Cincinnati Bengals 2025 schedule release includes a holiday game at long last, but in an all-too-familiar setting
It's here! The Cincinnati Bengals' 2025 regular season schedule has arrived.Cincinnati has nine home games on the docket compared to just eight on the road. The team is scheduled to play in four primetime games, and one of them is on a national holiday!Check out the team's announcement video and the full schedule below: Bengals' […]
It's here! The Cincinnati Bengals' 2025 regular season schedule has arrived.
Cincinnati has nine home games on the docket compared to just eight on the road. The team is scheduled to play in four primetime games, and one of them is on a national holiday!
Check out the team's announcement video and the full schedule below:
Bengals' 2025 Schedule
- Week 1: at Cleveland Browns – Sunday, Sept. 7, 1:00 p.m. ET on FOX
- Week 2: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars – Sunday, Sept. 14, 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS
- Week 3: at Minnesota Vikings – Sunday, Sept. 21, 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS
- Week 4: at Denver Broncos (Monday Night Football) – Monday, Sept. 29, 8:15 p.m. ET on ABC
- Week 5: vs. Detroit Lions – Sunday, Oct. 5, 4:25 p.m. ET on FOX
- Week 6: at Green Bay Packers – Sunday, Oct. 12, 4:25 p.m. ET on CBS
- Week 7: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (Thursday Night Football) – Thursday, Oct. 16, 8:15 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime Video
- Week 8: vs. New York Jets – Sunday, Oct. 26, 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS
- Week 9: vs. Chicago Bears – Sunday, Nov. 2, 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS
- Week 10: BYE WEEK
- Week 11: at Pittsburgh Steelers – Sunday, Nov. 16, 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS
- Week 12: vs. New England Patriots – Sunday, Nov. 23, 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS
- Week 13: at Baltimore Ravens (Thanksgiving) – Thursday, Nov. 27, 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC
- Week 14: at Buffalo Bills – Sunday, Dec. 7, 4:25 p.m. ET on FOX
- Week 15: vs. Baltimore Ravens – Sunday, Dec. 14, 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS
- Week 16: at Miami Dolphins (Sunday Night Football) – Sunday, Dec. 21, 8:15 p.m. ET on NBC
- Week 17: vs. Arizona Cardinals – Saturday, Dec. 27 OR Sunday, Dec. 28
- Week 18: vs. Cleveland Browns – Saturday, Jan. 3 OR Sunday, Jan. 4
Biggest Games on the Bengals' 2025 Schedule
Bengals at Browns: Cincinnati might be the only team who REALLY needs to avoid looking beyond Week 1. Season-openers have been the bane of Zac Taylor's existence as head coach, only winning one of them in six years. Starting fast will continue to be a goal for the Bengals until they achieve it, and playing on the road against their division rival is not an easy task no matter how bad Cleveland's record was last season.
Bengals at Ravens: Death, taxes, and the Bengals playing in Baltimore in primetime. This is the fourth consecutive year Cincinnati will be playing the Ravens under the lights at M&T Bank Stadium and the third-straight year it will happen on a short week. The Shield loves this matchup on this day of the week so much, they're putting it on Thanksgiving. It'll be the first time the Bengals play on the national holiday since 2010. Festivities and history aside, the Ravens are favored to win the AFC North and beating them is critical for the Bengals to take the crown back.
Bengals at Bills: The final stretch of Cincinnati's season involves an early December trip to Orchard Park, the site of the Bengals' last playoff victory. Buffalo has fallen short in its previous meetings against the Orange and Black, but Joe Burrow vs. Josh Allen is such a good matchup that CBS already has it locked in with a late afternoon time slot. This game could have major playoff implications.
Primetime Games and Streaming Service Broadcasts
Which games will be primetime viewing?
Football fans love watching Joe Burrow take on good teams, and with his star receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins locked in with new contracts, the NFL made an emphasis to put this offense under the bright lights for four games this year.
- Week 4: at Broncos (MNF)
- Week 7: vs. Steelers (TNF)
- Week 13: at Ravens (Thanksgiving)
- Week 16: at Dolphins (SNF)
Which games will you need streaming services to watch?
Amazon Prime Video – The Bengals will be playing on the Thursday Night Football broadcast just once this season, and the only way to watch that broadcast outside of the Cincinnati area is through Amazon's streaming service.
- Week 7: vs. Steelers (Amazon Prime Video)
What stadiums will the Bengals play in 2025?
Outside of plenty of nine games at Paycor Stadium, here's where the Bengals will play in 2025.
- Week 1: Huntington Bank Field – Cleveland, Ohio
- Week 3: U.S. Bank Stadium – Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Week 4: Empower Field at Mile High – Denver, Colorado
- Week 6: Lambeau Field – Green Bay, Wisconsin
- Week 11: Acrisure Stadium – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Week 13: M&T Bank Stadium – Baltimore, Maryland
- Week 14: Highmark Stadium – Orchard Park, New York
- Week 16: Hard Rock Stadium – Miami Gardens, Florida
Strength of Schedule (based on Vegas win totals, not the 2024 record)
Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis ranks teams' strength of schedule based on Juice (Vegas' projected win totals for the upcoming season). This year, Sharp has the Bengals' SOS at the 17th, which means they've actually got the 16th-toughest schedule in the NFL this season. That's as average as it gets.
Revenge Games on the Bengals' 2025 schedule
- Bengals at Packers: Nose tackle T.J. Slaton, a former Packer of the last four years, was the most expensive external free agent the Bengals signed this offseason. He'll return to Green Bay to play his former team in Week 6.
- Bengals vs. Patriots: This game stung for the Bengals last year as their Week 1 loss, but there's other angles at play. Scott Peters was hired as Cincinnati's offensive line coach this offseason after spending just one year with New England doing the same job. Running back Trayveon Williams also recently signed with the Pats after spending six years with the Bengals.
- Bengals vs. Cardinals: Cincinnati let linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither leave in free agency and the special teams ace joined Arizona.
5 Must-watch Matchups
- Ja'Marr Chase vs. Travis Hunter: This will be in Week 2, so Hunter will be very fresh into the year as he embarks as a two-way player. The No. 2 overall pick vs. arguably the best receiver in the game will be epic to witness.
- Dax Hill vs. Justin Jefferson: Assuming Hill is ready to play by Week 3, he's the Bengals' best shot at slowing down the only other receiver who can stand toe to toe with Chase.
- Demetrius Knight Jr. vs. Jahmyr Gibbs: Cincinnati drafted Knight to boost the overall athleticism of the defense. The Bengals will need all the athletes they can get to stop Detroit's electrifying running back.
- Amarius Mims vs. T.J. Watt: Mims was admirable as a rookie last year against the Steelers' menacing outside linebacker. This should always be a tenacious battle in the trenches.
- Shemar Stewart vs. Lamar Jackson: Forget the sacks for a minute because taking down Jackson in the pocket is already tough. Can Stewart simply keep up and contain the speedy quarterback in his first encounters against him? Cincinnati will be relying on him heavily against Baltimore.
Bengals missing out on an international game ends up giving them a major advantage over every NFL team
Cincinnati can travel lightly this year.
