Last Word on Pro Football is ranking each team’s easiest and hardest games of the 2017 schedule. Games will be ranked in order of difficulty, with one being the most difficult. This series will be split up into the eight most difficult games (1-8) and the eight easiest games (9-16). In this article, the Cincinnati Bengals most difficult games will be discussed.
Cincinnati Bengals Most Difficult Games in 2017
1. Week 7 at Pittsburgh Steelers
Make no mistake; the Pittsburgh Steelers, in their house, will be nearly unstoppable for these Bengals. For Cincinnati, even coming off of a bye week, they’ll have a very hard time with this one. Although the Steelers defense isn’t the best in the league, the Bengals offensive line is abysmal. Expect Cameron Heyward and James Harrison to be in the backfield quite regularly.
2. Week 3 at Green Bay Packers
The Bengals open up their season with two home games against the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans. While neither of those teams are world-beaters, it won’t be a walk in the park either. And then, the Bengals travel to the not-so-friendly confines of Lambeau Field to face a ready and able Green Bay Packers squad. Against a relatively fresh Aaron Rodgers, this one will be tough.
3. Week 13 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
In week 13, the Steelers will be coming off an all-out war against the Packers. However, they’ll still give the Bengals a hard time. Again, the Bengals have one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL, and the Steelers defensive line is just too good. The Bengals and Steelers have a storied history from recent years, so expect this one to be a rough game.
4. Week 17 at Baltimore Ravens
By week 17, every game is pretty rough for almost every team. Some squads are totally decimated by injuries, while others have just run out of gas. For all intents and purposes, it’s safe to assume that the Bengals will not be vying for a playoff spot this year. The Ravens, however, might be. If the Ravens need to beat the Bengals to clinch a playoff spot, they’ll have no problems doing so.
5. Week 8 vs. Indianapolis Colts
Say what you want about the Indianapolis Colts, one thing still remains; they have Andrew Luck. While the Colts have sputtered in recent years, Luck is still one of the best young quarterbacks in the entire NFL. He’s absolutely in the “franchise quarterback” category, and that gives him a chance in each and every game. Expect this one to be a battle of the quarterbacks; a battle that Luck should have in the bag, really.
6. Week 10 at Tennessee Titans
No doubt about it, the Tennessee Titans are a team on the rise. Under the direction of third-year quarterback Marcus Mariota, the Titans are ready to make that playoff leap this year. By the time week 10 rolls around, Titans fans can expect to be in contention for at least a wild card berth. However, they’re still building up, which keeps them from being higher on this list.
7. Week 2 vs. Houston Texans
In this Thursday night showdown, the Houston Texans travel to Paul Brown Stadium. Right off the bat, the Texans stifling defense keeps them this high on the list. While they’re still trying to sort out the quarterback situation in Houston, Deshaun Watson just might be the answer. But this is only the second week of the season; there’s no way that Watson is totally NFL-ready by that point, right?
8. Week 1 vs. Baltimore Ravens
There’s that Ravens squad again. Yes, for the first game of the season, Joe Flacco and friends will be traveling to Cincy. Whether or not Flacco is “elite” is another argument for another day, but one thing is for sure. Home-field advantage will be a great help to Dalton and the Bengals for the season opener. Is this the easiest game? Well, no. But is it the hardest? Absolutely not.
Now that we’ve covered the top eight, why not take a look at the Bengals easiest games for this upcoming season?
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