Week 5 Seattle Seahawks vs Cincinnati Bengals: Revisiting recent matchups

The Seahawks have been on an amazing three year run from 2012-2014, going 36-12 with two consecutive Super Bowl appearances, and one asinine goal line pass play call that kept them from back to back Super Bowl victories.

One thing many Bengals’ fans may not realize is that not only have the Seahawks been great over the last three years, but have been a pretty good team over the last dozen years (since Marvin Lewis took over as the Bengals’ head coach). They have made the playoffs nine times in the last twelve years, with three Super Bowl appearances during that span. Granted, one of those playoff appearances included a 7-9 finish in a horrible 2010 NFC West. But nine playoff trips in 12 years is a pretty good mark.

The Seahawks used to be a regular opponent for the Bengals, as the teams faced off 14 times over a 15 year stretch from 1981 to 1995. But over the last 19 seasons, the two teams have only played each other four times.

• All time, the Cincinnati Bengals are 10-9 against the Seattle Seahawks.
• They are 9-9 in the regular season and 1-0 in the playoffs.
• The playoff game was a New Year’s Eve showdown in Cincinnati back in 1988 which saw the Bengals shuffle their way to a 21-13 victory as they marched to the franchise’s second Super Bowl appearance.

Five of the last six games between the Bengals and Seahawks have taken place in Seattle. Their upcoming Week 6 game in Cincinnati will be only the second time the Bengals have hosted the Seahawks since David Klingler was sacked five times in a 19-10 loss during the 1993 season. Thankfully, the Bengals have come a long way from that 1993 squad which struggled to rush for 30 yards on 17 attempts on that cool September afternoon.

• The teams have only faced each other three times since Marvin Lewis has been the Bengals’ head coach.
• The Bengals won 27-24 in Cincinnati in 2003.
• The Bengals lost 21-24 in Seattle in 2007.
• The Bengals won 34-12 in Seattle in 2011.

Despite the lopsided 34-12 outcome in 2011, the game was not as lopsided as the result. Rather, it was an ugly, defensive showdown chocked full of missed opportunities for both sides.

Bernard Scott labored to produce 76 yards on 22 carries, while Seattle’s Marshawn Lynch was anything but a "beast" as he struggled to gain 24 yards on 16 carries. Andy Dalton threw for 168 yards, with a pair of touchdowns and a pair of interceptions. Seattle’s quarterbacks Tavaris Jackson and Charlie Whitehurts combined for 375 yards against the Bengals' defense, and it could have been much more if Sidney Rice (who had a line of 7-102-0) had not played with hands made of stone in that game.

Just before halftime, Dalton hit A.J. Green on a 47 yard touchdown pass to give the Bengals a 17-3 halftime lead.
The Bengals offense did little after halftime, and midway through the fourth quarter, the Seahawks had cut the lead to 17-12. With just under five minutes remaining Mike Nugent nailed a 48 yard field goal to give the Bengals a 20-12 lead. With Seattle only trailing by a touchdown in the final minutes of the fourth quarter, things got out of hand.

The Seakawks were forced to punt on the ensuing drive, which Brandon Tate returned 56 yards for a touchdown, and a 27-12 Bengals’ lead. A few minutes later, Jackson threw an interception to Reggie Nelson, who returned it 75 yards for another non-offensive touchdown, and a 34-12 lead.

By the time the game was over, the final scoring was:
Bengals offense: 20
Bengals defense: 14
Seahawks: 12

The 2011 Seahawks went 7-9 in what was the last of a four year string of losing seasons. It was a team transitioning from the Matt Hasselbeck, Shaun Alexander and Mike Holmgren team that made five straight playoff trips to the Seahawks of today.

The Seahawks team the Bengals will face on Sunday will be one that has completed the transition to the Russell Wilson, Marshawn Lynch, Pete Carroll team, which has made three straight playoff trips, and has become a defensive juggernaut. Will Andy Dalton pull off his second win against the Seahawks at home on Sunday? This promises to be one of the best Bengals matchups this season.