Bengals: 2016 Oppontents and Matchups

The Bengals 2016 opponents have been known for a little time now. It’s no secret that they will play the Steelers, Ravens, and Browns twice each like they do every year. What about their games against the New England Patriots or Denver Broncos? Or the fact they will play a regular season game in the same stadium that will host Super Bowl LI?

The Bengals will not have an easy path to their sixth straight playoff appearance. They will be rolling into 2016 tied for the third easiest strength of schedule in the league; tied with teams such as the Lions and Cowboys. This is a team that faced the second most difficult schedule last year and only lost four games during the regular season, all to teams who made the playoffs.

The Bengals will look a little different, even in the coaching staff. However, the core group of players and coaches are still there. The leaders in Andy Dalton, Geno Atkins, and Andrew Whitworth are all returning for 2016. There schedule may be tough, but this core has played tougher.

The Bengals 2016 home games will face the usual, Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Cleveland Browns. They will also have to navigate the Denver Broncos, whose quarterback situation is up in the air, Buffalo Bills, led by the most unpredictable head coach Rex Ryan, an ever changing Philadelphia Eagles team, a problematic Miami Dolphins team, and former Bengals coordinator Jay Gruden’s Washington Redskins.

Their road games will see the three divisional teams that everyone knows. It will also feature a main event trip to Foxborough for the New England Patriots, two trips to the Met Life Stadium to face both the New York Jets and football Giants. A trip down to the site of Super Bowl LI to face, the Houston Texans where they suffered a disappointing loss , and finally to the house that Jerry built, AT&T Stadium, to face the Dallas Cowboys.

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