Cincinnati Bengals 2024 schedule: 4 games that will define a critical season in Cincinnati

The margins have never been thinner for the Cincinnati Bengals making the playoffs. As the AFC continues to become more powerful, every loss stings with the strength of two wins.

There are no unimportant games, but there are some that have more implications than others.

Out of the 17 games Cincinnati has to play, these four will define how the 2024 season unfolds.  

Week 2 @ Kansas City Chiefs 

Not-so-fun fact: Joe Burrow has never won a Week 2 game in the NFL. Be it from lack of supporting cast, health, or rust, the Bengals are 0-4 in the second week of the season with Burrow under center. This would be one helluva first win.

Fast starts have never been synonymous with Cincinnati under head coach Zac Taylor, and the Chiefs are by far the most imposing opponent in the first quarter of the Bengals' schedule. 

Knocking off the defending champions would set a phenomenal tone for the ensuing 15 games.

Week 5 vs. Baltimore Ravens 

There's a more intriguing Bengals-Ravens game on the schedule when both teams face off on Thursday Night Football in Week 10. That game will be nearly one year after Burrow's wrist injury that occurred in Baltimore last season on another Thursday night.

No one would blink twice if the Bengals dropped that game on the road. Winning on the road on four night's rest against a divisional rival is extremely tough. That's why it's imperative for the Bengals to win the first game of the series at home. Luckily, when Burrow is fully healthy, Cincinnati usually takes care of business at home against Baltimore.

The Bengals didn't defeat a divisional team until January last season. A win here would get one AFC North victory on the books in early October. Enough said.

 Week 15 @ Tennessee Titans

The Titans are far from the most imposing opponent on the Bengals' schedule, but this game is sandwiched between a Monday night road game against the Dallas Cowboys and a Thursday night home game against the Cleveland Browns.

Many are calling this the toughest stretch on the Bengals' schedule, and it's easy to agree. Three games in 11 days with two of them on the road? You wouldn't wish that on your most hated rival (or maybe you do).

That MNF game in Dallas looks the toughest out of the three on paper. Assuming the Bengals drop that game, a win at Tennessee would give Cincinnati a chance at going 2-1 in this mini-gauntlet. That could be the difference between winning the division, and scraping for a Wild Card spot.

Week 18 @ Pittsburgh Steelers 

It would be ideal if this game didn't matter in terms of playoff seeding, but the competitiveness of the AFC North will have something to say about that.

Every divisional game matters for the Bengals a year after they went 1-5 against their biggest rivals. Walking into the frigid Pittsburgh cold and coming back home with a win will forever be an impressive achievement. Clinching a playoff berth or seeding would be the cherry on top.

The Bengals play their best football when the playoffs are near. Assuming all goes accordingly beforehand, this is the setting to build momentum into the postseason.