Stat of the Jay: Predicting the Bengals' Preseason Opponents as Others Announce Joint Practices

Jay Morrison | Mar 31, 2025

Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Kris Jenkins Jr. (90) breaks through a block from Chicago Bears guard Nate Davis (64) to sack quarterback Caleb Williams (18) in the second quarter of the NFL Preseason Week 2 game between the Chicago Bears and the Cincinnati Bengals at Soldier Field in downtown Chicago on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024. The Bears led 10-3 at halftime. / Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

CINCINNATI – Some of the comments coming out of the AFC coaches breakfast this morning at the annual league meetings in West Palm Beach, Fla., set the stage for today’s Stat of the Jay.

Cincinnati Bengals coach Zac Taylor confirmed what has been suspected for some time – that he intends to play his starters more in the preseason in an effort to avoid the slow starts to the regular season that have led to the team missing the playoffs the last two seasons.

Meanwhile a few other coaches confirmed a few of their preseason opponents when they announced their joint practice plans.

The league won’t announce the regular-season and preseason schedule until May.

But teams are permitted to pick their opponents in the preseason by scheduling joint practices, as Taylor did with former boss Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams in the fight-marred sessions in 2022; good friend Matt LaFleur and the Green Bay Packers in 2023; and Matt Eberflus and the Chicago Bears and Shane Steichen and the Indianapolis Colts last year.

This August, the Bengals will play two road games and one home game in the preseason.

Let’s take a look at their most recent and most common preseason road opponents.

Since the league reduced the preseason to three games in 2021, the Bengals have played at the Commanders twice.     

And in the last 10 years, Cincinnati has visited Washinton four times.

No other franchise has played host to the Bengals more than twice since 2014 (Falcons, Buccaneers, Chiefs and Colts).

And since the 2021 season when the league went to 17 regular-season and three preseason games, all six of the Bengals’ road preseason games have been against NFC teams.

It’s all part of the unbalanced nature where AFC teams play nine home regular season games in odd years and NFC teams play nine home games in even years.

In the preseason, AFC teams played two preseason games in even years and NFC teams in odd years.

So following the established template, the Bengals likely will play two of the 16 NFC teams this year in the preseason.

Only once since 1996 have the Bengals traveled more than two time zones away. That was a made-for-TV nationally televised game in 2014 when they faced Carson Palmer and the Arizona Cardinals.

So presumably we can rule out the 49ers, Seahawks, Cardinals and Rams as road trips this year.

And the Browns are playing at the Eagles and Panthers, so leaves only one remaining home date for those teams to welcome the Bengals.

Of the remaining 12 teams, here’s the number of times the Bengals have played them on the road in the preseason since 2000.

Falcons 6 (2000, 2004, 2007, 2012, 2013, 2020, 2023)

Commanders 5 (2005, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023)

Lions 4 (2001, 2007, 2011, 2016)

Buccaneers 3 (2004, 2015, 2021)

Bears 2 (2001, 2024)

Cowboys 2 (2013, 2018)

Eagles 1 (2005)

Giants 1 (2022)

Packers 1 (2008)

Saints 1 (2009)

Cardinals 1 (2014)

Vikings 0

Panthers 0

Prediction: Falcons and Lions.

They are among the shortest trips, and the Bengals haven’t played a preseason game in Detroit since 2016).

It would be rare to face a team in the preseason and regular season, but it has happened on multiple occasions. As recently as 2018, the Bengals played the Colts in the preseason finale and the regular-season opener.

The Bengals and Lions met in the preseason every season from 1970-2003, alternating home and home games.

There are reports the Patriots are exploring joint practices with the Commanders and Vikings, so that would decrease the likelihood of a Cincinnati trip to one its most frequent destinations in Washington.

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