Cincinnati Bengals 2024 NFL Schedule Released for Joe Burrow's Return from Injury

Winning nine games and just missing the playoffs would've qualified as a success in a previous era for the Cincinnati Bengals but not anymore.

Cincinnati did well to weather Joe Burrow's season-ending wrist injury. The team went 4-3 with Jake Browning as the starter.

With Burrow on track to be healthy for the start of the regular season, the Bengals should be in the hunt for an AFC North title. Some notable names (Tyler Boyd, Joe Mixon and D.J. Reader) are gone, but most of the key players from 2023 have returned.

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2024 Cincinnati Bengals Schedule

Full schedule information available on the team's official website

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Analysis

Navigating through the AFC North won't be easy.

The Baltimore Ravens have the reigning MVP in Lamar Jackson and are basically running it back. Losing linebacker Patrick Queen to free agency hurt, but they retained defensive tackle Justin Madubuike. Signing Derrick Henry means leaning even more in the rushing attack, which might be the way to ease the pressure on Jackson.

Between Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, the Pittsburgh Steelers surely have the kind of consistent quarterback play that was sorely lacking in 2023. As long as the offense can make some incremental gains, the Steelers already have the kind of defense that can help them achieve big things.

The Cleveland Browns are the real wild card because nobody will know for sure whether the last two years are simply an aberration for Deshaun Watson or if he's simply no longer the quarterback he was with the Houston Texans.

Looking outside of the division, the schedule could've lined up much worse for Cincinnati.

A date with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 2 is obviously the most difficult single game on the slate. Beyond that, there aren't any other matchups in which you'd classify the Bengals as a clear underdog.

While the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles look a little stronger on paper than Cincy, those could both be pick'em games.

The New England Patriots, Carolina Panthers and Washington Commanders are in the midst of a rebuild. The Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders and Tennessee Titans are probably at least a year away from being able to seriously contend. The same applies to the Los Angeles Chargers as well after they lost Austin Ekeler, Keenan Allen and Mike Williams.

A 10- or 11-win season is certainly attainable for the Bengals based on their schedule.

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Pivotal Matchups

It starts and ends with the Bengals' intra-conference battles.

If you want to know why Cincinnati failed to make the playoff in 2023, then look no further than the team's 1-5 mark in the AFC North and a 4-8 record against the AFC as a whole. Every other team ahead of the Bengals in the playoff standings fared no worse than 7-5 within the conference.

Cincy got swept by Baltimore and Pittsburgh, suffered a 24-point loss to Tennessee, and fell behind the Houston Texans by 13 points before a last-ditch comeback came up short.

The Bengals were 5-5 when Burrow went down, too, so it's not as though his injury sent the season into a tailspin.

At the very least, maintaining a .500 record in the AFC North and against AFC foes is imperative for Cincinnati to avoid another disappointing year.