The NFL released the Bengals’ 2025 season schedule Wednesday night, and there were quite a few notable trends. Here is a brief look at some of the important facts to know.
The Beginning (And The End)
For the second time in the last three years, the Bengals will start and end their season with the same opponent: the Cleveland Browns. Cincinnati began the 2023 season in Cleveland, and the Browns came to Paycor Stadium in Week 18 of that campaign. The Bengals went 1-1 against the Browns in 2023.
While it is the second time in three years the Bengals start and end with the Browns, it is also only the second time in franchise history that’s happening.
Battle Tested
The Bengals will play seven teams that made the playoffs in 2024 this season, and six of those games will be on the road. The Detroit Lions, the only 2024 playoff team that will visit Cincinnati outside of divisional opponents Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens, will come to town in Week 5.
The Bengals will match up with a playoff team in each of Weeks 3-7, including going on the road to Minnesota (Week 3), Denver (Week 4) and Green Bay (Week 6). That stretch will conclude with a home game on Thursday Night Football against the Steelers in Week 7.
Top Pick Brigade
According to Bengals.com Senior Writer Geoff Hobson, number one overall pick QBs have played against each other just nine times in Cincinnati over the past 25 years. That will occur four times in 2025 alone. 2021 first-overall pick Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars come to town for Open In Orange in Week 2, followed by 2016 first-overall pick Jared Goff and the Lions in Week 5.
Caleb Williams, the top selection in 2024, comes to Paycor in Week 9, and Kyler Murray leads the team that took him first in 2019, the Arizona Cardinals, into Cincinnati in Week 17.
Road Less Traveled
While Cincinnati will have four of its first six games on the road, the Bengals will travel the fewest miles in the NFL in 2025. They are the only team slated to travel fewer than 10,000 miles and will go 8,753 miles total. The furthest trips will be to Denver in Week 4 and to Miami for Week 16.