The Cincinnati Bengals have been content to rest on their laurels in recent years, not go full-tilt to build a championship-caliber roster, and let Joe Burrow mask all their flaws.
Well, that didn't work so well when Burrow suffered two major injuries in a three-season span in which the Bengals failed to make the playoffs. Thank goodness the front office responded this offseason to build perhaps the best all-around team of the Burrow era.
That's saying something, considering Joe Brrr led Cincinnati to Super Bowl LVI and the AFC Championship Game the next year. Both those postseasons ended in bitter 23-20 losses.
Can the Bengals go one step further? Based on their 2026 schedule that just dropped, the road ahead is very manageable.
2026 Cincinnati Bengals schedule points to a cathartic playoff return
The 2026 Season starts now.
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) May 14, 2026
🎫: https://t.co/L1JrSZ6fiJ pic.twitter.com/cRhXsNS73d
There are only a few bones to pick with the schedule. First off, the Madrid game against the Falcons in Week 9 precedes a Sunday Night Football matchup with Steelers in Cincinnati just seven days later.
That said, it's not like Pittsburgh is expected to defend the AFC North crown this year. The Bengals and Ravens are viewed as the clear favorites. We don't even know if Aaron Rodgers is playing yet. If he is, he's very old, and Cincinnati's defensive line is much improved from 2025.
The Ravens have to face the Browns before both of their matchups with the Bengals. That's a big advantage for Cincinnati, as is the fact that the Bengals' bye falls before the first meeting with Baltimore in Week 7.
You know what? Let's make this a little cleaner. Tough stuff first.
Biggest drawbacks of Bengals schedule
- A history of tough starts + road trip to Houston in Week 2 = possible bad news
- The too-early Week 6 bye
- The quick turnaround from Madrid (vs. Falcons) to home vs. Steelers (SNF)
- Underrated tough stretch from Weeks 11-14
While the Bengals do get the benefit of an extra day of rest after that Sunday night game versus Pittsburgh, it precedes a Monday Night Football tilt with the Washington Commanders. They've added a lot of roster reinforcements and just made the NFC Championship Game two years ago.
After that road trip, Cincinnati returns home to square off with the sneaky-frisky Saints. Then comes another away game at Cleveland, followed by an epic home clash with the usually-mighty Kansas City Chiefs.
Weird that road games against the Panthers and Colts after that actually feel like a bit of a reprieve.
Biggest pluses of Bengals schedule
- Rather easy overall, ranking third-easiest in terms of Vegas over/under opponent wins
- Browns face Ravens before each of Baltimore's games against the Bengals
- Zero truly intimidating road games outside the AFC North
- Home opponents lineup not exactly a bunch of world beaters
I don't envision the Bengals being underdogs in any single home game all season long. They play against the Bucs, Jaguars, and Titans to start the year. Then come the Steelers post-Madrid, the Saints (who could still be one year away from being good), the Chiefs, and Weeks 17 and 18 versus Baltimore and Cleveland with everything to play for and clarity on the division race.
Tampa Bay coach Todd Bowles is firmly on the hot seat, and Baker Mayfield is under serious pressure to deliver in a contract year. Many draftniks believe James Gladstone's latest rookie class just sent the Jaguars back to the dark ages. The Titans are still a joke until further notice, and that's reflective of the clown show ownership situation more than anything else.
Who else? Think I covered the Steelers. My pro-New Orleans vibes are mere speculation and dependent on Tyler Shough being That Guy. Then we have a Chiefs team that lost their top two cornerbacks to the Rams, the aforementioned edge over Baltimore in Week 17, and the lowly Browns that's a low-key revenge game for last year's Week 18 loss.
Not too shabby overall. If the Bengals can't capitalize on this, well, their issues may be deeper-rooted than we could've possibly imagined. I just don't think Joe Burrow will allow it to happen.
This is looking like 10 wins at minimum, a triumphant playoff return, and yes, as long as Burrow is in The Dance with a healthy Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, a Lombardi Trophy is in reach — regardless of how improved the defense is.
Complete 2026 Cincinnati Bengals schedule
Week 1: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1 p.m. ET — Sept. 13
Week 2: at Houston Texans, 1 p.m. ET — Sept. 20
Week 3: at Pittsburgh Steelers, 1 p.m. ET — Sept. 27
Week 4: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, 1 p.m. ET — Oct. 4
Week 5: at Miami Dolphins, 1 p.m. ET — Oct. 11
Week 6: BYE
Week 7: at Baltimore Ravens, 1 p.m. ET — Oct. 25
Week 8: vs. Tennessee Titans, 1 p.m. ET — Nov. 1
Week 9: at Atlanta Falcons, 9:30 a.m. ET — Nov. 8 (in Madrid, Spain)
Week 10: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, 8:20 p.m. ET (Sunday Night Football)
Week 11: at Washington Commanders, 8:15 p.m. ET — Nov. 23 (Monday Night Football)
Week 12: vs. New Orleans Saints, 1 p.m. ET — Nov. 29
Week 13: at Cleveland Browns, 1 p.m. ET — Dec. 6
Week 14: vs. Kansas City Chiefs, 4:25 p.m. ET — Dec. 13
Week 15: at Carolina Panthers, 1 p.m. ET — Dec. 20
Week 16: at Indianapolis Colts, Time TBD — Dec. 26/27
Week 17: vs. Baltimore Ravens, 8:15 p.m. ET (Thursday Night Football; New Year's Eve)
Week 18: vs. Cleveland Browns, Time TBD — Jan. 9/10
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