No NFL team is exempt from terrible seasons. When it comes to the absolute worst season in Cincinnati Bengals history, there are two that immediately have to be taken into consideration. Those seasons are 2002 and 2019 where the Bengals went 2-14, which is the worst record in franchise history.
Neither team was expected to be competitive entering the year, as both the 2001 and 2018 Bengals went 6-10. The big difference between the two was that the 2019 Bengals had first-year head coach Zac Taylor leading the charge while Dick LeBeau was in his second full year (and third overall) as head coach and was fired at the end of the year.
The 2002 Bengals might have been terrible but there were some positives that could be discussed, such as Corey Dillon balling out and rushing for over 1,300 yards and Chad Johnson passing the 1,100-yard receiving mark. That year's defense was painfully bad, however.
Why 2019 was the worst season in Bengals history
The 2019 Bengals were bad at pretty much everything though. Yes, Joe Mixon rushed for over 1,100 yards but Andy Dalton was benched midseason and in came Ryan Finley who proved to be even worse. Injuries also weren't to blame nearly as much as they were during that also terrible 2002 season.
What really puts the 2019 Bengals in the driver's seat for this unfortunate award, however, is that they started the year 0-11. It really looked like Zac Taylor was in over his head that year and fans were certainly worried about the direction the team was heading in.
There was a silver lining with this season though and that's what happened after. The Bengals' 2-14 record netted them the worst record in the league, giving them the number one overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft where they had an easy decision in taking LSU's Joe Burrow. The Heisman Trophy winner set the college football world on fire during the 2019 college football season and it was a no-brainer of a pick for Bengals.
By Burrow's second year in the league, the Bengals were Super Bowl bound and he's made them a contender every year that he's been healthy. So while the 2019 season can be looked at as the worst season in Bengals' history, it did give them Burrow and that ultimately has worked out for the best.