NFL Schedule Maker: Bengals' Thanksgiving Matchup With Ravens Would've Ideally Been in Cincinnati

The Bengals head to Baltimore to play the Ravens on Thanksgiving night. It's their third-straight season playing in Baltimore on a Thursday night.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) throws from the pocket in the first quarter of the NFL Week 18 game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

CINCINNATI — The Bengals have to go to Baltimore and play the Ravens on Thursday Night Football for a third-straight season. It's their fourth year in a row playing a primetime game in Baltimore.

Mike North is theVice President of Broadcast Planning & Scheduling for the NFL and he joined the Up And Adams Show to discuss the decision.

Even he admitted that the game would've ideally been in Cincinnati.

"Yeah, wave a magic wand. We would have played Ravens-Bengals in Cincinnati on a Thursday night. It's time," North said.

The Ravens have a road Thursday night game in Miami, which pushed schedule makers to make the Bengals go to Baltimore on Thanksgiving night.

"Those are the kind of things that down the stretch, could you just tinker with and what's the impact? With the Ravens having a road Thursday game in Miami on Amazon, you couldn't then have a second road Thursday. So it ended up with Baltimore vs Cincy, yes in Baltimore one more year. I'm sure Bengals fans are disappointed, but like I heard you say, you know, go to Baltimore and ruin their Thanksgiving. Nothing better."

The Bengals will host the Ravens two weeks later at Paycor Stadium with a 1 p.m. ET kickoff on Dec. 14.

The Bengals play four primetime games in 2025 and three of them are on the road. Their lone home matchup is against the Steelers on Thursday Night Football.

Check out the Bengals' entire 2025 schedule, which includes game-by-game analysis here.

"It's time... they're due....

..Go to Baltimore and ruin their Thanksgiving."

Schedule-maker Mike North on THE BENGALS PLAYING IN BALTIMORE .. AGAIN.#WhoDey #RavensFlock pic.twitter.com/afqcHwKu0x
— Kay Adams (@heykayadams) May 15, 2025

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