Tag: Bengals regular season schedule

6 Cincinnati Bengals games we’re most excited about in 2020

Here are some of the best games on the 2020 schedule for the Cincinnati Bengals.

What feels like the official reset for the start of the Zac Taylor era begins in 2020 for the Cincinnati Bengals.

And the recently released schedule sure reflects that. The Bengals have two big prime time games and plenty of intrigue throughout the slate.

Here’s a look at the games we’re most excited about in 2020.

 

Week 2: at Cleveland (TNF)

Cincinnati Bengals free safety Jessie Bates (30), left, celebrates a would-be interception but after review, a pass interference penalty negated the play in the fourth quarter during a Week 14 NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2019, at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland. The Cleveland Browns won 27-19, and the Cincinnati Bengals fell to 1-12 on the season.

Cincinnati Bengals At Cleveland Browns 12 8 2019

Burrow’s first prime time game comes alongside his first-ever road game and first Battle of Ohio.

What’s not to like?

The Browns have been on the receiving end of a ton of hype again. Much of it is warranted based on the on-paper additions and outlook. But we’ll have an early-season look at whether the hype can translate given that the Bengals figure to boast a strong pass-rush again.

This also gives us an opportunity to find out whether Taylor’s Bengals are ready for the biggest of stages now that the team has a new attitude around it.

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2020 Bengals schedule: Biggest storylines from Bengals’ regular season slate

The Cincinnati Bengals have some interesting storylines floating around their 2020 schedule release.

The Cincinnati Bengals seem to have a pretty favorable 2020 schedule — on paper.

For now, the Bengals have two primetime games, get four of their road games out of the way over the first six and mostly play their games in the casual 1 p.m. ET slot.

But little about this year is casual for a team punching the reset button. Here’s a look at the top takeaways from the schedule.

 

Underdogs already

Cincinnati Bengals first-round draft pick, quarterback Joe Burrow, speaks in a virtual press conference after the Bengals selected him at the overall No. 1 spot in the 2020 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 23, 2020.

Cincinnati Bengals 2020 Nfl Draft

The Bengals open the season with the Chargers coming to Paul Brown Stadium.

Given the trip the Chargers have to make plus the potential for starting a rookie passer by the name of Justin Herbert, one would think the Bengals sit as favorites.

But — for now — it wasn’t meant to be. The Bengals are underdogs, though knowing how they’ve reacted to such a status in the past, it could end up being a good thing.

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Bengals start Joe Burrow era as Week 1 home underdogs vs. Chargers

The Cincinnati Bengals are home underdogs in Week 1 against the Los Angeles Chargers.

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Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals will have to pull off an upset to get the 2020 season and a new era for the franchise started with a win.

According to odds from BetMGM in the wake of Thursday’s schedule release, the Bengals are 3.5-point home underdogs against the visiting Los Angeles Chargers.

The game has the feel of an effective toss-up. Cincinnati sitting as traditional home three-point favorites would’ve made sense considering the Chargers have to make such a long trip.

Regardless, those Chargers are just a season removed from a 12-win campaign after regressing to six last year. They — like the Bengals with Burrow — could be starting a rookie passer with Justin Herbert.

Burrow and a revamped Bengals roster will have to deal with a strong Joey Bosa-led pass-rush right out of the gates, creating an interesting elite-level opposition for a rookie passer to digest early.

We’re still a long way from the week of this one, obviously, so the line can still move. But it only seems fitting a team that has loved the underdog role over the years will start a new era as one yet again.

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The 6 Bengals games most likely to be in prime time next season

These are the Cincinnati Bengals games with the best chance at earning a prime time slot.

The Cincinnati Bengals seem like one of the NFL’s more interesting teams heading into the 2020 season.

Fresh off actually resetting the roster to Zac Taylor’s vision with big spending in free agency and the draft class headed up by Joe Burrow, the Bengals seem ready to actually start a new era.

Thursday, the NFL will announce the official 2020 schedule. When they do, these games figure to be the likeliest to earn a prime time slot. While the Bengals have one of the easier schedules and some dud matchups (vs. Jaguars, anyone?), there is still some big prime time potential.

 

Bengals vs. Redskins

Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon (28) runs past Washington Redskins cornerback Josh Norman, right, during the first quarter of an NFL preseason football game in Landover, Md., Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Chase Young and Joe Burrow are headed for a historic matchup.

This is one of the rare games where the first pick will square off against the second pick. Even better, it features a pair of rebuilding teams with young quarterbacks just looking to rewrite narratives, both on the field and when it comes to cultures.

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Bengals 2020 strength of schedule is one of NFL’s easiest

Here’s a look at the strength of schedule for the 2020 Cincinnati Bengals.

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The Cincinnati Bengals hold one of the easiest strength of schedules in the NFL before the NFL announces the official schedule Thursday.

According to ESPN’s Jamison Hensley, the Bengals sit with the sixth-easiest schedule based on opponent’s win-loss records from a season ago.

But there’s always a but.

But…this isn’t totally unexpected. Courtesy of the 2-14 season last year, the Bengals get to play last-place finishers in other divisions.

Besides those last-place finishers, the Bengals get to play the NFC East and AFC South. The former has struggling franchises like the New York Giants and Washington Redskins, while the latter has the Jacksonville Jaguars. Other struggling opponents on the schedule include the Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Chargers.

We’ll see how the official schedule holds up when it gets announced Thursday — and if it remains the same amid the coronavirus pandemic.

On paper, though, the Bengals are much improved after an active trip to free agency. While the Browns are getting a ton of hype in the AFC North, experts think Bengals rookies like Joe Burrow are going to have a bigger instant impact than almost any rookie class in the NFL.

The free-agency adds and talent of the rookie class sure pair nicely with the favorable, albeit flimsy current strength of schedule.

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Bengals 2020 opponents review ahead of official schedule release

Here’s another look at Cincinnati Bengals opponents in 2020.

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The NFL will officially unveil the 2020 schedule Thursday night.

Now would be a good time to loop back and review the Cincinnati Bengals opponents list for home and away games, which finalized back in December.

Here are the opponents:

  • vs. Browns
  • vs. Ravens
  • vs. Steelers
  • vs. Chargers
  • vs. Cowboys
  • vs. Giants
  • vs. Jaguars
  • vs. Titans
  • at Browns
  • at Ravens
  • at Steelers
  • at Colts
  • at Dolphins
  • at Eagles
  • at Redskins
  • at Texans

There aren’t too many surprises here, though Cincinnati’s non-conference game with Andy Dalton’s Dallas Cowboys should be more interesting than anticipated.

Otherwise, the Bengals get the NFC East, AFC South and last-place finishers from other divisions besides AFC North play.

Given the presence of Joe Burrow, something like Burrow’s historic matchup against Chase Young and the Washington Redskins could end up on primetime.

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