The Bengals are rolling on the river.
With nine of the biggest crowds in Paycor Stadium history watching eight wins during the last two calendar years, Cincinnati has established the AFC's most formidable home-field advantage.
Echoed by top-five finishes in each of the last two seasons from the league-wide Voice of the Fan survey that measures the game day experience, the Bengals have drawn more than 65,000 in 17 straight Paycor games.
And in the last 20 dates, per Elias, the Bengals are the AFC's toughest visit with an .800 winning percentage at home. Their 16-4 record trails only 18-4 San Francisco and 17-4 Dallas since Christmas, 2021.
Like Bengals head coach Zac Taylor this offseason, manager of game and event entertainment Alex Schweppe is looking at making it even better.
"We want to make sure every game feels differently," Schweppe says. "Our fans pack the stadium. Making sure we give our returning fans a new product is important to us. You can't experience new traditions like the Ruler of the Jungle and Rock n' Rule Fourth Quarter without being at the game. We're trying to make it the most unique experience it can be with traditions and rituals for the fans."
Two of the nine biggest crowds saw Wild Card playoff victories. The biggest crowd of 67,260 on Sept. 29, 2022, watched the defending AFC champion Bengals beat the Dolphins, 27-15, in a Thursday night game quarterback Joe Burrow threw for 287 yards.
But the game that stands out for Schweppe is last season's Sunday night win over Buffalo. If the Bengals were ready for prime time with a 397-yard offensive effort during a 24-18 victory, so were the fans and their striping of "The Jungle."
"It was an incredible experience to see the fan buy-in and create that everyone-is-on-it feeling," Schweppe says. "That game was electric from the pregame, halftime, all the way to the last snap and the fans made the difference. That's what we're looking for."
And, like Taylor, Schweppe isn't tipping his hand on what the foe is going to face in 2024. But he did offer a teaser.
"We're going to emphasize our division games," Schweppe says. "The AFC North is the best division in football. We're going to really look at our game day elements and make sure all of those are included for those division games. I think it's going to be a really big point of emphasis."
