NFL Announces Day, Time for Cincinnati Bengals' Week 17 Game Against the Arizona Cardinals

CINCINNATI – The Cincinnati Bengals will not be playing a stand-alone game against the Arizona Cardinals.

That was one of five games eligible for one of two Saturday slots in Week 17, but

The NFL announced today that the Bengals and Cardinals will play at 1 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 28.

It’s the second time in as many weeks the Bengals have been moved out of a major time slot.

Their game against Buffalo Bills originally was scheduled for a national audience at 4:25 p.m. but was moved to 1 p.m. in order to get the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers in the prime slot.

The two Saturday games on Dec. 27 will feature the Houston Texans at the Los Angeles Chargers at 4:30 p.m., and the Baltimore Ravens at Green Bay Packers at 8 p.m.

The other two TBA games placed on the Sunday slate are the Seattle Seahawks at Carolina Panthers and New York Giants at Las Vegas Raiders in what could ultimately determine which team gets the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Today’s announcement leaves the Bengals will just one game yet to be scheduled, as all Week 18 games are TBA.

The Bengals will play host to the Cleveland Browns that weekend, and the league has until Monday, Dec. 29 to announce the dates and times for the final weekend of the season.

As in Week 17, there will be two Saturday games in Week 18.

The Bengals played a Week 18 Saturday game last year when they faced the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 8 p.m. slot.

Their 19-17 victory kept their playoff hopes alive until the Denver Broncos routed the Kansas City Chiefs backups the next day.

While a Battle of Ohio game between teams with a losing record might not seem like an intriguing option for a standalone game, there are other factors to consider.

If the Bengals are 7-9 and still have postseason hope going into that game, a matchup with Shedeur Sanders and the Browns could be an intriguing matchup for the networks.

The NFL will want to games with personalities and postseason ramifications, but not to the point where a Saturday outcome would eliminate any teams playing Sunday.

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