As the Bengals get ready to celebrate the 25th season in Paycor Stadium, here's a look at 25 memorable moments in stadium history.
Paul Brown Stadium Opens to Huge Touring Crowds (Aug. 16, 2000)
When the gates open for the first time in the riverfront's super-structure, a celebratory crowd of 130,000 streamed through the award-winning building named after the Bengals founder on a behind-the-scenes tour at the anchor of what becomes The Banks. The stadium was renamed Paycor Stadium in 2022.
Stadium Era Begins with Win Over Bears (Aug. 19, 2000)
The Paycor Stadium Era in Bengals history begins in a preseason game the Bengals beat the Bears, 24-20, when breath-taking first-round pick Peter Warrick scores his first NFL touchdown on a trick play and ends up touching the ball seven times for a first down or touchdown.
Bengals Get First Stadium Win on Dillon's Record Day (Oct. 22, 2000)
In one legendary swoop, Bengals Pro Bowler Corey Dillon runs down the past and blazes a trail. He broke Walter Payton's iconic single-game NFL rushing record that had stood for a quarter of a century on a mere 22 carries for 278 yards and gave the Bengals their first victory in the stadium with a 31-21 win over the Broncos.
Bengals Take Down Undefeated Chiefs (Nov. 16, 2003)
Chad Johnson guaranteed it during the week. Peter Warrick sealed it in the fourth quarter before a sell-out crowd with two stunning touchdowns on a 68-yard punt return and a 77-yard catch as the Bengals knocked off the 9-0 Chiefs, 24-19, and moved into first place in the AFC North for the first time in November.
Bengals Win Stadium Debut of Carson, Sunday Night Football (Sept. 19, 2004)
More than 65,000 electrify the stadium's first appearance of Sunday Night Football and 2003 overall No. 1 pick Carson Palmer in a 16-13 victory over the Dolphins fashioned by the defense. Linebacker Brian Simmons returns an interception 50 yards for a touchdown early in the second half as they hold Miami to 226 yards.
Bengals Win 106-Point Shootout with Browns (Nov. 28, 2004)
In the highest-scoring game by both teams since the 1970 merger and the second-highest scoring game in NFL history, the Bengals race to a 58-48 win over the Browns. Running back Rudi Johnson's 202 yards feature a day the Bengals run and pass for at least 250 yards for the third time in their history.
Chad, Bengals Snow Giants (Dec. 26, 2004)
A snowstorm blanketed Cincinnati during the Christmas weekend the Bengals hosted overall No. 1 pick Eli Manning's Giants and fans answered the call to shovel out the seats. The next day in a blinding sun, they used the snow as confetti when T.J. Houshmandzadeh leaped to corral Jon Kitna's fourth-and-10 pass to set up a four-yard touchdown pass to Chad Johnson with 44 seconds left in a 23-22 win.
Chad Dogs Broncos on Opening Day (Sept. 13, 2009)
Showman Chad Johnson started the season by asking fans for a hot dog during the Opening Day game against the Broncos. The Bengals go on to win the AFC North title that year during a season they sweep their division foes.
Cardiac Cats Catch Steelers in Final Seconds (Sept. 27, 2009)
The 2009 AFC North champion Cardiac Cats were born on this day when they erased an 11-point lead with 9:20 left. Carson Palmer's four-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Andre Caldwell with 14 seconds left gave them a 23-20 win featuring Johnathan Joseph's pick-six and Brian Leonard's patented "Leonard Leap," converting a fourth down on the winning drive.
Bengals Clinch AFC North As Chad Salutes Slim (Dec. 27, 2009)
A week after attending the funeral for teammate Chris "Slim," Henry, the Bengals clinched the AFC North when quarterback Carson Palmer led a 98-yard drive that ended on Chad Johnson's full-extension-flat-on-his-back six-yard touchdown catch on third down with 2:03 left that gave them a 17-10 win over the Chiefs. Johnson got off the ground flashing his fingers signifying Henry's No. 15.
Jerome Simpson Flips Bengals into Wild Card (Dec. 24, 2011)
Bengals wide receiver Jerome Simpson committed highlight film immortality to help the Bengals get that ninth win that put them into the playoffs, making Andy Dalton the first rookie quarterback to throw 20 TDs and win nine games. He hit Simpson on a short pass over the middle and then Simpson planted his feet at about the 1, somersaulted over Cardinals linebacker Daryl Washington into the end zone, and stuck the landing for a 17-0 lead in a 23-16 victory.
Bengals Camp Out Downtown (July 27, 2012)
After 45 summers of holding training camps at Wilmington College and Georgetown College, the Bengals stay home to work amid Cincinnati's stunning skyline on the practice fields adjacent to the stadium. On the first day of training camp, fans are treated to the amenities of The Banks as well as the red-hot connection of A.J. Green and Andy Dalton that took the Bengals to the playoffs as rookies.
Halftime Show Stopper Punctuates Bengals Rout (Dec. 22, 2013)
The good times continued to roll at Paycor Stadium as the Bengals closed in on an unbeaten home season and the AFC North title. While the Bengals took a break from beating Minnesota on four Andy Dalton touchdown passes, fans kept roaring through a halftime show of monkeys riding dogs herding sheep before watching the Bengals corral the Vikings, 42-14.
Princess Leah Brings Down the House (Nov. 6, 2014)
The riverfront shakes with emotion at the end of the first quarter during a Thursday night game with the Browns. Leah Still, four-year-old daughter of Bengals defensive tackle Devon Still battling a Stage 4 cancer diagnosis, appeared as the Bengals presented a check for $1.3 million to Cincinnati Children's Hospital. The Bengals sold Devon Still's No. 75 jersey to help his crusade to bring awareness to childhood cancer and the sell-out crowd roared a salute.
Dre Picks Peyton and Bengals Go to The Playoffs (Dec. 22, 2014)
The Bengals had never beaten Peyton Manning, but they couldn't have picked a better time to get the first one when a win on Monday Night put them into the playoffs. The Bengals ride the 147 rushing yards of Jeremy Hill to a 30-28 lead before Manning, author of 54 game-winning drives, gets the ball back one last time. With snowflakes swirling, cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick steps in front of Manning and takes an interception 30 yards for a touchdown with 2:41 left to put them in the playoffs a fourth straight year.
Furious Fourth-Quarter Comeback Lifts Bengals Over Seattle (Oct. 11, 2015)
The unbeaten Bengals celebrated one of their most significant wins in history when their second-biggest comeback ever produced a 27-24 overtime win over two-time NFC champ Seattle. Down 24-7 in the fourth quarter, quarterback Andy Dalton threw for a touchdown, ran for a touchdown, and engineered a 69-yard drive with no timeouts to get Mike Nugent's 31-yard field goal on the final play of regulation. In OT, Nugent's 42-yarder that bounced off the left upright won it.
Bengals Become First AFC North Team to Start 8-0 (Nov. 5, 2015)
The Steelers of the '70s and '90s didn't do it. The Bengals of the '80s and the turn-of-the-century Ravens didn't do it. But in a Thursday nigher the Bengals dominated the Browns 31-10 before a raucous 65,816. The Bengals became the first AFC Central and first AFC North team to start a season 8-0 and do it for a crowd Domata Peko called the loudest of his 11 seasons.
Legends Help Bengals Salute 50th Anniversary (Sept. 10, 2017)
In what would be a staple of every halftime of the 50th anniversary season, the Bengals on Opening Day honored some of their 50 greatest players as voted by the fans. The team played that season in uniforms with the anniversary logo patch that was also displayed on signs throughout the stadium and city.
A.J. Green's Three Early TDs Flatten Ravens (Sept. 13, 2018)
In a Thursday night game, that notorious Raven-killer A.J. Green struck again against Baltimore. Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, who once wondered openly if his team could cover him just once before he retired, watched Green catch touchdown passes of four, 32 and seven yards, in the first 17 minutes of a 34-23 Cincy victory.
Burrow Comeback Caps Inaugural Ring of Honor Night (Sept. 30, 2021)
On a Thursday night in front of their biggest crowd in five years, the Bengals saluted their inaugural Ring of Honor class and the 40th anniversary of their first Super Bowl team with a stirring fourth-quarter comeback fashioned by quarterback Joe Burrow's cool and pinpoint 78% passing. His improvisational screen pass to tight end C.J Uzomah set up Evan McPherson's last-snap field goal for a 24-21 win over the Jaguars.
No Pat Answer as Burrow, Chase Claim AFC North (Jan. 2, 2022)
In his first stare down with Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow erased three 14-point deficits and pitched for 446 yards in a 34-31 victory that gave them the AFC North title. A Bengals record and rookie NFL record 266 went to wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase, including a 30-yarder on third-and-27 that set up Evan McPherson's last snap field goal.
Pratt Interception Seals Postseason Victory (Jan. 15, 2022)
In front of one of the ten biggest Paycor Stadium crowds, the Burrow Era claimed its first postseason victory with one of the biggest defensive plays in franchise history. Protecting a 26-19 lead on fourth down from the Bengals nine with 17 seconds left, linebacker Germaine Pratt stepped in front of Raiders quarterback Derek Carr's pass intended for wide receiver Zay Jones at the 4 and picked it off to send the Bengals to Tennessee and the AFC Divisional.
Super Bowl Rally Gives Bengals Championship Sendoff (Feb. 7, 2022)
The Bengals took the field in their Super Bowl LVI white sweat suits as an estimated crowd of about 30,000 braved the 28 degrees to offer a thunderous sendoff to Los Angeles. They serenaded Joe Burrow with an "MVP, MVP," chant. They went nuts when tight end C.J. Uzomah ripped off his knee brace. "I've never seen anything like that before or experienced anything like that in my life," said running back Joe Mixon as he filmed the crowd.
Hubbard's Rumble in The Jungle Wins Wild Card (Jan. 15, 2023)
Every Cincy school kid knows how one of their own made the legend. How the Bengals and Ravens were locked at 17 in a Wild Card game early in the fourth quarter when Baltimore quarterback Tyler Huntley tried to sneak it over from the Bengals 1 to take the lead. How linebacker Logan Wilson knocked the ball out and right to left end Sam Hubbard. How Hubbard grabbed it and took off on an NFL-record 98-yard fumble return that gave them just enough to win, 24-17. And how during the run, NBC's Mike Tirico reminded everyone that Hubbard is "The Cincinnati Kid."
Fans Stripe The Jungle (Nov. 5, 2023)
In the inaugural Stripe The Jungle game, the second biggest crowd in Paycor Stadium history seamlessly pulled off the orange and black motif on an electric Sunday night and then watched the Bengals offense execute just as perfectly. Quarterback Joe Burrow hit 70% of his 44 passes for 348 yards and led the Bengals to a 24-18 win over the Bills.
