Head coach Dick LeBeau Record 6–10 Playoff finish did not qualify | Home field Paul Brown Stadium Division place 6th AFC Central | |
The 2001 Cincinnati Bengals season was the team's 34th year in professional football and its 32nd with the National Football League. In the first full season with Dick LeBeau as head coach, the Bengals abandoned their plans for developing quarterback Akili Smith as their starter by acquiring Jon Kitna from the Seattle Seahawks. The Bengals would win their first two games with Kitna behind center, and sat at 4–3 through the first seven games of the season. However, the Bengals would struggle again, losing their next seven games as Kitna struggled with inconsistency, throwing 22 interceptions while throwing only 12 Touchdown passes. The Bengals would win their final two games to close the season with a mediocre 6–10 record, their 11th straight season without tallying a winning record. Despite the team's struggles, All-Pro running back Corey Dillon had another stellar year, rushing for 1,315 yards.
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2001 would turn out to be an important year for the team, as players such as Justin Smith, Chad Johnson, and T.J. Houshmandzadeh were drafted, all those players would be important to Cincinnati in later years.