Bengals Schedule: 5 most winnable games in 2022

The Cincinnati Bengals went on an incredible run last season, winning the AFC North Division, taking home the AFC Championship, and Super Bowl runner-ups. You knew these accomplishments would lead to significant changes in their upcoming schedule.

According to John Breech from CBS Sports, the Bengals have the most challenging schedule in the AFC and the third-most demanding schedule overall.

As a result, the Bengals have five primetime games, which means more national media exposure. If you want to be taken seriously as a contender, there are certain games on the schedule that the Bengals expect to win.

This team will need to get a fast start and build their momentum early while taking advantage of the easier first half of the schedule. I want to look at five winnable games that the Bengals should win.

All stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference

Week 1 vs. Steelers

Cincinnati could not have asked for a better season opener. With this being the first time the Bengals have opened up with the Steelers and knowing the history between the two teams, fans should expect intense competition.

I cannot imagine Paul Brown Stadium not being sold out for this game. After spending the morning building up the energy while tailgating, passionate Bengal fans will be ready to rock the Jungle.

However, this will not be a walk in the park. Even though the stripes took both games from Pittsburgh last season, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin will have his team ready. Tomlin has not had a losing season in the 15 years as head coach, plus he took an average team to the playoffs last year. I expect a battle between these two teams.

The Steelers will enter this game without their long-time franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger who retired last season. Tomlin will have to choose between former Bears No. 2 overall pick Mitchell Trubisky or newly selected draft pick Kenny Picketts. Both quarterbacks will need to learn a new offensive playbook and share important reps to determine who the starter will be.

The Bengals’ experienced defense will need to take advantage of playing a quarterback in a loud home environment. With a new quarterback and being the first game, Coach Tomlin should limit his playbook giving the Bengals the upper hand.

Divisional games are essential, so winning would set the tone for the rest of the season and create the expectation of winning early.