November 1992 was a loaded month. Whitney Houston's cover of "I Will Always Love You" was taking America by storm. Houston's cover was released just a day shy of an intense presidential election. Entering Sunday, it also marked the last time the Detroit Lions defeated the Cincinnati Bengals.
That nearly 33-year drought finally came to an end Sunday, as the Lions won 37-24, ending a seven-game losing streak against the Bengals. The Bengals were without star quarterback Joe Burrow, but his backup, Jake Browning, still tested a banged-up secondary. Browning threw for three touchdowns, striking fears of a 28-3 collapse in the hearts of Lions' fans.
The Bengals QB also threw for three interceptions and fell victim to a late game-sealing safety. Lions QB Jared Goff threw for three TDs of his own, amassing a passer rating of 153.0. Goff did take four sacks, which ended a streak of three consecutive games of staying upright. Cincinnati native, running back David Montgomery, had a TD pass of his own along with a rushing TD.
The victory brings the Lions to 4-1, and a share of the best record in the NFC alongside fellow division leaders the Philadelphia Eagles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the San Francisco 49ers.
Coach Campbell gives his take on the win pic.twitter.com/sVmAcWCWpa
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) October 6, 2025
A three decade losing streak full of heartbreak
Sunday's game was the 14th meeting between these two franchises, with the Bengals playing their first season in 1968. Their first meeting was in September 1970, which saw the Lions blow out the Bengals 38-3. Surprisingly, that was the only time the Lions beat the Bengals in Detroit.
Lions would win the second meeting in 1974 before going on a three-game losing streak that ended in 1992. In that 1992 game, kicker Jason Hanson led the way with four field goals. RB Barry Sanders added 151 rush yards and a rushing TD as the Erik Kramer-led Lions won 19-13. Lions and Bengals met again in 1998 and traded TDs. However, Corey Sawyer's 58-yard interception return in overtime gave the Bengals the 34-28 win.
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As far as modern heartbreak goes, few Lions fans can forget the 2013 meeting, where Matthew Stafford led the Lions back, down 21-10, before Mike Nugent kicked the game-winning field goal as time expired. In their most recent meeting in 2021, the Bengals blew out the Lions 34-11, giving the Bengals an early win in the infamous 2021 Draft debate.
The Lions' longest streak against an opponent without a victory is now the Pittsburgh Steelers, who the Lions haven't beaten since 1998. The Lions are 0-5-1 since then, but will have a chance to end that streak in Week 16. The Steelers are also notably one of the three remaining franchises Goff hasn't beaten.
As for the Bengals, they now lead the series 10-4, thanks to that seven-game win streak. That four in the loss column was 33 years in the making and represents the most important game in the series -- the most recent one.