But only the Monday night game in Denver last year, where the temperature at kickoff was 16 degrees, ranks among the top 10 coldest Bengals games of all time, coming in at eighth.
The coldest game they have ever played in Cleveland was 18 degrees on Dec. 21, 2008, a 14-0 Bengals win.
Here is a look at the seven coldest games in Bengals franchise history, all of which were played in Cincinnati:
No. 7
Dec. 26, 1993 – Cincinnati Bengals 21, Atlanta Falcons 17 at Riverfront Stadium (15.5 degrees)
With the wind chill at 4 and the attendance listed at just 27,014 for a meaningless season finale, David Klingler hit Carl Pickens for a game-winning 6-yard touchdown pass with 1:00 left in in the fourth quarter. The Bengals finished the season 3-13 in Dave Shula’s second year at the helm.
No. 6
Dec. 21, 1980 – Cleveland Browns 27, Cincinnati Bengals 24 at Riverfront Stadium (13.5 degrees)
Thomas Darden's infamous hit on Pat McInally, which resulted in the wide receiver/punter being carried off a stretcher, probably felt even worse with the wind chill at 3. McInally miraculously returned the game in the third quarter and caught a 59-yard touchdown pass from Jackson Thompson to tie the game at 24-24, but the Browns won the game on Don Cockroft's 22-yard field goal with 1:25 remaining.
No. 5
Dec. 17, 2000 – Cincinnati Bengals 17, Jacksonville Jaguars 14 at Paul Brown Stadium (9 degrees)
The Bengals rallied from a 14-7 fourth quarter deficit to pull out the win in brutal conditions where the wind chill reached minus-20. Scott Mitchell’s 12-yard run tied the game with 1:15 left, and Neil Rackers drilled a game-winning, 27-yard field goal in the final home game of the inaugural season at PBS.
No. 4
Dec. 10, 1995 – Cincinnati Bengals 16, Chicago Bears 10 at Riverfront Stadium (7.9 degrees)
With the wind chill dipping to minus-9, Doug Pelfrey kicked three field goals, and Darnay Scott caught a 38-yard touchdown pass from Jeff Blake to up the Bengals record to 6-8 as a meager crowd of 38,642 looked on. The final score of the game was a 5-yard run by Bears running back Rashaan Salaam, who passed away Monday at the age of 42.
No. 3
Dec. 17, 1989 – Cincinnati Bengals 61, Houston Oilers 7 at Riverfront Stadium (0.8 degrees)
The minus-11 wind chill was nothing compared to the frosty relationship between Bengals head coach Sam Wyche and Houston’s Jerry Glanville, leading to the Bengals running up the score and recovering an onside kick after taking a 45-0 lead. Wyche also sent Jim Breech out for a 30-yard field goal for the final points and said in his postgame press conference, “We don’t like this team. We don’t like their people. When you get a chance to do it (run up the score), you do it. I wish today this was a five-quarter game.”
No. 2
Dec. 10, 1977 – Cincinnati Bengals 17, Pittsburgh Steelers 10 (0.4 degrees)
Lemar Parrish staked the Bengals to an early lead when he returned a Terry Bradshaw interception 47 yards for a touchdown, and Pat McInally broke a 10-10 tie in the third quarter with a game-winning 43-yard pass from Ken Anderson with the wind chill at minus-17. The win moved the Bengals into a first-place tie with the Steelers at 8-5 in the AFC Central, but Pittsburgh won the title the following week.
No. 1
Jan. 10, 1982 – Cincinnati Bengals 27, San Diego Chargers 7 (minus-9 degrees)
The second-coldest game in NFL history saw the wind chill dip to minus-59 degrees as the Bengals won the AFC Championship and advanced to Super Bowl XVI. The only game with a colder air temperature was the 1967 NFL Championship between Dallas and Green Bay, where it was minus-13 at Lambeau Field.
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