Geoff Hobson

The NFL unveiled the Bengals 2025 schedule Wednesday night that featured a Paycor Stadium marquee of a primetime game against the Steelers, a 4:25 p.m. national-window game against NFC power Detroit, and three of the final four games of the regular season at home.

Also on tap is a Thanksgiving Night game in Baltimore, both the season opener and finale against the Browns and a Week 10 bye.

Here's a thumbnail look at the schedule.

Week 1: at Cleveland Browns

SEPT. 7, 1 P.M.

Happy 117th birthday to Bengals founder Paul Brown. For the 10th time, the Bengals open against the Browns and for the fifth time in Cleveland, where Brown coached a record-setting seven NFL titles. Bengals quarterbackJoe Burrowgoes against his one-time nemesis seeking to beat his third different Browns starting quarterback.

MATCHUP TO WATCH

A massive rookie battle in the trenches. In his first game as the Bengals offensive line coach,Scott Petersreturns to the city where he broke into the league as an assistant line coach for four years and brings with him rookie left guardDylan Fairchild, a third-round draft pick who Peters famously couldn't move in their pre-draft workout at Georgia.

They hope Fairchild is just as stout against the draft's fifth pick, Michigan's Mason Graham. Lining up next to the second-leading sacker of the decade, Myles Garrett, Graham is hoped to be the Geno Atkins or Cam Heyward the Browns haven't had as a dominant AFC North interior pass rusher.

Week 2: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

SEPT. 14,1 P.M.

Burrow makes his 10th start against a fellow No. 1 overall drafted quarterback and his second against Jacksonville's Trevor Lawrence. He's 5-4 with wins over Lawrence, Matthew Stafford, Jared Goff, Baker Mayfield and Bryce Young.

It's also the 10th game in Paycor history where No. 1 overall drafted quarterbacks have opposed each other. Burrow has been in four of those. One of them was the "They-can't-zero-me' 2021 game against Lawrence that Burrow won late beating an all-out blitz.

MATCHUP TO WATCH

Burrow is also pitting his Heisman Trophy against Jags rookie Travis Hunter's Heisman. Hunter, the two-way wunderkind, is supposed be majoring as a wide receiver, where his speed is going to be tested by the Bengals' burners at cornerback inDax HillandDJ Turner II.Hunter is also going to be in some defensive packages, and if that means third down, he'll get a baptism against Burrow's NFL-leading 13 third-down touchdown passes from last year.

Week 3: at Minnesota Vikings

SEPT. 21, 1 P.M.

It's the Hall of Fame Bowl pitting the Bengals' NFL triple crown winnerJaMarr Chaseagainst the Vikings Justin Jefferson, who has the most receiving yards of any player in their first five NFL seasons. The league's two best and richest receivers go way back as a national champion tandem with Burrow for LSU's 2019 undefeated Tigers. Six years later, they come in 1-2 on the NFL's all-time receiving list for yards per game with Jefferson at 96.5 and Chase at 87.5. They've met twice before at Paycor with Chase grabbing nine balls for 165 yards and Jefferson 12 catches for 155. Chase has the lone touchdown and the two wins, both in overtime.

MATCHUP TO WATCH

A week after facing a rookie head coach, the Bengals may get a first-year quarterback in J.J. McCarthy. Bengals defenders Hill, Turner and defensive tackleKris Jenkinswere teammates with McCarthy at Michigan.

Week 4: at Denver Broncos

SEPT. 29, 8:15 P.M.

The Bengals return to the frenzy of a Monday Night Mile High for the first time in ten years and one of the most riveting games in Bengals history when backup quarterback AJ McCarron brought the Bengals to the brink of a playoff bye before the eventual Super Bowl champion Broncos outlasted them in overtime. The stage has been set with last year's Week 17 matchup at Paycor, where the Bengals went overtime to delay Denver's playoff berth by a week and keep their own hopes alive for another week.

MATCHUP TO WATCH

The Bengals walked off Denver behind another December game as tall as 6-4 wide receiverTee Higgins. Higgins racked up his sixth 100-yarder of the month when he went off for 131 yards on 11 catches and a career-high three touchdowns, the last one on a three-yard flip from Burrow that won it.

It was set up by one of Higgins' huge Bill Russell Game Seven rebounds when he hauled in a 31-yard tightrope job on the sideline. The Broncos may have had that in mind three picks after the Bengals at No. 20 when they selected in the first round Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron to supplement Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Surtain II. At 5-11, 200 pounds, Barron is giving Higgins five inches and nearly 20 pounds.

Week 5: vs. Detroit Lions

OCT. 5, 4:25 P.M.

A marquee home game. Bengals No. 1 passing offense last year vs. Detroit's overall No. 1 offense. For the second straight Paycor game, Burrow gets a fellow overall No. 1 foe in Lions quarterback Jared Goff to be called by the GOAT himself with Tom Brady scheduled to come to town with FOX. Burrow has a win over Goff in Detroit in 2021, when the Bengals stifled Goff on a 67.8 passer rating and limited him to just 202 yards in a 34-11 win at Ford Field.

MATCHUP TO WATCH

After two straight playoff berths, the '25 Lions are a completely different club than that one because they've surrounded Goff with an ultra-physical run game. And this early in the season, with new coordinators on each side of the ball, they're sure to use it often. The Lions led the league in overall offense with a run game that was ranked sixth while racking up the third most carries. Detroit sent another physical message when they selected Georgia guard Tate Ratledge in the second round. So did the Bengals when they drafted South Carolina linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. in the second round and followed it up with another fast physical linebacker in Clemson's Barrett Carter.

Week 6: at Green Bay Packers

OCT. 12., 4:25 P.M.

The last time the Bengals played here when Aaron Rodgers or Brett Favre didn't start at quarterback was 33 years ago. That's when Bengals Ring of Honor member and Wisconsin native Tim Krumrie knocked Don Majkowski out of the game and brought on Favre. The last time they played here, they went overtime in 89 degrees on Sept. 24, 2017 in the hottest game ever at Lambeau Field. It won't be 89 again, but it won't be the tundra, either.

MATCHUP TO WATCH

Packers quarterback Jordan Love coaxed his club into the playoffs last year with the running game, which was fifth best in the NFL last season with nearly 147 yards per game. Green Bay banged it for 4.7 yards per carry, sixth best. It was for games like this why the Bengals went out and made their first free-agent signing nose tackleT.J. Slaton. He just happened to come from Green Bay and brings his position coach with him. New Bengals D-line coachJerry Montgomeryspent eight years in Green Bay.

Week 7: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

OCT. 16, 8:15 P.M.

It sure looks like it's Seamless Joe vs. A-Rod in a Thursday Prime Video battle of gunslingers with Burrow pitted against Rodgers for the second time in his career. Rodgers beat him here in a classic OT nearly four years to the day as Rodgers lifted his record to 2-2 against the Bengals with both wins coming in overtime.

It's the first time the Bengals are playing the Steelers in a Paycor prime timer since theVonn Bell culture game in December 2020set the path to the Super Bowl in 2021 when Bell's turnover-causing shot on the preening Ju-Ju Smith Schuster helped stun the AFC North champ Steelers in a Monday nighter.

MATCHUP TO WATCH

The Steelers added Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf over the offseason, setting up a rematch with Bengals cornerbackCam Taylor-Britt. This game takes place two years and a day after Taylor-Britt celebrated his 24th birthday out bullying the monstrous 6-4, 235-poud Metcalf, one of the more feared physical receivers in the league.

But the Bengals, on the way to a 17-13 win over Seattle at Paycor, let Taylor-Britt follow Metcalf all over the field, holding him to four catches for 69 yards on ten targets. And, he drew a 15-yard penalty when Metcalf threw him to the ground in frustration after a play.

"The bullies get bullied," former slot cornerback Mike Hilton told Bengals.com after that game. "We know that's Metcalf's type of game. He wants to get in corners' heads. But we knew once we put 29 (Taylor-Britt) on him, all that was dead. He's not used to guys pushing back and getting physical with him, Once the game plan was for Cam to follow 14 (Metcalf), we knew what time it was."

Week 8: vs. New York Jets

Oct. 26, 1 P.M.

For the fifth time in their eighth game this season, the Bengals could be playing a team with either a new quarterback or a rookie head coach. In this game, they get both with Justin Fields coming over from the Steelers to be coached by Aaron Glenn.

MATCHUP TO WATCH

In the second round, the Jets picked the son of a Pro Football Hall of Famer in LSU tight end Mason Taylor, whose father Jason racked up more than 100 sacks. He'll get a welcome to the league moment here when he comes across Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson in the middle of the field. Wilson leads all linebackers this decade with 11 interceptions. Only Wilson, Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey, and Vikings safety Harrison Smith have at least 10 picks, five sacks, and five forced fumbles in the 2020s.

Week 9: vs. Bears

NOV. 2, 1 P.M.

Welcome to the start of Joevember, which is the month of November, December and January. That's when Burrow is 26-12. And welcome to another No. 1 overall QB game at Paycor with Caleb Williams in town. This is the third of four such games at home this year. In the previous 25 seasons of Paycor, drafted overall No. 1 quarterbacks met just nine times, starting in 2004 when the Bengals' Carson Palmer knocked off the Cowboys' Vinny Testaverde.

MATCHUP TO WATCH

It's not exactly a coaching tree game, but Bengals head coach Zac Taylor and Bears head coach Ben Johnson have close ties. This is the third time in four games and in back-to-back weeks the Bengals are playing a rookie head coach, but Taylor knows him well. For three years in Miami, when Taylor was the quarterbacks coach from 2013 to 2015, Johnson was his assistant. It's been 10 years, but Taylor has always raved about Johnson's brains and ability to pour them into a playbook.

Week 11: at Pittsburgh Steelers

NOV. 16, 1 P.M.

The Bengals are looking for their fourth win in five years in Pittsburgh over their fourth different Steelers starting quarterback. Burrow has defeated two Hall-of-Fame quarterbacks in the building, Ben Roethlisberger and Russell Wilson, as well as Kenny Pickett. He may get a shot to make it a Canton trifecta against A-Rod.

MATCHUP TO WATCH

Darius Slay, the 13-year cornerback and six-time Pro Bowler, has joined the Steelers, making for a spicy matchup against defending triple crown champJaMarr Chase.Chase, a four-time Pro Bowler, capped off his season in the finale in Pittsburgh with a 96-yard night and a touchdown that put him over the top as the first receiver in NFL history with 1,700 yards and 17 touchdowns in a year.

Week 12: vs. New England Patriots

NOV. 23, 1:00 P.M.

This certainly isn't the same New England team that came in here last Opening Day. They may have a first-year head coach in Patriots Hall of Famer Mike Vrabel, but he's no rookie. In six years coaching the Titans, he had a .545 winning percentage and went to three postseasons. But he's 1-3 against Taylor, and that includes the Bengals' AFC Divisional win in Nashville on the way to the Super Bowl following the 2021 season.

MATCHUP TO WATCH

How about two guys who weren't around here last year for Opening Day? The Bengals didn't face rookie quarterback Drake Maye that day, but when he did take over for Jacoby Brissett, he was sacked 34 times. The Pats responded by drafting LSU left tackle Will Campbell with the fourth pick. The Bengals, on the other hand, lost versatile defensive lineman Cam Sample to an Achilles' injury early in training camp and never made it to the start of the season. Sample can line up all over the place on the D-Line and his presence is just one of the things they hope turns around last year's opener.

Week 13: at Baltimore Ravens

NOV. 27, 8:20 P.M.

No, that's not a typo. For the third straight year, the Bengals travel to Baltimore for a short-week Thursday night game. And for the fourth straight year they play the Ravens on the road in primetime, where Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh is 22-3 at home, losing to the Steelers twice and the Chiefs. Oh yeah, and it's Thanksgiving Night. For only the second time in history, the Bengals play on Turkey Day. This is the first time since a Thanksgiving night game in 2010 against the Jets in the Meadowlands that was a replay of their Wild Card Game from the year before.

MATCHUP TO WATCH

The last time the Bengals played at Baltimore in broad daylight, it's known as the Calling Card Game, when Burrow engineered a 41-17 rout in 2021 with 201 of his 406 yards going to the rookie Chase on the way to the Super Bowl. The Calling Card Game is the only time the Bengals have beaten Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. But this time, he faces a new defensive coordinator inAl Goldenand Golden's chess piece in first-round edgeShemar Stewart.Call it Shemar vs. Lamar. Stewart is the draft's most athletic defensive lineman in the last 40 years, flashing his ample skills pursuing, chasing, and disrupting quarterbacks in the warp speed of the SEC, and now he tests Jackson.

WEEK 14: at Buffalo Bills

DEC. 7, 4:25 P.M.

Another Burrow vs. Josh Allen showdown. Burrow has got him 2-0, and that includes the 2022 AFC Divisional win in Buffalo. This is their first trip back since they found glory in the snow. It's also their first December trip to Buffalo since the last game before the Marvin Lewis Era on Dec. 29, 2002. Allen is nasty in December, where he's 21-9 and has 54 TD passes, his best month. He does have a win over the Bengals in Buffalo pre-Burrow in 2019, but he needed a late drive to erase the Bengals' 17-14 lead with 1:50 left.

MATCHUP TO WATCH

Allen and Lamar Jackson. This is a game why they drafted Stewart, Knight and Carter. With Allen bobbing and weaving, it's a run and hit game.

WEEK 15: vs. Baltimore Ravens

DEC. 14, 1 P.M.

Didn't we just do this 17 days ago? They did play in back-to-back weeks at the end of the 2022 season and the Wild Card Game with the Bengals winning both at Paycor. But it looks to be the Bengals' quickest turnaround for the same opponent in the regular season since the 13-day break when they split with the Steelers on Oct. 13 and Oct. 26, 1986.

MATCHUP TO WATCH

You know how good Jackson had to be last year to beat Burrow twice? Seamless Joe was insane in '24, especially against the Ravens. He sifted Baltimore's Pro Bowl-studded secondary for nine touchdowns and 820 yards and a fire 8.6 yards per pass. Ravens first-round pick Malaki Starks, the Georgia safety, steps into the crucible against Burrow's scalding career passer rating of 104.8 and 21 touchdown passes, his most against any team.

Week 16: at Miami Dolphins

DEC. 21, 8:20 P.M.

When the Bengals land back in Cincinnati at about 3 a.m. after this one, it will end their season's toughest stretch. This Sunday Night Football bout concludes a span that features their third road game in four weeks, second in prime time, a short week and just 17 days between games with the black-and-blue Ravens.

MATCHUP TO WATCH

With the Dolphins, it's always about speed. It doesn't matter where their heads are at, it's always about their legs. The Bengals have speed merchants of their own that they didn't have for very long last year in cornerbacks Dax Hill and D.J. Turner II. Miami's flash offense may be exactly that. They were 22nd last year and falling.

Week 17: vs. Arizona Cardinals

DEC. 27-28

It's the first meeting between Burrow and Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray, who were back-to-back overall No. 1 picks. When Murray was hurt in 2023, Burrow led a win in Glendale when he found Chase for a Bengals-record 15 catches. Murray returns to the scene of his first NFL victory after he was the 2019 draft's overall No. 1 pick.

MATCHUP TO WATCH

After the Cards took LSU defensive tackle Walter Nolen at No. 16, the Bengals at No. 17 grabbed Stewart, Nolen's teammate at Texas A&M before he transferred. The A&M coaches chalk up at least some of Nolen's sacks to the pressure Stewart applied from the edge. While we see who wins that one, the Cards hope Chase doesn't do damage to another rookie, second-round cornerback Will Johnson of Michigan.

Week 18: vs. Cleveland Browns

JAN. 3-4

For just the second time in their history and second time in three years, the Bengals open and close the season with Cleveland. The Bengals split in 2023 when the Browns' Jeff Driskel became the first quarterback in the series to start for both teams, but it was Burrow backupJake Browningwho carried the day at Paycor Stadium with a blistering 18 of 24 for three touchdowns in a 31-14 walkover.

Bengals head coachZac Taylorlikes it at home late. He's 13-6 at Paycor in December and January regular-season games, including 10 of the last 11.

MATCHUP TO WATCH

At the top of the second round, the Browns picked UCLA linebacker Carson Schwesinger as an all-purpose answer in the middle of their defense that won't have Pro BowlerJeremiah Owusu-Koramoah'because of a neck injury. At some point, Schwesinger is going to have to take on Bengals tight endMike Gesickiin coverage. Gesicki only had three catches against the Browns last season, but 65 for the year. The rookie faces a tall task against the savvy Gesicki.