Stat of the Jay: The Bengals Can End One of the Longest Droughts in Franchise History Tonight

Jan 8, 1989; Cincinnati, OH, USA; FILE PHOTO; Cincinnati Bengals quaterback Boomer Esiason (7) in the huddle against the Buffalo Bills in the 1988 AFC Championship game at Riverfront Stadium. The Bengals defeated the Bills 21-10. Mandatory Credit: Imagn Images
Jan 8, 1989; Cincinnati, OH, USA; FILE PHOTO; Cincinnati Bengals quaterback Boomer Esiason (7) in the huddle against the Buffalo Bills in the 1988 AFC Championship game at Riverfront Stadium. The Bengals defeated the Bills 21-10. Mandatory Credit: Imagn Images / RVR Photos-Imagn Images
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CINCINNATI – Today’s Stat of the Jay is 13,168.

What does it mean?

That’s how many days it’s been since the last time the Cincinnati Bengals won a road game against the Dallas Cowboys.

It’s the second longest drought in franchise history.

Cincinnati’s most recent win in Dallas came on Nov. 20, 1988, with James Brooks and Boomer Esiason leading the Bengals to a 38-24 triumph.

Brooks ran for 148 yards and a touchdown and also caught one of Esiason’s three scoring passes to help Cincinnati improve to 9-3 on its way to winning the AFC Central Division and the No. 1 seed on the path to Super Bowl XXIII.

The Bengals are 0-5 in Dallas since that day, including a 20-17 loss in Week 2, 2022 when they were favored by 7 points.

They were 2.5-point favorites when they lost at Dallas 28-14 in 2016.

The Bengals are a 5.5-point favorite tonight as they try to improve on the worst road record in Monday Night Football history.

While the drought at Dallas is second lengthiest, the longest one is impossible to measure.

It’s infinity. Cincinnati has never beat the Vikings in Minnesota, going 0-6 there.

Seven of the eight longest droughts in Bengals history are against NFC teams, which is not surprising given how rarely they play in those cities (every eight years in the predetermined rotation).

The addition of the 17th game has created an opportunity for teams to play a specific inter-conference opponent two years apart, as is the case with the Bengals returning to Dallas just two years after their most recent visit.

The longest drought against an AFC opponent is 6,189 days at Miami. The last road win against the Dolphins came on Dec. 30, 2007, with the Bengals winning 38-25 in the season finale.

Here is a look at the time spans since the last road win against each team in the league:

Number of days since last road win against each team.
Jay Morrison

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Jay Morrison
JAY MORRISON

Jay Morrison covers the Cincinnati Bengals for Bengals On SI. He has been writing about the NFL for nearly three decades. Combining a passion for stats and storytelling, Jay takes readers beyond the field for a unique look at the game and the people who play it. Prior to joining Bengals on SI, Jay covered the Cincinnati Bengals beat for The Athletic, the Dayton Daily News and Pro Football Network.