The Cincinnati Bengals’ Thanksgiving preparations took an unexpected turn Wednesday night.
Bengals' Thanksgiving Plans Hit Turbulence With 5.5-Hour Flight Delay
Bengals’ Thanksgiving Plans Hit Turbulence With 5.5-Hour Flight Delay (Screenshot via X/@char_cliff)
Their scheduled flight was supposed to be a 90-minute trip on the sky from CVG Airport, but it ended up being delayed by more than five hours.
With Joe Burrow returned to the lineup, the squad looked pretty motivated. But the plane issues threw their schedule into chaos just hours before their primetime clash.
Bengals’ Thanksgiving Plans Hit Turbulence With 5.5-Hour Flight Delay
WLWT’s Charlie Clifford broke the news, reporting the team wouldn’t touch down in Charm City until just before midnight. Not to mention, it raises legitimate questions about preparation time and rest before Thursday night’s 8:20 p.m. kickoff.
He wrote, “Per source, the Bengals were delayed in Cincinnati and are not due to land in Baltimore until just before midnight — 5.5 hours behind schedule. The team had to switch planes before getting the all clear for the Thanksgiving-Eve trip east.”
Breaking @WLWT: Per source, the Bengals were delayed in Cincinnati and are not due to land in Baltimore until just before midnight — 5.5 hours behind schedule.
The team had to switch planes before getting the all clear for the Thanksgiving-Eve trip east.
— Charlie Clifford (@char_cliff) November 27, 2025
The Bengals were originally slated to depart CVG at 5 p.m. ET but didn’t actually lift off until 10:32, forcing the entire traveling party to cool their heels on the ground. They had to switch from their charter flight to a smaller commercial aircraft before finally getting clearance to head east.
They reportedly arrived at their team hotel in Baltimore at 12:30 AM EST. The late kickoff gives Cincinnati more time to recover than an early Thanksgiving game would, but the disrupted sleep and tight preparation still challenge Zac Taylor’s staff.
Baltimore has a history of flight delays; in 2023, a game there was affected by two separate delays. Sadly, Burrow now gets his name written on the delay list for his much-awaited injury return.
Fans Roast Bengals’ Travel Woes With Brutal Social Media Takes
The social media verse wasted zero time piling on Cincinnati’s travel luck, with critics firing off zingers about the franchise’s latest stumble.
One fan wrote, “So it’s a lose lose for the Ravens. Win and they beat a tired team. Lose and they lost to a tired team with burrows first game back.”
Another kept it simple, penning, “Poverty.”
A third one added, “This poverty franchise can’t even travel correctly.”
A fourth found a way to pin the blame on coaching, noting, “This is zac taylors fault somehow!”
Since Clifford’s report didn’t specify the root cause of the delay, some supporters speculated about weather factors. One penned his local knowledge, “I understand, it was a lot of delays at BWI last night due to that wind.”
With kickoff approaching, the Bengals will need to shake off the late arrival and focus on the task at hand. Burrow is still hoping for a playoff chance, sitting at 3-8, and for that, they must take care of Lamar Jackson.