Bengals 2025 Schedule Predictions: Primetime Games, Holiday Appearances, Week 1 Site and More

Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker Odafe Oweh (99) and Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy (53) force Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) out of the pocket =in the fourth quarter of the NFL game at M&T Banks Stadium in Baltimore on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. | Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

CINCINNATI – The NFL will release the 2025 schedule in less than two weeks after announcing the date as May 14 during last weekend’s draft.

But there are a couple of things we already know about the Cincinnati Bengals schedule.

First, barring a Week 1 Monday night game, they will open on the road due to the fact the Reds are playing at home on Sunday, Sept. 7.

The Reds also are home Sunday, Sept. 21, and there is a Billy Joel and Rod Stewart concert at Paycor Stadium that weekend, so Week 3 will be a road game (the Reds are home the Thursday of Week 3 as well, so there are no viable options).

The stage teardown at Paycor likely won't be done in time to accommodate a Week 3 Monday night game.

Most likely, the Bengals are looking at a road-home-road-home opening four games of the season.

We also know there will be a lot of primetime games.

Mike North, the NFL's vice president of broadcasting planning and scheduling, made that clear in an interview with bengals.com during the owners meetings in West Palm Beach, Fla.

“There are teams that are going to have to probably play their way into prime time, and there are others that have earned it over the course of the last few years,” North said. “I put the Bengals squarely in that category, and certainly retaining your stars is one way to ensure continued television exposure in this league.”

The Bengals played six primetime games in 2024, four in 2023 and three in 2022 and one in 2021.

When it comes to primetime games, the Bengals have a legitimate beef with the league.

The issue isn’t the volume. It’s the location.

Last year the Bengals became the first team in NFL history to play five primetime road games.

The list of teams to play 5 primetime road games in a single season in NFL history.

2024 Bengals

That's it. That's the list.

— Jay Morrison (@ByJayMorrison) December 30, 2024

Of the 14 primetime games since 2021, five have been against division opponents.

And all five have been on the road.

That’s the most lopsided split in the league.

The Ravens, on the other hand, have had all five of their divisional primetime games at home.

Home-road splits in primetime divisional games since 2021 | Jay Morrison

You can bet the Bengals have made the league aware of this disparity, so it would be stunning if they don’t have at least one divisional primetime game at Paycor this season. And the Ravens have to be considered the favorite to be the opponent.

Based on North’s comments, the Bengals should expect to be in primetime at least five times in 2025.

Could one of them be on Thanksgiving or Christmas?

Quarterback Joe Burrow endorsed that idea last year on the day before Thanksgiving, saying it “would be cool” to play on one of those holidays.

If the Bengals play on Thanksgiving this year, it will have to be in primetime as their game against the Lions will be in Cincinnati and they don’t play the Cowboys.

The Thanksgiving primetime game doesn’t have a tie in to a specific team, so all options are on the table.

And the Bengals haven’t played on Thanksgiving since 2010.

Only seven teams have longer droughts: Jaguars (never), Browns (1989), Buccaneers (2006), Chiefs (2006), Cardinals (2008), Titans (2008) and Broncos (2009)

Four of those teams have a chance to play in the early afternoon or late afternoon windows on Thanksgiving.

The Browns and Buccaneers have road games against the Lions.

The Chiefs and Cardinals have road games against the Cowboys.

The Bengals play the Broncos this year in Denver, so that could be an option for the primetime window, checking off two franchises with the longest Thanksgiving droughts.

The NFL already has announced it will play three games on Christmas, which this year falls on a Thursday.

Each AFC North Team has appeared on Christmas in the last nine years.

Here is the full list of Christmas games since 2016:

2024: Chiefs at Steelers

2024: Ravens at Texans

2023: Raiders at Chiefs

2023: Giants at Eagles

2023: Ravens at 49ers

2022: Packers at Dolphins

2022: Broncos at Rams

2022: Buccaneers at Cardinals

2021: Browns at Packers

2021: Colts at Cardinals

2020: Vikings at Saints

2017: Steelers at Texans

2017: Raiders at Eagles

2016: Broncos at Chiefs

2016: Ravens at Steelers