Bo Jackson’s NFL career was cut unceremoniously short after a routine hit by Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Kevin Walker in 1991. If you believe in superstition, the ripple-effect from that play is still being felt today.
The Cincinnnati Enquirer has produced a short video on the ‘Curse of Bo Jackson,’ as part of its month-long project covering 50 years of Bengals football. The idea behind the curse—which the video makes clear is well-known to Walker and media members familiar with the team—is that the Bengals lack of postseason success in past decades is directly tied to the injury that ended Jackson’s playing career.
The Bengals lost the game in question to the Raiders 20-10 and haven’t won in the postseason since, giving them the longest current drought in the NFL.
Yes, that list includes the Cleveland Browns.
To put that into perspective, it’s been 26 seasons since the Bengals have won a playoff game.
In the Marvin Lewis era—which started in 2003—they have famously gone 0-7 thus far.
As FOX pointed out in 2015, the last time the Bengals won in the playoffs, Home Alone was number one at the box-office, George H.W. Bush was President and the average cost of a home in America was $148,600.
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