The final whistle at Paycor Stadium on January 4, 2026, didn’t just signal the end of a game. It felt like a punch to the gut for the Jungle. If you were looking for the Cincinnati Bengals football score that afternoon, you saw a 20-18 loss to the Cleveland Browns. But the score alone doesn't tell the story of how a season that started with Super Bowl aspirations ended in a muddy 6-11 record.
Honestly, it was a weird one.
The Bengals actually had the lead. With only 1:29 left on the clock, Joe Burrow found Ja'Marr Chase for a 4-yard touchdown. The stadium was shaking. It felt like, even in a down year, they’d at least go out with a win over a rival. Then Shedeur Sanders happened. The Browns' rookie quarterback—who has been a lightning rod for conversation all year—coolly marched Cleveland 40 yards down the field. Andre Szmyt, a kicker who had struggled earlier in the season, drilled a 49-yard field goal as time expired.
Game over. Season over.
The Numbers Behind the Cincinnati Bengals Football Score
When you look at the 2025-2026 campaign, the stats are kinda jarring. Joe Burrow finished the finale with 236 yards and three touchdowns, which sounds like a "Burrow-esque" day. But he was also sacked twice, including a historic one by Myles Garrett. That specific sack wasn't just a loss of yardage; it was Garrett’s 23rd of the season, breaking the all-time NFL single-season record.
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It’s been that kind of year for Cincinnati. They were often on the wrong side of history.
Take a look at the season-long offensive output. The Bengals ranked 7th in the league in passing, averaging nearly 250 yards per game. That’s great, right? Well, not when your rushing attack is ranked 29th. Chase Brown did hit a personal milestone in the finale, crossing the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his career after a 72-yard performance. But as a unit, the ground game just couldn't keep defenses honest.
Defensive Struggles and the Playoff Gap
You can’t talk about the Cincinnati Bengals football score without mentioning a defense that, frankly, looked gapped for most of the winter. They finished the season ranked 31st in total defense. In the NFL, you just can't win like that.
The Week 18 loss was a microcosm of the whole year:
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- The defense allowed zero offensive touchdowns to Cleveland for nearly the entire game.
- The Browns actually scored their touchdowns on defense (a 97-yard pick-six and a fumble return).
- When the game was on the line with 83 seconds left, the secondary couldn't get the one stop they needed.
Head coach Zac Taylor noted after the game that the defense "gave them six points total" if you look at the offensive production, yet they still lost. It’s those "little things"—the turnovers and the mental errors—that turned potential wins into 11 losses.
What Most People Get Wrong About This Roster
A lot of folks look at a 6-11 record and assume the window has closed. That’s a bit dramatic. Tee Higgins actually had a career year in terms of efficiency, hauling in 11 touchdowns. He’s now in elite company with Carl Pickens and A.J. Green as the only Bengals to ever post double-digit scores in back-to-back seasons.
The problem wasn't a lack of talent. It was a lack of balance.
The AFC North is a meat grinder. The Steelers won the division at 10-7, and the Ravens finished at 8-9. The Bengals actually went 3-3 within the division, which is respectable. They beat the Steelers 33-31 in October and crushed the Ravens 32-14 in November. The talent is there to compete with the best, but the consistency was non-existent. You can’t lose 48-10 to Minnesota or 24-0 to Baltimore and expect to be playing in January.
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Looking Ahead to 2026
The 2026 schedule is already out, and it isn't getting any easier. Cincinnati is slated to face four teams that made the 2025 playoffs. They’ll have home games against the Chiefs and the Jaguars, plus the usual home-and-away slugfests with Baltimore, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh.
If the Bengals want to see a different Cincinnati Bengals football score on the ticker next season, the off-season priority is clear: fix the defensive front and find a way to protect Burrow. He was under fire way too much this year.
Actionable Next Steps for Bengals Fans:
- Watch the Trenches: Keep a close eye on the 2026 NFL Draft. The Bengals have a high pick and desperately need interior defensive line help to stop the run, which killed them this year.
- Monitor the Coaching Staff: With a 6-11 finish, expect some turnover among the defensive assistants. The scheme needs a refresh to move out of the league's basement.
- Cap Space Management: The team needs to decide on defensive reinforcements in free agency. They have the passing game solved; now they need to buy a defense.
The 2025 season is in the books. It wasn't pretty, and the final score against the Browns was a fittingly frustrating end. But in the NFL, the gap between 6-11 and 11-6 is often just a few plays in the fourth quarter.