The Cincinnati Bengals have learned their opponents for the 2017 NFL preseason. It’s time to get ready for football again.
Get hyped up, Who Dey Nation, the Cincinnati Bengals 2017 preseason opponents have been announced.
The Orange and Black will play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Kansas City Chiefs, Washington Redskins and Indianapolis Colts in weeks 1-4. The regular season schedule has yet to be announced, but the Bengals 2017 home and away opponents have.
Head coach Marvin Lewis sounds eager to see his team hit the field this preseason.
"“Our pre-season schedule features four quality opponents who will provide a good test to our players heading into the regular season,” Lewis said in a news release. “It’s great for our fans to be able to have the opportunity to view the team nationally during the preseason for the eighth time in eight years.” — Bengals.com"
Cincinnati will open the preseason at home against the Bucs and Chiefs and finishes on the road against the ‘Skins and Colts. The Bengals have closed the preseason against Indy every year since 2003.
Start times for each game have yet to be released. It’s believed the Bengals feature in a national broadcast on the Fox network at 4:30 p.m., Week 3 in D.C.
The Rematch
The showdown with the Redskins is a chance for the Bengals to face former offensive coordinator Jay Gruden in Washington. Gruden was on the coaching staff from 2011-2013 until he was hired by the Redskins on Jan. 9, 2014.
The home opener versus Tampa Bay is a chance to see the Bucs’ new look offense which now includes speedster veteran receiver, DeSean Jackson.
The preseason, as we know, is just a longer-than-needed formality at this point. It’s a wide held opinion that extra games are just extra risk for injury.
However, it does have some value for Cincy. Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin said it will be an opportunity to develop young players.
"“Pre-season games are an important time to evaluate talent, especially as some of our newest Bengals take the field for the first time,” Tobin said. “We will have a lot of young players showcasing their abilities, including potentially 11 draft picks this year.” — Bengals.com"
Cincinnati dodged a bullet by not being selected to play in the Hall of Fame Game. And that’s great news for a team that has been devastated by injuries in recent years.