Much has been said about this year’s schedule for the Cincinnati Bengals. From the weird home-away divisional games in prime time disparity to opening on the road against the Cleveland Browns, the Bengals’ schedule is weird. From the jump, Cincinnati has an opportunity to get off to a strong start, something it hasn’t done in the Zac Taylor era, save for 2021.
Getting off to a strong start is going to be vastly important in 2025 because of what lies in the back half of the schedule. When comparing the Bengals’ schedule to the rest of the league, based on preseason win totals, it is uniquely difficult.
The Cincinnati Bengals Have the Toughest 3-Game Stretch in the NFL
Difficult stretches are not rare. Six teams are expected to win double-digit games, according to Caesar’s Sportsbook: Detroit Lions (10), Washington Commanders (10.2), Philadelphia Eagles (11), Kansas City Chiefs (11.2), Buffalo Bills (11.4), and Baltimore Ravens (11.6). Next season, four teams get to play back-to-back-to-back games against teams expected to win at least 10 games.
The Eagles (Weeks 16, 17, 18), Cowboys (Weeks 12, 13, 14), Dolphins (Weeks 9, 10, 11), and Bengals (Weeks 13, 14, 15) are those teams, but only the Bengals and Eagles get two road games thrown in there. To make it even better, two of those games are against the AFC North (and, by extension, the AFC as a whole) favorite, the Ravens.
In Week 13, Cincinnati gets to travel to Baltimore for the Thanksgiving Day nightcap on Thursday Night. Then, a trip to Buffalo awaits. Then, for the second time in three weeks, the Bengals get to square up against the Ravens yet again.
This three-game stretch is easily the most difficult in the NFL. Only Philadelphia’s run is comparable because of the two road games (Miami gets all three of its games at home, for example).
Of course, if you zoom out, the Pittsburgh Steelers get to play four expected 10-win teams over the course of six games. The Chiefs get five in eight weeks.
Bucking Trends
Last week, Joe Burrow commented on the fact that over the last four seasons (including 2025), each of the Bengals’ trips to Baltimore have been in prime time while all four games in Cincinnati kicked off at 1:00 p.m. He said, “Playing in Baltimore for the fourth straight primetime year isn’t ideal… maybe we can get one of those in Cincinnati next year.”
Objectively, it’s not exactly too much to ask, really. But hey, if NFL teams need Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase to come to town to sell out their stadium, more power to them.
In the Burrow era, the Bengals are 4-7 against the Ravens. Given, the Bengals are 4-5 in games where Burrow starts and finishes the game. Ever since taking down the Ravens in the Wild Card after the 2022 season, the Bengals have dropped four straight. Three of those losses were by three points or less.
This back-and-forth rivalry has been about as close as any in the NFL over the last few seasons. It probably would not have been too much to flip the locations of the Week 13 and 15 games between the two, but it is what it is at this point.
Meanwhile, sandwiched between those two games is the first trip to Buffalo since the Bengals dominated the Bills in the snow in the 2022-23 playoffs. That 27-10 was the first official matchup between two of the NFL’s best quarterbacks, considering the previous meeting was cut short and declared a no contest.
In 2023, Buffalo came to Paycor Stadium, and the Bengals were gracious hosts, winning 24-18.
No Off Weeks
Both the Ravens and Bills look to be playoff contenders at the very least in 2025. They both have Super Bowl aspirations, assuming either can get past the Chiefs in the playoffs.
Getting off to a fast start in the first month of the season will be crucial to getting through this stretch. Obviously, a loss to either of these teams at any point could mess up the division or seeding in the AFC. Not tripping against what appears to be lesser competition on paper will allow for this stretch not to be do-or-die.
Burrow and the Bengals, evidently, play best with their backs against the wall. They went on a run in the 2022 season to get close to the top seed in the AFC. Last year, thanks to a 0-3 start that grew to 1-4, they had to win out over the course of the final month-plus to even have a chance. Despite a five-game win streak with two playoff teams, the Bengals were a game away.
This year, the three-game stretch will decide a lot. If Cincinnati can get off to a strong start, it could put the team in the driver’s seat.
Main Image: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images
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