A year after being scheduled the highest number of primetime games possible, the Cincinnati Bengals have a meager four games under the bright lights for the 2023 season. How disrespectful, right?

In all seriousness, the Bengals will be featured in standalone broadcasts as much as the other perennial powerhouse franchises for the second year in a row. Three of them will be against playoff teams from last year, and the other will be a Super Bowl rematch from just two seasons ago.

Not included in this foursome are the Bengals' Week 16 and 17 matchups against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs, respectively. Both of those broadcasts will be nationally televised on CBS, so in a way, they're also primetime slots. 

For this ranking, we're going to look exclusively at the isolated, primetime broadcasts, and rank them on all the important factors. With luck, none of them will be flexed out for various reasons. 

4. Week 3 vs. Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football

Date & Time: Monday, September 25, 8:15pm ET

The intrigue is obvious. The last time both teams met in a meaningful game, it was the most meaningful game possible. Super Bowl LVI left a bad taste in the Bengals' mouths enough to the point where they got into a brawl against the Rams the following training camp during joint practices.

This game will be 13 months after that incident, and the Rams don't have nearly the same fight in them as they did back then. For that reason alone, this takes the bottom spot. The Rams are clearly in a rebuilding phase and aren't expected to be very competitive this season after falling apart in 2022. 

3. Week 11 @ Baltimore Ravens on Thursday Night Football

Date & Time: Thursday, November 16, 8:15pm ET

TNF usually has some stinkers, but this one will be really good. What would make it better is if this was the first meeting between the two AFC North rivals of the year, but that will occur in Week 2.

There's always bad blood between two divisional foes, but tensions are high between the Bengals and Ravens after the former beat the latter in last year's regular season finale, and in Wild Card Weekend just a week later. The Ravens will be looking to make a statement in front of their home crowd on this November night.

2. Week 13 @ Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday Night Football

Date & Time: Monday, December 4, 8:15pm ET 

When these teams met last, it came down to a last-second field goal that sealed an incredible comeback victory for the Bengals. There was also an incident involving a head coach after the game at a bar 100 miles from the stadium, but that probably won't happen again.

The NFL doesn't always schedule night games in Jacksonville this late into the year, but the Bengals and Jaguars are reigning division champions and figure to be relevant into December. Joe Burrow and Trevor Lawrence's shared history of being former No. 1 overall picks who squared off in a National Title game isn't a bad storyline either.

1. Week 9 vs. Buffalo Bills on Sunday Night Football

Date & Time: Sunday, November 5, 8:20pm ET

Emotions will be very high on this night for multiple reasons. The Bengals beat the Bills in the Divisional Round back in January, cutting another one of Buffalo's promising seasons short. Revenge is a dangerous motive for a legitimate contender, but there's layers to it as well. 

This was a Monday Night matchup in Cincinnati last year, and had all the makings of a classic before Damar Hamlin collapsed in the first quarter. That will be talked about plenty leading up to the SNF broadcast as viewers will reminisce on another chilly night in Cincinnati. 

Combine that with two very strong rosters facing off, and you have one of the best primetime matchups in the NFL this year.