For the first time since their Super Bowl season of 2021, the Cincinnati Bengals will not play a Thursday night game in Baltimore.
As the NFL prepares to release the full 2026 schedule at 8 p.m. ET Thursday, May 14 (ESPN, NFL Network), NFL reporter Jordan Schultz posted news that the Bengals will host the Ravens for a “Thursday Night Football” game in Week 17.
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Schultz posted a report about two games for the Bengals. He wrote that Cincinnati will host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the season opener at 1 p.m. ET Sept. 13. And the Bengals and Ravens will square off in prime time on Dec. 31 at Paycor Stadium.
On Wednesday, the NFL announced the Bengals will face the Atlanta Falcons at 9:30 a.m. ET Nov. 8 in Madrid, Spain.
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AFC North rivalry
Though it worked out well, the Bengals pointed out the schedule quirk in May 2025 when the NFL announced a fourth consecutive Thursday night road game against their AFC North foe.
“Playing in Baltimore for the fourth straight prime-time year isn’t ideal,” Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow said then, via ESPN. “Maybe we can get one of those in Cincinnati next year. Please.”
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The Bengals ended up routing the Ravens, 32-14, on Thanksgiving Night. It is Cincinnati’s only victory over Baltimore in the teams’ last six meetings.
Still, Mike North, the NFL’s vice president for broadcast planning, said last month that it was “probably time” to end the Ravens’ Thursday night streak against Cincinnati.
“It’s a fair question, and we don’t know how it’s going to go this year yet, but we are certainly aware of the recent history, and if we’re doing our jobs, we’re trying to avoid the same things over and over again,” North said, per the Bengals website. “I would be shocked beyond belief if we had another Bengals at Ravens on a short week this year. That would be very surprising.”
The Bengals-Ravens rivalry features top-flight quarterbacks in Burrow and Lamar Jackson. Both teams are trying to rebound after missing the postseason in 2025. Baltimore welcomes a new head coach in Jesse Minter, a former Ravens defensive coordinator.