Bengals Schedule: 6 most intriguing games in 2022

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Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

The Cincinnati Bengals schedule is finally out, and the reigning AFC champs, at least according to CBS Sports, hold the third most demanding schedule, with a .536 opponent win percentage based on last season.

That doesn’t mean too much because injuries happen, teams get better, and teams get worse, but this schedule doesn’t seem like a cakewalk at first glance. Cincinnati will have multiple intriguing games, and here are the top six.

6. Week 1 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

This will be the first time the Cincinnati Bengals open up the season against the Pittsburgh Steelers at home, and this one should be electric. It is a division rival to start the season, but it will also be the first home game since the historic Raiders win in the postseason to end a 30+ year playoff win drought.

The stadium will likely sell out, and with both teams fully healthy, it will be a battle to see who can one-up the other to kick off the season and grab an early division victory that could be extremely important down the line as the season rolls along.

It will be different, though, without Ben Roethlisberger on the opposing side leading the Steelers. Instead, it is expected to be Mitchell Trubisky unless Kenney Pickett comes on in camp and takes the job.

Trubisky presents things Roethlisberger doesn’t. I’m not saying he’s a better quarterback than Big Ben, but he can extend plays with his feet, so it will be an early-season challenge for the Bengals’ defense to scheme against.

Also, the expectations will be a lot different for Cincinnati now. This isn’t the team that isn’t expected to go anywhere. On the contrary, this team has high expectations, Super Bowl expectations, to be exact. The standard is high now, which is how it will be for a long time.

The Bengals have something to prove to the world — That last season wasn’t a fluke, and this team is here to stay for the long haul. Week 1 will be the first example and sight we get to see since the heartbreaking Super Bowl loss. The anticipation will be there in Paul Brown Stadium.