The Cincinnati Bengals are on the wrong end of a trend spanning four seasons. The 2025 schedule release was the biggest day in the league since draft weekend. For Bengals fans, at least some of its sparkle was dimmed when they found out they would be traveling to the DMV on prime time to take on the Baltimore Ravens for the fourth consecutive season.
“The Cincinnati Bengals weren’t happy about having to play road primetime games against the Baltimore Ravens in three consecutive seasons,” SI’s Jay Morrison wrote. “So imagine their angst when they found out it will be four in a row – and three straight on a short week on Thursday night…”
This is the first time in franchise history that the Cats have been asked to travel to the same division opponents home field on prime time four years in a row. Cincinnati has dropped all three of the prime time games during the streak.
Ravens’ Spoiled In Divisional Road Spots
Not only have the Bengals been on the short end of the stick for a full presidential term, their bitter division rival has enjoyed a fortuitous streak of their own.
“In addition to the Bengals getting stiffed on their road trips to Baltimore, the Ravens have been pampered,” Morrison continued. “They haven’t played an AFC North team on the road in primetime since 2020. Each of their last six night games against division opponents have been at home, the longest active streak in the league regardless of division.”
This sort of favorability is agonizing for division rivals who know exactly how tough it is to win at night in the AFC North.
“Since 2019, AFC North teams are 3-13 straight up and 5-11 against the spread when playing division road games in primetime,” Morrison concludes. “The Bengals are 1-6 in such games.”
Gauntlet To End The Season
According to Fox Sports, the Bengals are smack dab in the middle of the pack as far as strength of schedule is concerned for the 2025 season. Based on opponents 2024 record, the Bengals have the 14th hardest schedule next year, with opponents boasting a win percentage of .509.
The schedule starts a little doughy, with four winnable games against the Cleveland Browns, the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Minnesota Vikings, and the Denver Broncos. But immediately picks up with a run that sees Cincinnati hosting the Detroit Lions, then traveling to Green Bay, before hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers on prime time.
Given the layout, ESPN’s Ben Baby believes if the Bengals want to stop the Ravens from becoming the first team in AFC North history to finish on top of the division three years in a row, it’s going to come down to the talent packed schedule rounding out the calendar.
“Weeks 13 through 16 will end up making or breaking Cincinnati’s season,” Baby wrote. “Starting with that Thursday night game against the Ravens, the Bengals will have two prime time road games (the other is in Miami on Week 16). Squeezed between those contests is a road game against the Bills (in December, no less) and then a matchup against the Ravens for the second time in three weeks. If the Bengals come out of that stretch in good shape, Cincinnati could be a team with true championship aspirations.”
