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          NFL Nation

          Cincinnati Bengals 2022 schedule: Joe Burrow & Co. enter national spotlight

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          Why Stephen A. isn't sleeping on the Bengals (2:22)

          Stephen A. Smith argues with Dan Orlovsky about Bengals' place in the AFC North. (2:22)

          • Ben Baby, ESPN Staff WriterMay 12, 2022, 09:08 PM ET
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              Ben Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the company in July 2019. Prior to ESPN, he worked for various newspapers in Texas, most recently at The Dallas Morning News where he covered college sports. He provides daily coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com, while making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN's NFL shows and ESPN Radio programs. A native of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor's degree in journalism. He is an adjunct journalism professor at Southern Methodist University and a member of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).
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          CINCINNATI -- The Cincinnati Bengals' 2022 schedule was released along with the rest of the NFL slate Thursday.

          The season will kick off on Thursday, Sept. 8 with the Los Angeles Rams hosting the Buffalo Bills at SoFi Stadium. ESPN opens its schedule with Monday Night Football on Sept. 12, featuring the Denver Broncos hosting the Seattle Seahawks.

          The NFL expanded to 17 regular-season games last season. The final regular-season games in 2022 will be played Jan. 8, 2023. The playoffs begin Jan. 14, and continue through Super Bowl LVII on Feb. 12, in Glendale, Arizona.

          Here's what's in store for the Bengals:

          Schedule

          Sept. 11: vs. Pittsburgh

          Sept. 18: at Dallas

          Sept. 25: at N.Y. Jets

          Sept. 29: vs. Miami (TNF)

          Oct. 9: at Baltimore (SNF)

          Oct. 16: at New Orleans

          Oct. 23: vs. Atlanta

          Oct. 31: at Cleveland (MNF)

          Nov. 6: vs. Carolina

          Bye

          Nov. 20: at Pittsburgh (SNF)

          Nov. 27: at Tennessee

          Dec. 4: Kansas City

          Dec. 11: Cleveland

          Dec. 18: at Tampa Bay

          Dec. 24: at New England

          Jan. 2: vs. Buffalo

          Jan. 7 or 8: vs. Baltimore

          Strength of schedule: T-3rd, .536

          Biggest takeaway

          The Bengals captured the nation’s attention during their Super Bowl run last season. That success was rewarded with five prime-time games, including two appearances on ESPN’s Monday Night Football. Cincinnati had just three prime-time games in the previous three seasons combined. The Bengals spent last season breaking a playoff drought that lasted more than 30 years. Cincinnati is hoping its struggles on national TV follow that trend as well. The target for the rest of the AFC will be on quarterback Joe Burrow and the defending conference champions. The national spotlight will be fixed on the Bengals, too.

          Revenge game

          Cincinnati had a ton of bright spots during its best season since 1988. One of them, however, was not last year’s trip to the Meadowlands to face the New York Jets. Back-up quarterback Mike White threw for more than 400 yards as the Jets shellacked the Bengals on Week 8.

          Cincinnati will have a chance to shake off bad vibes from last year’s loss on a Week 4 trip to the East Coast. It could also help the Bengals build some early-season momentum during a lighter part of the schedule.

          What the oddsmakers think

          The Bengals are one of three AFC North teams with an over/under of 9.5 wins. Last season, the Bengals exceeded expectations with a 10-win season. Cincinnati will need another strong defensive year and for its offense to click as it did in wins over Kansas City and Baltimore if it wants to have a shot of hitting double digits.

          Bold prediction

          The Bengals repeat as AFC North champions. The rest of the AFC definitely got stronger this offseason, but Cincinnati is still poised to be the team to beat in the division. The Week 8 game loss to Cleveland aside, the Bengals played some of their best football against divisional rivals in 2021. That should continue as the Bengals look to make another deep postseason run.