Cincinnati Bengals

Cincinnati Bengals take elongated path back to Super Bowl

Updated Jan. 17, 2023 10:05 a.m. ET

It wasn't impossible, but what the Cincinnati Bengals pulled off Sunday sure was improbable.

For the first time since the 1988-89 season, the Bengals are headed to the Super Bowl. They pulled that off by defeating Las Vegas in the wild-card round before hitting the road to knock off the AFC's No. 1 seed, Tennessee, in the divisional round and the AFC's No. 2 seed, Kansas City, in Sunday's AFC title game.

It has been quite the turnaround for the Bengals since last season and since 30 years ago, when they lost to the San Francisco 49ers 20-16 in Super Bowl XXIII

Let's look at some of the facts and figures that define the 33 years since the Bengals made the Super Bowl, as well as how Cincy pulled it off this year:

2021: The last time a team defeated the conference's No. 1 and No. 2 seed on the road en route to the Super Bowl was last year, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat second-seeded New Orleans and top-seeded Green Bay.

49ers: Both times the Bengals have reached the Super Bowl –– 1981 and 1988 –– they played the 49ers. They lost on both occasions.

Undefeated: The Bengals improved to 3-0 all time in conference championship games. The only other NFL team that is unbeaten in conference championship history is the New York Giants (5-0).

No. 1 pick: Joe Burrow is the first No. 1 overall pick to play in a Super Bowl in his first two years in the NFL.

'Everyone worked so hard for this moment' — Joe Burrow speaks on the Bengals advancing to the Super Bowl

Joe Burrow speaks with Kristina Pink on the Cincinnati Bengals' victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship.

Worst to first: The Bengals are just the third team since 2003 to go from worst to first in their division and make the Super Bowl in the same season, joining the Philadelphia Eagles (2017) and the Saints (2009).

QB carousel: Since their most recent Super Bowl appearance in the 1988-89 season, the Bengals have started 21 different quarterbacks.

Comeback kids: The Bengals won their first playoff game when trailing at the half. They were down 18 and until Sunday were 0-11 dating to 1930 when trailing at halftime in the playoffs.

Repeat comeback kids: Cincy became the first team in NFL history to overcome a halftime deficit of 10-plus points twice against the same opponent in the same season.

LSU connection: This is the second time Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase will compete in a championship game together, after they won the national championship at LSU in 2019.

A lot on the line: Burrow has a chance to become the first QB to win a national title in college, the Heisman Trophy and a Super Bowl ring.

Before: The 2020 Bengals finished 4-11-1 and last in the AFC North. They were 3-5 at home and 1-6 on the road. Cincy was 29th in the NFL in points per game (19.4) and yards per game (319.8) and 30th in third-down conversion (36.2%). Defensively, they were 26th in the NFL in yards allowed per game (389.2) and last in sacks (17).

After: The 2021 Bengals finished 10-7 and first in the AFC North. They were 5-4 at home and 5-3 on the road. Cincy was seventh in the NFL in points per game (27.1) and 13th in yards per game (361.5). Defensively, the Bengals were 18th in the NFL in yards allowed per game (350.8) and tied for 11th in sacks (42).

Last but not least: The last time the Bengals played in the Super Bowl (1989), Nintendo released the Game Boy in Japan and North America, Microsoft Office was released, the Berlin Wall came down, the first episode of "The Simpsons" aired, the first episode of "Seinfeld" aired, the average cost of a home was $120,000, a gallon of gas cost 97 cents, and (drum roll, please) the World Wide Web was invented!