Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals haven't had many fun experiences playing the Washington Commanders in recent years, and they can't afford to take them lightly in the midst of an easy-ish schedule.
During Burrow's rookie season on the road, he suffered a catastrophic knee injury that cut his year short. After a characteristic slow start to the 2024 campaign, Burrow and the offense put up 33 points in Week 3's edition of Monday Night Football. Alas, Jayden Daniels shredded Cincinnati's hapless defense in a 38-33 triumph.
Both Burrow and Daniels won the Heisman Trophy at LSU, and are coming off injury-riddled seasons. According to the latest schedule leak, they'll meet again in prime time, not long after the Bengals' Week 9 trip to Madrid, with all the motivation in the world to rally back from the disappointment of yesteryear.
NFL schedule leak reveals rumored Bengals-Commanders Week 11 matchup on Monday Night Football
The X/Twitter account @OzzyNFL tends to be an accurate NFL schedule leaker, so it may only be a matter of time before this prospective Bengals-Commanders showdown is confirmed:
BREAKING
— Ozzy (@OzzyNFL) May 14, 2026
Bengals at Commanders - Week 11 - MNF
Former LSU Heisman winners Joe Burrow and Jayden Daniels will face off on a November Monday night. pic.twitter.com/Hnps8GhMge
When these two teams last met two seasons ago, it was a major inflection point that had a ripple effect on the entire NFL landscape.
Washington had gotten blown out in Week 1 by Tampa Bay, and barely squeaked by for Daniels' first win in a 21-18 slugfest with a New York Giants team that finished 3-14.
Meanwhile, Burrow was coming off a training camp calf injury, had lost 16-10 to the one-and-done Fighting Jerod Mayos/Patriots, and watched his defense commit a pass interference penalty on 4th and 14 in Kansas City to lose in Week 2.
Had the Commanders lost in Cincny that fateful Monday night, perhaps their momentum for the entire season changes. Maybe that throws them off enough to not ultimately wind up in the NFC Championship Game amid Daniels' historically great rookie season.
As for the Bengals' side of things, had they gotten that victory, maybe they don't finish 9-8 and miss the playoffs by one game. Maybe they get to 10 wins, and who knows, with the heater Burrow was on that year in leading the NFL in passing yards and passing TDs, they could've made another push for the Lombardi Trophy.
So yeah. Tough memories associated with the Commanders. Me personally? Not bitter at all about it all this time later. OK I am. So what? Deal with it.
But above all else in the bad vibes department, this will mark the first time Burrow faces the Commanders on the road in the regular season since that aforementioned, career-altering knee injury. Last year's preseason contest doesn't really hit the same, ya know?
Of course, that awful occurrence preceded two years of AFC Championship Games and a Super Bowl berth, but anything to do with Burrow's extensive medical rap sheet is anxiety-inducing for Bengals fans.
Burrow doesn't strike me as a superstitious type, or someone who'll let that past traumatic event faze him. Joe Shiesty has an uncanny ability to stay in the moment and focus on the task at hand, evident in how strong he's come back from rehabbing every time in his career to date.
Like the Bengals, the Commanders were aggressive in free agency and the draft to upgrade their defense after finishing one game worse than Cincinnati at 5-12.
We'll see if Daniels' slender build can make it through 2026, and if he can elevate a lackluster receiving corps that features Terry McLaurin as the only real go-to option.
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