The Cincinnati Bengals are coming off a 9-8 season in which, despite a furious finish, they narrowly missed the playoffs.
The Bengals won their last five games and were arguably the hottest team in the NFL with quarterback Joe Burrow at the end of the season. Yet another slow start kept Cincinnati home during the postseason.
Will that change in 2025 under seventh-year coach Zac Taylor? All signs point to another playoff run under Burrow, who finished with 4,918 passing yards, 43 TDs, and nine interceptions. Cincinnati also signed receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to long-term deals. That makes the Bengals an interesting Super Bowl sleeper this year.
Cincinnati still has to navigate one of the tougher schedules in the NFL. The Bengals will face the NFC North and AFC East as part of their schedule rotation this year. It’s a third-place schedule in the always-competitive AFC North.
Here is a complete breakdown of the Bengals’ 2025 schedule, including dates, start times, and analysis for all 17 games.
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Cincinnati Bengals schedule 2025
- Home opponents: Browns, Ravens, Steelers, Bears, Lions, Patriots, Jets, Jaguars, Cardinals
- Away opponents: Bengals, Ravens, Steelers, Packers, Vikings, Bills, Dolphins, Broncos
Every NFL team’s 2025 opponents are predetermined. The Bengals’ full 2025 NFL schedule with dates, times, and TV networks will be updated below when the NFL schedule is announced at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, May 14.
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Bengals strength of schedule
The Bengals have the 16th-hardest regular season schedule based on opponents’ records from last season, but it’s the second-easiest among the AFC North teams.
Cincinnati will have nine games against playoff teams from last season. That includes the home-and-home division games against the Steelers and Ravens. Cincinnati also faces the Lions, Packers, Vikings, Bills, and Broncos.
Toughest tests: The away schedule outside the division is brutal with trips to Green Bay, Minnesota, Buffalo, and Denver. Those four teams were 29-6 at home last season, and the elements could play a role in those games. Burrow had 20 TDs and five interceptions with a 101.5 passer rating on the road last season, and the Bengals were 6-3 in those games. If Cincinnati goes 6-3 again, then they will be in the hunt for the top seed in the AFC.
The Bengals are 2-9 in regular-season road games at Miami. That’s a trickier matchup than it looks. Where does it fall on the schedule this time?
Biggest breaks: The Chiefs aren’t on the schedule, though that deprives fans of another instant classic between Burrow and Patrick Mahomes. Perhaps that will come in the postseason. The Lions were 8-0 at home last season, so getting them out of Ford Field is an advantage for the Bengals.
The Bengals have a third-place schedule, and that includes home matchups with the Patriots, Jets, Jaguars, and Cardinals. Those teams were 7-25 on the road last season, though New England did beat the Bengals 16-10 in Week 1 last season.
Bengals record prediction
- Over/under win total: 9.5 (per BetMGM)
Bottom line: What have the Bengals learned the past two seasons? Maybe get off to a better start. Cincinnati went 1-3 in its four games in 2023 and 2024, and the Bengals missed the postseason. Who are the first four games on the schedule this year? Taylor will be scrutinized more for how he manages this preseason as a result.
How does Cincinnati stack up against the Ravens and Steelers? Baltimore has won the past four matchups against the Bengals and Burrow was on the field for all four games. Last year, Cincinnati lost 41-38 and 35-34. Cincinnati also is 1-3 against the Steelers the past two years, but Burrow missed both games in 2023. At least the Bengals are 3-1 against the Browns, who were previously an odd stumbling block.
The last time Cincinnati had a winning record in the division was 2021, and the Bengals advanced to Super Bowl 56 that season. That is one of the barometers to watch in what should be a bounce-back season.
That road schedule is tough, and the matchup with Buffalo should be another barometer. The Bills and Bengals have been the main competition during the Chiefs’ five-year run of dominance, but neither team has been able to secure home-field advantage for the AFC championship game. That is why September will be important for the Bengals again.
Record prediction: 11-6
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