By the numbers: Bengals’ best franchise records

Despite their lack of championships, the Cincinnati Bengals still have a number of great team and individual performances.

As the team approaches its 51st season and in seeing so many great players in this generation, we believe it’s worth looking at some of the team’s biggest statistical leaders.

Can any current Bengals surpass these areas?

Passing by the numbers:

32,838: The all-time yardage number held by should-be Hall of Fame quarterback Ken Anderson. Boomer Esiason is in a close second at 27,149 yards with Andy Dalton coming in third at 25,534.

Barring something completely unforeseen, Dalton will move into second place in this category in 2018, as it will only take 1,615 yards to surpass the blonde southpaw. And, for all intents and purposes, Dalton will be the team’s all-time leader in this area, should he see the rest of his contract through and remain healthy.

31: This is the amount of passing touchdowns needed from Dalton to become the club’s all-time leader at 198. Anderson also owns this category at 197, with Esiason just 10 behind him.

Dalton once threw for that single-season record of 33 back in 2013, but has failed to eclipse 25 in a season since. It’s possible that Dalton breaks this great franchise mark this year, but it will take a lot of things falling into place, including offensive health, the offensive line improving and big steps from guys like John Ross and Josh Malone in year two.

94: Among other passing categories, Anderson also owns the longest in franchise history at 94 yards. The toss went to Billy Brooks back in 1977, standing for over 40 years to this point.

As is the case with many passing categories, Dalton ranks third behind both Anderson and Esiason in this area. He could break this mark at some point, but his 86-yard touchdown to Brandon LaFell on Christmas Eve of 2016 remains his longest pass in his NFL career.

91: Another mark owned by Anderson is in the ever-important category of wins. The first No. 14 finished with a 91-81 mark, with Dalton in a distant second at 63-44-2.

4,293: Dalton does own the single-season passing record in Bengals history with this number. He set this mark in that immense statistical year that was 2013, when many of his surrounding offensive pieces were both healthy and productive.

Would it surprise you to know that he also holds the second-highest single-season yardage total in team history at 4,206? What about the fact that that number came in the disappointing 2016 season by the team?

Rushing by the numbers:

8,061: Corey Dillon’s tenure with the Bengals was both extremely productive and tumultuous from 1997-2003. Since his departure, the team has found some semblance of continuity with players like Rudi Johnson and Cedric Benson, but they’ve had trouble finding true workhorses since.

Dillon’s 8,061 franchise-leading rushing yards is incredibly impressive on a number of fronts. Aside from getting limited carries in 1997 and battling injuries in 2003, Dillon was also the team’s lone offensive weapon from 2000-2002. Averaging 1,151 yards per season has to be one of the better individual achievements in team history.

64: Though Dillon is known as one of, if not the best running back in Bengals history, he doesn’t own one of the most important rushing marks in team history. 1980s thumper Pete Johnson is the team leader in rushing touchdowns with 64 in seven years with the club.

96: In today’s NFL, massive passing bombs accumulating great yardage isn’t unheard of. However, gaining 90-plus yards on a run play just isn’t common anymore.

Dillon achieved such back in 2001 when facing the Detroit Lions. His 96-yard touchdown run ended up being the difference in a 31-27 Bengals win back in Week 7.

1,458: Dillon was shipped to New England in 2004 (where he capped off a near-Hall of Fame career) because of a young running back who endeared himself to Marvin Lewis and Bengals fans. Rudi Johnson was a more affable, cheap and downright effective option for the Bengals as the 2004 season approached.

Johnson actually has two of the top single-season rushing totals in team history with 1,458 being the tops from the great 2005 campaign. He also set the record in 2004 with 1,454, so Joe Mixon will need to have an immense year to surpass this mark in 2018.

Receiving by the numbers:

10,783: As more time passes and more debates ensue, it appears that Chad Johnson should be in heavy consideration for enshrinement in Canton. He owns almost every major statistical receiving category in team history, though it seems as if those will be in jeopardy by the time A.J. Green’s career is done.

Still, when a receiver is over 11,000 receiving yards, has six Pro Bowls and was such an iconic figure in NFL history throughout the mid-2000s, as Johnson/”Ochocinco” was, he has to be a guy who could be voted into the Hall of Fame. Regardless, he’s far above Green as the team’s career receiving yardage leader by 2,570 yards.

751: Again, Johnson owns a major statistical category in Bengals lore, including all-time catches. Green is just under 200 catches below that mark at 556, and while he’s only under contract for two more years, he should still sniff this mark after 2019.

66: No. 85’s got dibs on touchdown catches too, with Green in third place at 57. Would it surprise you to find out that Carl Pickens (63) is in second place in this category?

As long as Green stays healthy and productive, he should break this record in 2018, if not early next year. Because of this, the debate of the team’s best historical receiver will rage on.

94: As mentioned before, Brooks had the team’s longest reception in history back when the original Star Wars film hit the theaters. Oddly enough, LaFell’s aforementioned 86-yard touchdown reception is longer than both what Johnson and Green have notched with Cincinnati (82).

112: No, we’re not talking about the 1990s R&B group. We’re talking about the amount of receptions T.J. Houshmandzadeh had in one season back in 2008.

The number remains bittersweet because the team only won four games, an injury to Carson Palmer and it being “Housh’s” last season in Cincinnati. However, it’s a mark that is not likely to be broken anytime soon.

1,440: Johnson owns the top-two single-season receiving yardage marks in history thanks to great statistical campaigns in 2005 and 2007. The former is the top mark in team history, with the latter barely losing out to No. 2.

Green holds the No. 3 mark in this area from his 1,425 yards in 2013, as well as the Nos. 6 and 7 in Bengals annals. However, Johnson holds four of the top-five marks in this area.

Defensive/Special teams numbers:

12: The amount of touchdowns the electric defensive back Lemar Parrish had with the Bengals in eight seasons. Though his relationship with the club ended in a familiarly-acrimoniously way, Parrish was one of the greatest players in team history.

Seven of his twelve touchdowns came on defense—four on interceptions and three on fumbles. However, he was an ace on returns, taking four punts and one kickoff back for scores. He was essentially a more talented Adam Jones in his day.

65: Good luck catching up to this one, Bengals defenders. Cornerback Ken Riley’s career interception number is good for No. 5 in NFL history, much less being the franchise leader by 32 picks ahead of Louis Breeden.

There is a lot of hype surrounding William Jackson as he enters year three, but he has a lot of ground to make up to catch up to Riley. Meanwhile, “The Rattler” is waiting at his bid to get into the Hall of Fame.

64.5/61: Though current Bengals fans are rightfully angry at the lack of postseason success, they are witnessing quite a bit of individual greatness. Green aside, Carlos Dunlap and Geno Atkins are two of the best defenders to ever suit up for Cincinnati.

Atkins is likely a shoe-in for the Hall of Fame and his 61 sacks has to be admired, given his position. Dunlap recently surpassed Eddie Edwards (now third in team history in the category behind Dunlap and Atkins), and will go down as the team’s greatest defensive end in history.

1,008: Usually, when a player amasses a large amount of tackles in their defensive career, two things come to mind. First, they’re obviously a linebacker, and second, they’ve played forever.

Sure, Tim Krumrie played 12 NFL seasons and was a locker room leader, but he was an interior defensive lineman. The fact that he leads the team in total tackles is a feat of its own, as is his near-doubling of the No. 2 player in the category, James Francis (508; also a linebacker).

84: Cincinnati has had an odd relationship with kickers, particularly of late, but one guy still holds a soft spot in longtime Bengals fans’ hearts. Jim Breech was the slight place kicker for the team for 13 years and kicked in both Super Bowl appearances.

Despite the pretty solid careers (relatively speaking) of Shayne Graham and Doug Pelfrey, Breech is the team’s career holder in made field goals. Until the team finds its own version of Justin Tucker, they seem to be on rental-type deals with veterans who will never sniff this mark.

4,928: The guy Bengals fans loved to hate, Brandon Tate, is the all-around career leader in return yardage for the team. He was released in the 2016 offseason, but his mark, however pedestrian on film, was made.

He had 1,411 yards on punt returns and 3,517 on kickoffs from 2011-2015. Unfortunately, this amount of yardage only netted one touchdown.

Other franchise distinctions:

11: This is the number of Pro Bowls, consecutively, no less, that offensive tackle Anthony Munoz was nominated to in his illustrious career. This also included nine All-Pro designations, as Munoz is widely-known as the best offensive lineman to have ever played in the NFL.

Green has seven consecutive Pro Bowl nods to his name, so, if all goes well and he sticks with the Bengals past his current deal, he could sniff this

7 or .467: Marvin Lewis has one of the most yin-and-yang resumes of any NFL coach in any era. He took over a franchise desperate for success and led them to seven playoff berths after 15 straight years of being out of the bracket.

Though he doesn’t have any playoff wins, the “nearly-every-other-year” average (the .467 percentage number), in terms of postseason appearances, does speak volumes for a franchise that hasn’t had much career success.

1: Whether right or wrong (and most think it’s the latter), this is the amount of jerseys the team has retired in its 51-year history. The team’s very first pick, Bob Johnson, is the lone jersey not to be worn by any other Bengal.

The 1968 No. 1 overall pick spent 12 seasons and 154 games with the Bengals. No. 54 has not been worn since Johnson retired. Unfortunately, it’s also the same number of true Bengals fans who are enshrined in the Hall of Fame.

Receivers Charlie Joiner and Terrell Owens are rightfully in Canton, but they spent very limited time with Cincinnati.