<P> Super Bowl XXIII was an American football game between the American Football Conference ( AFC ) champion Cincinnati Bengals and the National Football Conference ( NFC ) champion San Francisco 49ers to decide the National Football League ( NFL ) champion for the 1988 season . The 49ers defeated the Bengals by the score of 20 -- 16 , winning their third Super Bowl . The game was played on January 22 , 1989 at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami ( now part of the suburb of Miami Gardens , which became a separate city in 2003 ) . This was the first Super Bowl hosted in the Miami area in 10 years , and the first in Miami not held at the Orange Bowl . </P>
<P> Super Bowl XXIII was an American football game between the American Football Conference ( AFC ) champion Cincinnati Bengals and the National Football Conference ( NFC ) champion San Francisco 49ers to decide the National Football League ( NFL ) champion for the 1988 season . The 49ers defeated the Bengals by the score of 20 -- 16 , winning their third Super Bowl . The game was played on January 22 , 1989 at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami ( now part of the suburb of Miami Gardens , which became a separate city in 2003 ) . This was the first Super Bowl hosted in the Miami area in 10 years , and the first in Miami not held at the Orange Bowl . </P>
who did the bengals play in the super bowl
who did the bengals play in the super bowl
San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers