Stat of the Jay: Bengals Are Only NFL Team That Hasn't Pulled This Off in a Season Opener

The Bengals are the only team in the league that has never pulled off a certain exciting, game-changing play in a season opener.

Oct 8, 2023; Glendale, Arizona, United States; Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt (29) runs his interception in for a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Rondone-Imagn Images | Joe Rondone-Imagn Images

CINCINNATI – Of the 51 pick sixes in Cincinnati Bengals history, two have come against Joe Flacco, who will start Sunday’s season opener for the Cleveland Browns.

Darqueze Dennard had an 89-yard interception return for a touchdown against Flacco and the Baltimore Ravens in a 27-24 Cincinnati win in the 2017 season finale (the 49-yard Andy Dalton to Tyler Boyd game).

And in 2013, also in the season finale, Dre Kirkpatrick returned a Flacco interception 21 yards for a score in a 34-17 Cincinnati win.

Flacco has thrown 14 career pick sixes, which is tied for fourth most among active quarterbacks.

Matthew Stafford leads the way with 20, followed by Andy Dalton (19), Kirk Cousins (15), Jameis Winston (14) and Flacco.

So on one hand, recording a pick six against Flacco on Sunday at Huntington Bank Field would be a repeat of history.

But it also would make Cincinnati history.

The Bengals are the only franchise that has never recorded a pick six in a season opener.

There have been 142 of them since the 1970 merger, with the Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks leading the way with eight each.

The Bengals have recorded at least one pick six during every other week on the calendar, including Week 18, which has only been a regular fixture since 2021.

However, the lone Week 18 pick six in Bengals history dates back much further.

In 1993, the NFL experimented with giving every team two byes, so the 16-game season was played over the course of 18 weeks.

In the season finale in New Orleans, Bengals cornerback Mike Brim returned a Steve Walsh interception 23 yards for a touchdown to tie the game 13-13 with 13:39 remaining.

A few minutes later, Walsh threw a slant to Eric Martin, who broke a Brim tackle and went 54 yards for the game-winning touchdown.

The loss clinched the No. 1 overall pick in the draft for the Bengals, who used it on defensive tackle Dan “Big Daddy” Wilkinson.

Of the 51 pick sixes in Cincinnati history, Ken Riley has a franchise record five.

The current active leader is Cam Taylor-Britt with two. If he’s able to get another one, he will move into a six-way tie for third trailing on Riley and 2025 Ring of Honor inductee Lemar Parrish (four).

The five players currently tied for third with three are Johnathan Joseph, Ray Griffin, Leon Hall, James Griffin and James Francis.