through 2017) for receptions (751), receiving yards (10,783), receiving TDs (66) and most 100-yard receiving games (31). The club recorded a franchise-record 57th consecutive sellout (regular and postseason) for a Monday night game on Nov. 8 vs. Pittsburgh, but the streak ended when the Nov. 21 Buffalo game failed to sell out. The Bengals played five preseason games, their most since 1988, as the club was selected to open the NFL preseason against Dallas in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 8 at Canton, Ohio. On Aug. 7, former Bengals assistant coach and head coach Dick LeBeau was inducted into the Hall of Fame. LeBeau, who spent 18 years on the Cincinnati coaching staff, also had a stellar playing career as a DB with the Detroit Lions, and after leaving Cincinnati he became a successful defensive coordinator with Pittsburgh.
