The Greatest In-Season NFL Turnaround For All 32 Teams

Cincinnati Bengals:  1970

Expansion teams never have it easy in the NFL but it was especially true back in the early days of the league. Everybody remembers the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints, but sandwiched between them was the Cincinnati Bengals. Their owner and head coach Paul Brown was a scorned man by this period. He’d been run out of Cleveland by own Art Modell after leading the franchise to so much success.

The Bengals were supposed to be his redemption project. Yet the first two years saw them win just seven games combined. It didn’t get much better in 1970 when they lost six-straight following an opening day win. One of those losses was to Cleveland. It was a moment that could’ve easily broken Brown. Instead he showed why he’s a Hall of Famer.

Cincinnati went into Buffalo and clobbered them 43-14. Led by a surging defense and a running game that racked up over 2,000 total yards, the Bengals won their remaining seven games to finish 8-6 and made the playoffs for the first time.