The final season for Paul Brown as head coach, Cincinnati opened the season with six straight wins and went on to post an 11–3 record, their best regular-season mark.
Ken Anderson won his second NFL passing championship.
A serious blow was the loss of defensive tackle Mike Reid, who, only 27, retired in the off-season to pursue a career in music.
Despite the Bengals' great record, they were only 3–3 in division play, losing twice to the eventual champion Steelers, and losing on the road to what was an 0–9 Cleveland Browns team.
[1] Head coaches Offensive coaches Strength and conditioning Running backs (RB) Wide receivers (WR) Tight ends (TE) Defensive linemen (DL) Defensive backs (DB) Special teams Reserve