It is commonly suggested that the Cincinnati Bengals have one of the NFL’s hardest remaining schedules with nine games left in the season.
And while that’s true, some games are much harder than others.
Across the remaining nine games, the Bengals play four AFC North opponents and just one non-conference opponent outright. They appear on primetime at least two more times, though two games remain TBD on details and flex scheduling could move others.
Either way, at the season’s halfway point, now is a good time to step back and look at the broader schedule and rank Cincinnati’s remaining games from easiest to hardest.
9. Week 14 vs. Colts
8. Week 15 vs. Vikings
This game would chart quite differently if Kirk Cousins wasn’t out for the season. Even then, the Vikings are the last NFC team the Bengals play all year and the Bengals have pretty much dominated the other conference this season. The Vikings are 5-4, but three of their last four wins have come against teams with losing records.
7. Week 10 vs. Houston
The Texans might be the biggest trap game on this schedule because rookie passer C.J. Stroud is on fire. They’re not beating the most impressive teams, but they’ve got enough juice to give the Bengals problems.
6. Week 12 vs Steelers
Games against the Steelers are never easy. But the Bengals have 10 days to prep for this one because they play a Thursday game the week prior, so they should be at full strength. This one is also at home, which is a big deal, especially once the weather turns cold.
5. Week 16 at Steelers
Going and stealing a win in Pittsburgh isn’t easy, but the Bengals did just that last year. That could be something they repeat here two days before Christmas. Pittsburgh’s good fortune — sitting on a 5-3 record with a brutal minus-30 point differential — is bound to run out. The Steelers had a Week 6 bye, so the injuries could be piling up by December 23, too.
4. Week 13 at Jaguars
This isn’t so much a trap game as it is a slugfest against a team that is currently 6-2 — and it goes down on a Monday night. Trevor Lawrence is enough to give any defense problems. The Jaguars played within eight points of the Chiefs and beat Buffalo and Pittsburgh already, so they’ll be game to push the Bengals to the limit.
3. Week 18 vs. Browns
The Bengals traditionally struggle against the Browns and that was the same in Week 1, a 24-3 loss. Sure, we don’t know what’s going to happen with Deshaun Watson by the end of the season. Maybe this is a game where one or both teams rest starters for the playoffs, too. Who knows? But given the struggles the Bengals usually have against their in-state rivals, it comes close to the top slot.
2. Week 17 at Chiefs
Despite a 7-2 record, the Chiefs look human, at least offensively. It’s the defense that has been causing teams problems, most recently holding Miami to just 14 points. This game asks the Bengals to go into Arrowhead and steal a win in a late-afternoon kickoff on New Year’s Eve. It’s going to be a thriller, likely with massive playoff implications at stake.
1. Week 11 at Ravens
No team in the NFL looks better than the Ravens right now. They’ve lost two games by a total of just 10 points. To make matters worse, the Bengals already lost to them once while the Ravens had to deal with a big list of injuries. And this game? It’s on a Thursday night after the Bengals play the Texans just days prior, a ridiculously demanding turnaround for such a physical road game. It’s arguably the most important game of the season and fittingly the most difficult, too.
