The Bengals got SCREWED by their 2025 schedule...

AtoZ Sports

John Sheeran discusses how the NFL gave the Cincinnati Bengals the short end of the stick with their 2025 prime time games.

Transcript

00:00The Bengals got the short end of the stick once again with their schedule release,

00:03and in this video, I'll explain why it's the fans that are hurting the most.

00:09Hi again, Bengals fans. John Sheeran of A to Z Sports Cincinnati here,

00:12and it feels like everyone had a very similar reaction

00:15from the Bengals 2025 schedule was released, and it wasn't a particularly good one.

00:19Now, we've known the opponents of the Bengals 2025 season going all the way back to January.

00:23Those get locked in basically as soon as the previous regular season ended.

00:26The whole point of the schedule release is determining when these games actually happen

00:30and at what time they happen.

00:31And a complaint that Bengals fans and, frankly, the team itself has had

00:34over the past couple years ever since the Bengals rose to relevancy again

00:38is their lack of home primetime games, specifically against their own divisional opponents.

00:42Because for once, the Bengals and their fans are looking forward

00:45to watching this team play under the bright lights.

00:47They perform really well in these environments, unlike the previous years under Marvin Lewis.

00:51But for a reason that myself and no one else really knows,

00:54the people who make the NFL schedule really like to schedule the Bengals in primetime

00:57away from their stadium and fans.

01:00And that's the case, once again, for 2025,

01:02as the Bengals have four primetime games on their schedule this season,

01:05with three happening on the road.

01:07Now, granted, the one primetime game they have at home

01:09is against the divisional opponent and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

01:11That game will be on Thursday night football in Week 7.

01:14But they play on Monday night football against the Denver Broncos at Denver Week 4.

01:17They play on Sunday night football at the Miami Dolphins in Week 16.

01:20And then they play at the Baltimore Ravens in Week 13 on Thanksgiving night.

01:25And that last one, it's honestly kind of funny,

01:27because this is going to be the third consecutive year

01:29where the Bengals play at the Ravens on Thursday night football.

01:33And that simply cannot be a coincidence.

01:35And of course it's not, right?

01:36Bengals-Ravens is typically a really close, hard-fought game

01:39between two rival teams, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson battling out.

01:43That's always must-see TV.

01:44But why the Bengals are just not allowed to face one of their fiercest rivals

01:47on the road on a regular rest schedule is simply beyond me.

01:51Now, playing on Thanksgiving, that's going to be really cool.

01:53The Bengals haven't done that in 15 years.

01:55Why does it have to be this game?

01:56Why can't the Bengals and Ravens play in Baltimore

01:57on just a regular Sunday afternoon?

01:59The last time they did that, the Bengals won, of course, in 2021.

02:02Why do they have to continue playing this team in the same setting

02:05on the same night of the week as when Joe Burrow messed up his thumb two years ago?

02:08I don't like it one bit, and I don't blame Bengals fans for feeling the same way.

02:11But I do think there's a way that the NFL can salvage this.

02:14As it happens, three of the Bengals' final four games are being played at home.

02:18And if they are to be a really good team this year

02:20and are going to be in the playoff race at that time of the year,

02:22I do think there's a good chance that at least one of those games gets flexed to primetime.

02:26Because if this team is to turn things around and make the playoffs for the first time since 2022,

02:30it would be really cool for fans to experience more than just one home primetime game.

02:34And if we are being technical, there are a couple of more games

02:37in which the Bengals will have a national audience.

02:39Like, they play the Lions at 425 Eastern.

02:41They play the Buffalo Bills at Buffalo at 425 Eastern.

02:44So there's technically more than just four primetime games on the schedule.

02:47But for striping the jungle, for the white Bengal uniform, for the Ring of Honor celebration,

02:51you want to have those things at night.

02:52And right now, the Bengals only have one night game at home.

02:55I think at this point, the Bengals are just going to have to make the playoffs again

02:57and do some damage in the playoffs, maybe even win the whole freaking Super Bowl

03:01in order to gain any respect from the schedule makers.

03:03Because for a team that rates really well in these primetime settings,

03:06you would love for the city of Cincinnati to experience more than just a Thursday night in October.

03:10So we'll see if they're good enough in December to get at least one of those final three games flexed.

03:14But until then, the Bengals got screwed.

03:16And that's just what it is.

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