
6. We Blew It
“I destroyed my Chad Johnson jersey after blowing it against the Steelers,” revealed a Bengals fan. He was talking about the 2005 Wildcard game between Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. After beating the Steelers a few weeks earlier, Cincinnati was full of confidence before the playoffs. But it turned out to be a false dawn because they threw away a great opportunity of victory.

One of the NFL’s most depressing franchises, Cincinnati only made a single Super Bowl appearance in their history. They hoped to go on a deep postseason run that season, but it all ended too early. In the end, the result was 31-17 after the Steelers came from behind twice. Furthermore, they shut down Bengals star Johnson. They went on and won Super Bowl XL against the Seahawks.