Locked On Bengals - Daily Podcast On The Cincinnati Bengals - BENGALS SQUAD SHOW: SCHEDULE is favorable LATE, Bengals need to CONQUER some TOUGH challenges EARLY

Episode Date: May 15, 2026

Even with the Bengals' three prime time games in the second half of the regular-season, that's actually the easier half of the Bengals' 2026 Schedule.   Alex Frank and Coach Art Valero how the Bengals actually have more advantages in the second half of the regular season as opposed to the first half. The first half of the schedule features a lot of road trips and division games, including three teams in the first four weeks that made the Playoffs last year.   In addition, the Bengals' much-improved offensive line will face a stiff test right out of the gate against the Buccaneers, Texans, and Steelers, who all have stout defensive fronts.   Speaking of prime time games, the Bengals have three this season. Two of them are at home... against AFC North opponents. Finally, the Bengals get the advantage of having prime time home games against their biggest rivals.   The Bengals are going overseas this season to play the Falcons in Madrid, but they won't get a bye week afterwards. Alex and Coach discuss if this is actually not a bad thing, considering a key advantage the Bengals have in the second half of the regular season.     Join the Locked On Bengals Insider Community! https://joinsubtext.com/lockedonbengals   Everydayer Club   If you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans. Click here to learn more and join your team’s community: https://lockedonpodcasts.com/everyday...   Find and follow Locked On Bengals on your favorite podcast platforms:   Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...   Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7AObc0l...   Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0...   Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/locked-...   Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!   Square If you’re starting a business, or running one that deserves better tools, Square helps you sell, manage, and grow without slowing down. Right now, you can get up to $200 off Square hardware at https://square.com/go/LockedOnNFL.   Kalshi For a limited time, download the Kalshi app and use code LOCKEDON to get ten dollars when you trade ten. Kalshi. Trade on anything.   FanDuel Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Right now new customers can bet just five dollars and get one-hundred and fifty dollars in bonus bets if your first bet wins. Visit https://FANDUEL.COM to get started — Play Your Game.   Indeed Listeners of this show get a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to help give your job the premium placement it deserves at http://Indeed.com/podcast.   Rocket Money Let Rocket Money help you reach your financial goals faster. Join at http://RocketMoney.com/LOCKEDON   Gametime Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I'm Alex Frank. The Bengals 2020s schedule is out. Coach, you got any plans New Year's Eve? I want to be toasting the, after watching the game, I want to be toasting the Bengals. I will be too. Today, it's the Bengals squad. Everything Cincinnati Bengals every week. Breaking down all the big hits and game changing plays from the Queen City, the way only the locked on podcast network can. From the jungle to the playoffs, the Bengals Squad Show starts now. Good morning from St. Petersburg, Florida. Coach is somewhere in Texas. He's got a big game tonight.

I'm Alex Frank. He's coach Art Valero. This is the Bengals Squad show. We are presented this morning by GameTime right now with the GameTime app. You can create an account and use code locked on for $20 off your first purchase. And with some big games tonight in the NBA playoffs, you could be soon headed your way to one. one of those games, maybe even the NBA finals next month.

But that aside, we got a great show coming up for you today. The Bengals schedule is out, all 17 games. The whole NFL schedule is out. It is really good, by the way, just league wide. We're going to talk about the Bengals' second half advantages, why the first half is tough, the primetime home games in the AFC North, and of course, Madrid. But we begin with our general kind of 30,000-foot overview of the NFL schedule coach,

and wouldn't you know the first game is against your former team? You know what? glad for the Bengals that it's not down in Tampa on that opening day. It can get in, you know, early September, very hot. I mean, I've seen teams come in. They're going to wear white. They'd force you to wear black or and or orange. And they would, I mean, they'd turn up the heat and let that humidity just soak in. Luckily for the Bengals, they get a home open. in week one this year. It's one of only two home games that Bengals have before week eight, which is the fewest since I believe in 1990s. That's the interesting nugget when it comes to the

Bengals schedule. The Bengals will open at home two road games at Houston and Pittsburgh to follow home game against Jacksonville. Then they go to Miami in mid-October. Coach, what's it like in Miami in middle October? Is it still boiling hot or is it a little cooler by that time of year? Well, you know what? You don't know. You can expect the worst. Pray for the best. But it's still, you know, that time, October, it's usually not until somewhere around Halloween, where all of a sudden it starts to cool down a little bit.

But who knows, you can get a tropical storm rolling through there. That humidity cranks up. And, hey, you know what? They stay hydrated, my friends. Very much so. So an earlier trip to Miami this year, then the Bengals are on a by week six. How do you feel about the bike coach, week six?

Well, you know what I look at it as it's a little bit early. And the reason being is now I know they've already gone through camp and so that stretch, those first five games are tough. And at some point in time, you're going to need a break. You need to get healthy. You need to do all things. But you've got to look on the back end of it. And now you're looking at a trip overseas and basically a 12 game run. So the key to that is to go in after the buy healthy and then sustain it throughout the rest of the 12 games.

But you know what? You'd like to have it around game eight or nine. But obviously we don't get to pick the buy weeks and you take advantage of it as you can. Were you surprised that the Bengals didn't get a buy after the Madrid game? Because I kind of was, but at the same time, I'm not upset about it. You know what I was. I was really shocked that it was that early when they're coming back from, you know, from Europe. And they're turning around the very next week and they're playing arguably one of their arch rivals and AFC North competitors who, you know, by playing in the States, you know, the travel isn't quite as bad.

But that shocked me that the schedule makers would put that series into play. It was interesting, though, and I brought this up last night when the schedule was released. I think it's as more and more teams are going international, it's not just like a, you know, once a year thing. And because they hadn't done it previously, teams would be on by the week after as like a, you know, it's like a precautionary measure. But I think now the teams are doing it, especially if you're on the East Coast, it's really, and I don't don't have the exact calculations in front of me, but I would think, Coach, that it's not any longer of a flight or a trip overseas, as it would be if you were going to the West Coast,

or if you were, well, the West Coast teams, if they were going overseas, would have a really long flight. But if you're an East Coast team like the Bengals, they're not directly on the East Coast, but they're in the Eastern Time Zone. Going overseas, it's kind of just a little bit longer of a trip than a West Coast trip. You know what, it's not. And it's not all that bad. The one thing that you've got to look at it is the time change. Instead of going back, in time, you're now going forward in time. Yeah. And that can kind of have a little bit of, it'll mess with your body a little bit, especially

on the way back when you are coming back in time. And now all of a sudden it's basically the same day that you played the day before. So you know what? I'm not a real big fan of international games. And I know that the league wants to go global. and that they want to do this. And some people like Jacksonville really love the overtime games, but I don't think they ask the players.

You know, I'm not a huge fan of them either, but I also listen to what Joe Burrough said about going to Spain and the Bengals particularly going over there this year. And it really resonated with me. And we'll talk about that in segment four when it comes to the Bengals going to Montreal. We'll also talk about the Bengals' second half advantages in the schedule, why the first half is up and, of course, the primetime games the Bengals have at home this year,

two of them against AFC North Phylls. But before the biweek we talked about, or before the Madrid trip, excuse me, week six, five. The Bengals will go to Baltimore, week seven, and then they'll host the Titans in week eight. And then coming out of the by, as we mentioned, coach, they host the Steelers on Sunday night football, and then they go to Washington on Monday night football. And I think with those two teams, two teams that are kind of middling right now, you don't really know what you're going to get from the Steelers this year, the commanders coming off at dismal season.

They changed coordinators on both sides of the ball. So, yeah, it's tough playing two Primetime games after a trip overseas. But, I mean, those are two very winnable games. They are. And I think that they can, you know, going into them, there's a lot of uncertainty. I read this the other day that of the first nine games, there's five new head coaches. Six, actually. Six new head coaches in nine games.

Yeah. There's a awful lot of uncertainty with. scheme with direction, the way the program's going. And so, you know what, that's got to, they've got to take advantage of that. And I think that as long as, you know, Zach Taylor has that team honed in and take them one game at a time, they should be in pretty good shape. Well, one of those head coaches and the Bengals are going to face them twice is Mike McCarthy at Pittsburgh. And Mike McCarthy's not a new head coach by any means. He mean, he's won a Super Bowl for crying out loud. He's now with the.

Pittsburgh Steelers. But the Bengals are also going to face Jeff Hathley, new head coach of the Miami Dolphins. They're going to face Jesse Minter, the new head coach of the Ravens. And then they'll face Robert Sala, who is also not a new head coach. He coached the New York Jets with the head coach of them for a few years, but he's now the new head coach of the Titans. So you really do. And then the Falcons, Kevin Stefanski, who is a two-time coach of the year.

So they are new head coaches, but they are not new in terms of the sense that they haven't been a head coach before. Some of them are, but some of them also are not. Well, you know, and it takes a while for a new system, and each of these head coaches bring that. I know with Mike and Pittsburgh and Kevin in Atlanta, you try to sell the system during this time of year, although you're not quite certain. You're about 80% sure of who you're going to keep and who's going to be on your team. But you want people to buy in and buy into the system, and there's new languages.

and they've got some time to start to speak the same language. But the one thing that the team doesn't understand is how is the head coach going to react in certain situations? You know, during the Belichick runs, the team knew because they practiced all of them. They knew what he was going to do in certain situations, and he told them. And so when you're a new head coach going in,

whether you've been you're brand new or you're repeating a turnover guy. You know what? To get the message across to dot all the eyes, cross all the T's, it's not until you're actually on the field when the players understand exactly what the coach is going to do. Oh, absolutely. I mean, talk is cheap this time of year. I mean, you can preach it, as you know, but until you get on the field and play that first game, and you know, you never know what you're going to get in week one.

And I think there's a lot of overreaction to week one. And that's, you know, rightfully so. We're going to do that. The media's going to do that nationally and that's fine. But you got to play. I mean, that's why the first four games, five games, that first quarter of the season coach, that's when you think you really start to know what kind of team you have. Oh, absolutely.

You know, it doesn't take until about game four or five when you start to develop an identity as a football team. And those first four games, you know what, as I was looking at them, going, okay, okay, what's the record going to be coming out of, you know, game or week four. Yeah. And you know what? All the teams they're facing are, they're different than they were a year ago. Yes, very. Just like the Bengals are totally different than they were a year ago.

So to sit there and say, well, you know what, they're going to be three and one, or they're going to be one and three is hard to do. because they're playing some quality opponents with some good head coaches and some good players, veteran players on their team, you don't know how they're going to respond. So as well as the new Bengals are going to be, to see how they tick and how they react in a game, it's going to be all news. So, hey, it's going to be the first four weeks, the first month of the season is going to be very, very exciting. Yeah, that first game against Tampa Bay, I think you can look at it and you can say,

Tampa Bay wasn't very good last year. They, you know, they're in turnover. Mike Evans is now with the 49ers. Last time I checked their defensive line has Ruben, Ben, Colisha Cancie, Vita Vea, and Yah, Diabi. So you got your hands full there. And then coached the two young linebackers, Barack Carter and Demetrius Knight,

they have to know where Chris Godwin is going to be at all times because he can come across the middle and you can get chunks of yardage. And you know Baker Mayfield against the Bengals, he has been very good against them when he was with Cleveland. So that's a game. cannot take lately in week one. Well, you know, the other one is don't be surprised because you know that Coach Bowles has got in his back pocket. He will pressure you. Yes. And apply some severe heat to the quarterback. And so during training camp, you're working an awful lot of blisses and a awful lot of

hots and an awful lot of, you know, side adjusts and all the other things that, and he will challenge you, especially early in the season to see what you got. Because if you just sit back and let Joe Borough work and play song, you're asking for it. People carry you up. So hopefully they've got, or in their case, hopefully they have some secondary guys that can cover and some linebackers that can pressure you. And so it's going to be exciting.

Yeah, I got Buckingiers fans down here. I got friends down here in St. Petersburg and Tampa that are ready to run Todd Bowles out of town. Why? I mean, he was a defensive coordinator when they relentlessly pressure Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl 55. He took over Bruce Ariens. The Buccaneers went to the playoffs his first three seasons. They won 10 games in 2024. They were viewed as a dark course Super Bowl contender last year.

They started two and oh. So I don't understand it. They were, I think at one point, they were five and one last year. So, I mean, as a Bengals fan, I'm nervous for that week one game because of what the pressure on the interior can do. We'll talk about that in segment three. After the Monday night game at Washington, week 11, Saints week 12, can't take them lately either. Tyler Shuck kind of had a strong close to the season last year.

Week 13 in Cleveland, I mean, a trip to Cleveland and December coach, I'm not a huge fan of that at all. I'm just going to be straight up about that. Hey, that makes it tough, you know? I mean, you don't know what's coming off the lake at that time. It is going to be tough. I know that once upon a time we played a game in December in Cleveland. And we also played a game in December in Pittsburgh. And both games from the front end of it, we're looking at, oh, wow, boys, this could be brutal.

Yeah. And all of a sudden, the weather was spring-like. And it was like, wow. Yeah. This is crazy. You know, when we were all bundled up and we took extra gear and all the other things, and hey, it ended up being like a beautiful day in Tampa, Florida. That was 2006.

I do remember you guys played in Cleveland and Pittsburgh in December that year. So, I mean, you never know. It could be 50 degrees. It also could be 20 in snowing. And I mean, that's the thing. You never know. And whether the element is one of those things. The Chiefs are in week 14.

We all want to know where that Chiefs game was going to be. It's in week 14, America's game of the week on Fox, at least right now. now. Hopefully it stays that way. Week 15, you go to Carolina. Always good, but you can go south in the winter coach. If you're the Bengals, could be very nice weather in Charlotte. I'm planning to be at that game, December 20th. And then how about this? So the weekend after Christmas, all the Bengals have to do is take the short trip up by 74 to Indianapolis. That's a pretty easy road trip around the holidays. And then you're home the rest of the season, a home game on New Year's Eve against the Ravens on Thursday night football and then week 18 you host the Browns in week 18 for the second straight season.

That is the Bengals schedule, 17 games, eight on the, or excuse me, nine on the road or a neutral site, and then eight at home. I think all in all, it is a schedule the Bengals can take advantage of, but talk us cheap at this time of year, as we're going to keep saying. Yeah. Well, you know what it, I like the schedule and how it's laid out. The only thing that I'm not real fired up about would be, A, the European trip. Yeah. And B, would be having that 12 game run after the buy. You have to stay healthy during that time and get hot in November and December.

And you know what? I think there's a great chance because you never know where the other teams are going to be at that time. No. You know, are they hot? Are they rolling? Do they have injuries? You don't know. You never know. I mean, that's the thing about this league. It's such a week-to-week league. It's a razor-thin margin for error league. And that's what makes the NFL so great. I mean, league-wide, there were games, you know, there are games on the schedule that aren't in at 425 or prime time. And then there's games that are in those windows that you're like, well, how the heck did those games get in there?

So that's the thing about the NFL. Last year we saw that you just never know. you can never count on which teams are going to make the playoffs and which teams aren't going to make the playoffs. And that's why for the last 36 years, there have been at least four new playoff teams every single season. And the Bengals very well could be one of those this season with the schedule. You talk about coach, you like it. The first seven games are at one o'clock on Sunday. So you can take those opportunities to ramp up to bank some wins, steal some games on the road. You go into week 10, you're sitting there at five and three and you go, we're right in this thing.

Yeah, absolutely. You know what? It's favorable. The times are correct. The times are, you know, are perfect for you. You're going to get those games that are going to be not only local TV, but you're going to get some other ones that are kind of sprinkled in there that could be the national game. And you're talking about one o'clock games. So on the West Coast, you're waking up at 10 o'clock. And obviously, you turn it on and you got the bagels on. And you're saying, okay, that's starting your day with watching those and you're saying hey you know what i have a chance on the west coast to see joe burrow jemar chase and t higgins hey i'm gonna i'm gonna pay attention to those games i love because it's gonna be exciting it's going you never know what's going to happen out of that and now with a built-up defense you're saying oh this thing could be wild yeah which i think is a great great job by the uh by the schedulers in the NFL office. Yeah, and that's a great point, Coach, because you think about, you know, with all the number of primetime games and standalone games,

particularly late in the season, and, you know, people on Twitter this week were voicing their displeasure for the dwindling one o'clock windows, well, the Bengals in the early part of the season are going to be one of the best teams in that one o'clock window. And on the West Coast, you wake up and you get to watch Joe Burrow and Jamar chasing. That's going to give the ratings. I mean, that's going to, this is, I didn't even think about it from that sense. That's actually a really good point.

So I think it's, it definitely have the opportunity to ramp up to bank some wins. And here's the thing. In the second half of the regular season, when all your primetime games are there, the Bengals overall this season are only going to play one true road game that's not at 1 o'clock on Sunday. That's really advantageous. It is. It is.

I know this. That's sitting in L.A. last year during the season. And we did, we did the, we did the podcast in November starting out there. very few times did I turn the game on at 10 o'clock and say oh I want to sit down and watch this one it's an exciting game there's an exciting offense on the field you didn't have that opportunity you got it you know it's like okay the one o'clock games you watch the jets play you know whomever and you're going okay all right what's on the other channel yeah what's the one o'clock game you You're always looking for the other game. And I think this really lends itself well to the Bengals and advertising themselves. You know, I know a lot of young kids love the Unis. They love the color combinations that they have.

And so I think that, you know, if they get to see them on television and they get to see Joe Burrow, they only hear about them. And so I think that really enhances the franchises coming out party, so to speak. And especially because the Bengals play both of the AFC West and the NFC West divisions next year. So you're going to see what this new look Bengals team looks like. And if you can keep both of the core from this year to next year, you now know what you're getting. So that's an advantage in the Bengals schedule. There are some other advantages in the second half of the regular season. You may not think that, but we're going to tell you why it actually is.

an advantageous second half of the schedule. Back next on the Bengals Squad Show. This edition of the Bengals Squad Show is brought to you by FanDuel. The NBA playoffs are here and every possession matters. If you're looking to get even closer to the action, then FanDuel has a great offer to get you started because right now new customers can bet just $5 and get 150 bonus bets if your first bet wins. That's right.

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Animx playoff basketball even more engaging from start to finish. Tonight, two game sixes, we got the pistons at the calves. The calves looking to close out the series. I like the over 209 and a half. And I like the calves at minus three and a half. to cover and win outright. Game 6, San Antonio, Minnesota. I like the Spurs to cover five and a half, and I'm going to take the over at 218 and a half. Right now, head to FanDuel.com to get started. FanDuel, play your game. Coach, NFL schedule release day to me is like a holiday for NFL fans in the spring.

So I want to take the moment. And obviously, if you want more on that, you can check out the Buccaneer Squad show and then the Seahawks spot show. but the Buccaneers schedule, coach, obviously the Bengals are playing the Buccaneers in week one. But your Buccaneers, they have some other primetime games that are really interesting, including week nine Sunday night football against the Bears, Thursday night football, week five at Dallas, and then a week 12 Monday night game after Thanksgiving against the Panthers, which is suddenly a rivalry rekindled again. Well, you know what, and I think that at least the schedule makers have thought that the Bucs will be back. you know, because they put them on those primetime games.

And those are going to be great games. You know what? I mean, you know, Todd Bowles against, you know, going up to Chicago could be an exciting game. Yeah. You know, that, I mean, that right there could be very interesting to see Caleb Williams run around and see if he can create. And then, you know, you got the Bucks going to Carolina. Carolina's on the rise. they've spent an awful lot of resources

trying to rebuild that team because they got awful close last year. I think those things are going to be very, very premier games at that particular point in time. So Tampa Bay's by is in week 10, so right in the middle of the season, that's kind of where you want your buy,

I would think, coach, from what your, from your expressions, their last three games, quick side note, all TBA, the Falcons in week in week 16. Could be a Saturday game, could be a Sunday game. That's a huge division match up there. It's a road game in Atlanta.

They host the Rams the next week. That's a TBA game. It could be Sunday, could be Saturday. And then the Saints game, week 18, as is every game is TBA. Interesting schedule for the bucks. Three primetime games, two on the road, one at home. All right.

So, and then, of course, Bengals, Buckaneers, week one in Cincinnati. So the second half of the schedule, coach, a lot of prime time games, three of them. You got a 425 game with the Chiefs. You got a standalone game in Madrid with the Falcons. And then you have a potential Saturday game with the Colts in week 16. I think it will be Saturday because Kentucky and Indiana are scheduled to play a basketball game

at Lucas Oil Stadium the next day that Sunday, December 27th. But the second half for me is so advantageous for two things. One, no trip out of the Eastern Time Zone. And then two, you're only facing one playoff team in Carolina from last year and they had a losing record. So believe it or not, the second half of the schedule to me is easier than the first half. Yeah, you know what? You look at the second half and you're saying, okay, boys, let's make sure we're healthy going in. We should have already identified our identity of who we are, both on offense and on defense. Absolutely. And you're also looking at,

you know when you're opening up you're opening up with the bucks which is going to be very very challenging um because you do have baker mayfield against joe burrow and a cast of other characters you've got you know the houston texans who you know on defense watching them last year uh they've just basically reloaded that machine can you take advantage of c j trout and forces him to turn the ball over, then that's only, that's an advantageous thing. Now you're going into a situation that's arguably your rival, right, your AFC rival. Yeah. And you're playing Pittsburgh, who is learning a new offensive system. And it's kind of a coin flip. So that's where it comes down to those kinds of games, comes down to the coaching staff, really dissecting those people.

and finding out who they are and what they're capable of doing and how do we work about it on offense and how do we work about it trying to defend them? And I think that that's, you know, still with the unknown of who the quarterback is in Pittsburgh, you know, you don't know. It's going to be, they're going to be crazy. And you don't know what the Browns are going to look like by week 13. I mean, how many times do we go into a season thinking they have their quarterback and then they don't. But week 13, I don't know who that's going to be. So yeah, have they ever had their quarterback? That's, oh, they haven't. No. Thank you, co. Thank you, Coach, for asking the proverbial question that doesn't want to be

asked by Brown's fans, but needs to be asked. Continue, please. Yeah, do you, do they ever know who their quarterback's going to be? You know, they trade the world away for a quarterback who doesn't pan out, it's got a lot of baggage with him. He's still on the team, only because he, You're still paying him. You've got a young guy who was an all pro, who really didn't do much. And they have never had a guy that they can, you know, I would say since Brian Seid from Bernie Kosar. I mean, who is your guy? Well, they had the guy in Baker Mayfield coach.

And what did they do? They let him out in the building. Hey, they don't have. They've got the Johnny Mansell in their locker room right now. Who knows? Well, Johnny Mansell. I didn't think that was going to get referenced. You may have just given me my record prediction for this season when it comes to the Bengals,

because I think they will sweep the Browns, actually. So we'll get to that coming up. Just because I think the Bengals by that time, week 13, you know who you are. Your offensive lines playing well. The Bengals should beat the Browns this year. Are they going to blow them out? No, it's a division game. Four division games in the last nine games, the regular season coach.

I like that because you know who you are. you know who your division opponents are and the Browns well they're the Browns. So there's that. And I also think when you look at the second half of the regular season, five home games, that's really key. Yeah. Oh, yeah. You know what? At that time of year, you know how schizo, the weather in Ohio is.

You could end up beautiful day, awful day, but the Bengals are home. And now you get those people to pack into the stadium. And the hype is up. They're starting to roll. They know the identity and the hootays are going to be out. They are. And you look at the teams you're playing at home and then the second half of the season. So you have the Saints at home in Week 12 could be cold.

I mean, the Saints don't play well in the cold, as you know. And then you go Cleveland and Kansas City. They're also cold weather teams, but you thrive in cold weather. We know Joe Burrow does. You go to Charlotte at Week 15, so it's warmer weather. and then your final road game at the year is indoors in Indianapolis. You can do whatever you want in that game. You don't have to worry about the weather coach.

Right, right. I tell you what, the exciting game to me after looking at the schedule is Patrick Mahomes versus Joe Burrell. Absolutely. And that could be, the ball could be aired out all over the place. You know, and that could be a very, very exciting game. And I'm glad it's scheduled when it is. Yeah. Because you're going to know both.

teams could go into that game really at the top of their game and on the top of their their conferences. Yeah. Or things didn't pan out and now people are trying to stay alive. Each team will be trying to stay alive at that particular point in time. So I think that comes at a great time as well. Stakes will be high in that game. And let's say the Bengals go into that game.

That's week 14, game 13 for them. Let's say like 8 and 4 and 9 and 3. and the Sheaves come in with the same record. You're talking about playing proceeding in that game. I mean, that's how big of a game it could be. And we know when Joe Burrow and Patrick Mahomes and Bengals and Sheeps get together, you never know what the game is, how the game's going to play out. The last time I played was a one-point game.

And every other time before that, the first four times they played against each other, there was a three-point game. It's never been more than a one-score game since 2021. So that tells you how good of a rivalry that is. And then, of course, getting two games at home to end the regular season. Coach, I can't tell you how big it is to get the Baltimore-rable on a Thursday night in Cincinnati. I mean, you see it.

The last four years, the last three years, the Bengals had to do it in Baltimore. So the league owed them one. They gave him it late in the season. You don't know what the stakes are going to be. You want them coming to play you when you're playing your best football. It's on New Year's Eve. And if you play the Colts on that Saturday to Thursday,

that's actually some decent rest. Yeah. You know, it comes at the right time. It comes, you know, you go Saturday and Thursday. And then all of a sudden you get some rest. going into the playoffs, whether you're got to buy or you're playing that very next weekend on the wildcar weekend, you're good to go. I mean, you should be healthy.

You should have all your players in place. And it could end up being, I really like this schedule. I think it's very good. And I know that probably Zach Taylor and the guys on their coaching staff are saying, okay, let's just take them one at a time and we'll see where we're at. We feel good about it. If the biggest complaint is that you don't have a buy after the Madrid game, and that is a big complaint, obviously, we can't dismiss it. But I think all in all, it's a very favorable schedule from that sense. Let's say the Bengals win the AFC North, you could potentially not have to get

on a plane from the week before Christmas to like the third week of January. I can't tell you how big that is. Well, it is. And it really, you're going to get on the plane anyway. But to be able to get on the plane once you get back from Madrid and you're basically in the Eastern time zone. Yeah. It is awesome as a player. Because you know the routine.

You know how it's going to go. Your schedule is set. You can almost prepare yourself for those back-end games. You know, just like we were talking about earlier, the bucks have some to be announced. games. Those aren't bad. You don't even worry about those because you know they're either going to be a one or a four East Coast Times. So you know what? They're going to look at it. They're going to take one game at a time and, hey, travel is travel. You know that at least half of your games are going to be on the road. So you prepare yourself that in order that way and you're good to go.

Yeah. I mean, look, you're used to traveling at this point. I mean, it's the NFL. This is what you sign up for as a player or coach, executive, broadcaster. So it's 17 games, but you get a majority of your home games in the second half of the regular season. That is very advantageous. Don't forget to check out the every day or ad-free episodes and access to a group chat with Jake Liskow and James Rapine and other listeners of the Bengals or of Lockdown Bengals. Tap the link in the show notes or go to lockdown bangles. com. Up next with me and Coach Valero, the first half is tough, but there is a very, very big built-in advantage for the Bengals within that.

We'll get into that conversation next. on the Bengals Squad Show. We are brought to you today by Rocket Money. If I can find the thumbnail for Rocket Money, I know it's in here somewhere. Here it is. Anyway, if you've ever opened your bank account and thought, geez, where did all my money go?

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Let Rocket Money help you reach your financial goals faster. Join at RocketMoney.com slash lockdown. That's rocketmoney.com slash locked on. With Coach Arvillera on the twice a week long-form conversational supplement to lockdown Bengals, The Bengals Squad Show, I'm Alex Frank. Coach, your other former team, the Seattle Seahawks, their schedule released last night, of course, six primetime games for the reigning Super Bowl champions, including opening night. We get a rematch of Super Bowl 60 against the New England Patriots.

You know what? Those are tough games. the six at well-deserved. You know, they are the defending world champions, deserved to be on television. The great thing about it that Seattle did last year is they were not, nobody knew. They came from nowhere.

And they're basically on the moon. So all the East Coast guys have gone to bed by the time Seattle played, and only the diehards actually watched them. Now all of a sudden, everybody all eyes are on you. Their mind is a couple of guys, so that would be interesting. But you have Seattle and New England as the opener.

Yeah, which I can't wait for. That is going to be an exciting game. Hey, I love those Super Bowl rematches, although they're totally different teams. Yeah. It brings the season and everybody's saying, hey, we ended with them, we're starting with them. And it's an exciting game. I know one time we played Pennsylvania in the opener, and we were the defending Super Bowl champs,

and we went on the road. First game of Lincoln Financial Field. I remember this. And we ended up winning. They had Rocky out and the whole deal. So the pomp and pageantry was there. And so that's what this game is all about. Where is that game?

I didn't notice. Well, that game is in Seattle. They're going to raise the banner that night. I mean, it's going to be, I mean, Lord knows who's going to raise the 12th man flag. And obviously for more on the Seahawks, check out the Seacogs squad show with Corbyn K. Smith and the guys, they do a fantastic job, by the way. Really, really good squad show there. Six primetime games for the Seahawks, five at home. That is really, really impressive. It's a great crowd. But I tell you what, we all going to fly all the way out there,

which is great because it's the start, but flying back, that's hard. Yeah. I mean, you're going to get in probably like 8 o'clock in the morning, that Friday morning. The Seahawks also play on Christmas night against the Rams. Remem. of the NFC championship game. That's going to be a really, really fun game, Christmas night in Seattle. I think it's, I like, I think it's interesting, coach, you love, you love the Super Bowl rematch on opening that kickoff. I wasn't a huge fan of it when I found out the possibility of it. But I kind of, you know, let's see if the Seahawks, you know, if what they did against the Patriots was in fact, you know, a statement and a sign that

they're that much better than them, or maybe the Patriots have improved this offseason. As it relates to the Bengals, by the way, the Bengals have the same number of primetime games this year as the Jaguars, the Broncos, the Panthers, and the Chargers, and the commonality there is, Coach. All of those teams made the playoffs last year and the Bengals didn't. So I think that speaks to just how much parity there is in this league. Oh, you know what? I think that nowadays in the National Football League, there is parity.

I think before it was not necessarily parity. It was more or less mediocrity. and then there were the big four teams that were always there. You know, the Kansas cities, the, you know, at that time, Tampa was there. Yeah. You know, so I think that, yeah, New England was always there. You know, I think that the parody in the league now has really, I mean, there's some fine athletes that are running around and some very good coaches that are

teaching them. And I think that the league is where they want it to be at this particular point on. as well as I think that it really bodes well for the Bengals and how they have now created, lack of a better word, Bengals 4.0, you know, they were up, they were down, they were up, they were down. So this is a brand new football team with some star players on it that really everybody in a national football league in the United States wants to see our, they for real? Yes. And with all of these new additions and the great players that they already have on the team, I think that's going to be, it bodes well for the Bengals.

Bodes well for the Bengals, especially when you look at their tough first half of the schedule. Three playoff teams in the first four weeks, all back to back to back weeks two through four at Houston at Pittsburgh and the home against Jacksonville. And don't overlook Tampa Bay. You're going to face, coach, we talk about the interior of the Bengals offensive line, Dylan Fairchild, Ted Carris, and Dalton Reisner, going up against Dexter Lawrence and that defensive line at training camp, iron sharpening iron, which is a good thing because when you face the Texans and their frightening defensive line, Will Anderson, Daniel Hunter and Sheldon Rankins and all those guys, I mean, that's going to be a, that's going to be some street fighting out there.

And then you get Pittsburgh and T.J. Watt and Cam Hayward. And then you get Jacksonville with, I mean, their defense doesn't maybe scare you as much, but they certainly have. have some players and they made the playoffs last year. So you better have a plan for all three of those games and you got to find a way to win the ones you should win. But also, you're going to become battle testing. You come out of that stretch three and one. You're feeling really good about yourself. Absolutely. You know what you talk about the defensive front seven that they're about ready to prepare to play, you know, with especially the down front four that they're going to have to practice against every day.

You know, it's going to, I mean, iron, you know, sharpening iron, absolutely. It changes some techniques up front because how are we going to put, we want to put two bodies on a Dexter Lawrence. Well, now you've got a Jonathan Allen over here who's basically one-on-one. We're over here. We take from Rob from Peter to pay Paul. And so the offensive line coaches are going to have an opportunity to really hone those skills that they are preaching each and every day.

And it's only going to make that front five and six or seven, whoever dressed on game day, that much better players, which in turn is going to help Chase Brown and Joe Burrell. Yeah. Well, and not only that, but like think about Tampa Bay. They have Rubin Bain in their defensive line. How much do we talk about him leading up to the draft before the Bengals made the trade for Dexter Lawrence?

well, now there's your guy, or there was your guy on the other side, on the other side. I mean, like, you've got to have a plan for him. You scouted him. You know him. So you should be ready to go in that game. And if Chase Brown can get going in that first game, like not even San Diego to rush for 100 yards, maybe rush for 75 and have 50 out of the backfield, now you're talking about a defense that, you know, if you can win that line as scrimmage

coach, you can take shots on Tampa Bay's leaky secondary. Absolutely. Absolutely. I think the thing that goes overlooked at, a little bit is Orlando Brown is going to have, I mean, he, you talk about a year with who he's defending or, oh, it's, he's got some challenging, challenging people that are out there that are about ready to come after him. And one of them being his former teammate twice. Oh, funny how you mentioned that. Yeah. You know, him and you got Miles Garrett twice.

You got Ruben Bain and some of those other guys that are coming in. Daniel Hunter. Yeah. You've got, I mean, both of those two guys really got, they better be on their stick. Yeah. Oh, it's funny. You mentioned Trey Hendrickson and the Ravens coach because here's another built-in advantage on the schedule. The Bengals, when they go to Baltimore this year, will be coming off a buy.

They're going to be well-rested. That's really important. Very much so. Hey, it is. You feel good. You're back rested. that those aches and pains are eliminated. Well, not necessarily, but they feel better.

And, you know, so I think it's a great debt right there will be a really good game. You know, what's interesting for me is I think about the first four games and how tough they are, because you're facing three playoffs teams, and you're facing some very stout defensive lines. And, I mean, let's, you played against him, Damico Ryan's. He's completely changed that culture in Houston coach. Wouldn't you say? Absolutely. You know what?

he brought in such a he brought in that nineer culture and that Alabama culture and he is really done has learned from some very very good head coaches and motivators and he knows what he wants and he's putting that team together especially on the defensive side of the ball absolutely and they are playing with his personality and when you're playing against a head coach's personality, that makes it really difficult. Just like people have to play against Zach Taylor's personality on offense. And you can see it with Joe Burrow, they've got weapons. So that's going to be a very excited game. Offensive coach against a defensive coach, really big. And the last time we saw that matchup was on my 25th birthday in 2023,

the Texans came to Cincinnati and beat the bengal. So you kind of have that, you know, feeling in the back of your mind that you want to get to. and payback from that game, which was a shocking loss at the time. But we ultimately now know what the Houston Texans are. Same with the Jaguars. They won 13 games last year. The game in Miami, week five, you may not think it's a tough game. But coach, I'm telling you right now, you cannot look ahead to the buy week after that or to

Baltimore. You've got to focus on going down to Miami. It could be boiling hot to know. You've got to go down there, handle your business, fly back home knowing that, hey, we did what we had to do. We handled and we met our expectations. Hey, sell out because you've got a buy week on the back end of it. Absolutely.

Yeah. You have a dolphin seems you could do whatever you want against. Well, you know, and the great thing about it is you don't know where they're going to be at this particular point in time. No. You know, because they've gone very, very under the radar for a long time. They've got new blood in the building. You don't know how all it takes is a spark. You know, whether it be a guy in Detroit like a, like, like.

like they have or in New England with Rable, you know what? That spark, all he's got to do is start that fire and it will flow through that locker room. And I think that that's going to be very interesting. The thing, I think the key that the Bengals need to do is those, there are no layups, but games you're supposed to win from a distance, you need to win. And in those games that are toss-ups, you need to compete and show your medal during those games. And now you start to have a breakout season. When the games you're supposed to win, steal a game or two that you're not supposed to,

and then go 500 in the tough games. And then you're talking about being in the playoffs. And we know what Joe Burrow can do when the Bengals get to the playoffs. Let's talk about the AFC North Primetime Games Week 10 Sunday Night Football against Pittsburgh. I seriously hope Chris Collinsworth gets in the Bengals Ring of Honor this year since he'll be on the call. for that game. That'd be really cool. And then Thursday night football, New Year's Eve against the Baltimore Ravens. It's nice to have the primetime home games against division opponents, because they got to come to your house. You know each other well, but you have the advantage.

I can't tell you, Coach, how important that is. I'm sure you'll agree with me on that. Oh, you don't have to jump on a bus. You know what? You're staying at the hotel. Everything's good, very comfortable. You're sitting there. You drive to the stadium or your wife drives to the stadium and you take the bus in and it's a short ride. You go through your mechanics of how you prepare for the game each and every week. And, you know, those come at a really great time. Yeah, I mean, they do. I mean, middle of November, weather's going to still be good when you play Pittsburgh. It could also be good on New Year's Eve. I mean, last year, three days before New Year's Eve, it was 70 degrees in Cincinnati when the Bengals beat the Cardinals 37 to 8, whatever it was. So, I mean, we definitely know that

those games are going to be big, but I mean, you don't have to worry about going on the road. You got them coming to you. And considering coach that both of those teams have new head coaches, and here's the other question that I have as it relates to the first half of the season when you go to Baltimore in week seven and when you host them in week 17, Derek Henry isn't getting younger. He's got a lot of that last game, he's going to have a lot of pounding on it. And you don't know. not getting younger. He's taking a lot of hits, but he is such a big man that he could deliver

as well as accept. And you want him slowed down a little bit. And it's going to be exciting to see, okay, when you get to that point, you've got, you still got Lamar Jackson, right? You still have, and like last year when the Bengals played the Ravens, they opened up starting to run that big guy. And they ran him. And they ran him. And they were. were moving the ball down the field and all of a sudden Todd Munger decides he wants to start throwing it and they don't get anything out of it. You know what? Because coordinators can't, they just can't allow themselves not to throw the ball and just continue to run it. And with that big creature, shoot, I'd give him the ball

every snap I had. And we'll see what, what kind of Lamar Jackson is at this time. is he trying to be a pure pocket passer or are they going to let him have some free reign and let him pull the ball down when he does because that's how adds an entirely new dimension to their offense. You think about the Ravens with the new head coach, new offensive coordinator, Declan Doyle, we don't really know a lot about him. He was the bear's offensive coordinator last year and then granted the bear's offense was good. But still, that's, I mean, that's largely unproven.

And again, Derek Henry by the time, week 17 rolls around. I mean, he's going into his 12th season, I'm sorry, 11th season in the NFL. Lamar Jackson's going into his ninth season. He's also had some injuries, including last year. So there are some built-in advantages, even though that first half is tough. And you better find a way to win the games you're supposed to win and then steal a game or two that you're not supposed to win. Up next, we haven't talked about it. Well, we have actually, but we will again, go inside the matchup against the Falcons,

plus our early record predictions for the 2006 Bengals season. That conversation next on the Bengal Squad Show. This episode of the Bengals Squad Show is brought to you by Cal She. The 26 NFL schedule release is here and now you can trade every game on Calci. Schedule release always sparks to base who's overrated, who got a brutal stretch and which teams are actually playoff contenders. Maybe you think the Bengals are. Cali lets you trade on those predictions in a live market from total wins to playoff chances and championship futures. On Cali, you can trade on real NFL questions like whether a team makes the playoffs or reaches a certain win total.

As the season outlook changes, you can buy in or out of your position live and it's available in all 50 states. So it's easy to jump in and follow along with the season, for example. If you think a team, their schedule is set up perfectly for a playoff run, you can actually trade on that prediction before the season even starts. On Cali, you're trading against peers in a live market, meaning there's no house. And as the probability changes, you can buy in and out. of your position. Trade the draft pick, the game, and more on Cal She. For a limited time, dumple the Cal She app and use code locked on to get $10 when you trade 10. K-A-L-S-H-I. Cal-She trade on anything. Here's the thing that we haven't really talked about yet when it comes

coach to the game in Madrid against the Atlanta Falcons. It's a really interesting matchup. That it is. You know, hey, it's Kevin Stravansky against Zach Taylor and overseas, playing in the United States, a very early morning game. So everybody's got to get up for that one. It's going to be, it will be very interesting. We'll see what kind of quarterback that Atlanta has, as Pennix says he got healed up, is he ready to go defensively? Have they been able to reload?

I know that they've got some, they've got one of arguably, one of the best old line coaches in the league. They're in Atlanta now, and I think that he created when Cincinnati was rolling and got Kevin Sampski, basically, to coach of the year honors. So I think that it's going to be exciting to see what they do. It is. I mean, Atlanta, you know what they can do? They can run the football. They have a very stout offensive line.

They have, you know, Kyle Pitts their tight end. You can beach it in multiple different ways. Drake London on the outside is a big play receiver. The Bengals defense is going to have to have a solid game plan for that. that game. And then offensively for the Bengals, the Falcons defense doesn't really scare you, but they do have some dudes up front. They also have Xavier Watts on the back end, plus Jesse Bates and AJ Terrell. So it's going to be a very nip and tuck game. You're going overseas. I mean, it might be a feeling now kind of thing in the first half, you know, seeing the field, the stadium, all that. But when push comes to shove, you would take Joe Burrow over whoever the Falcons have out there, whether it be Tuwa or whether it's Michael Pennix,

here. Absolutely. I mean, the Bengals shouldn't walk into a game, into a quarterback type game, without knowing they have the advantage. You know, even when they walk into Kansas City, they've got the advantage because Joe Burrow is proven healthy. Right now, we still don't know about Patrick Mahomes. And, but he'll be well into it by that time. But I think going to Atlanta, I mean, going into Madrid, which is an awesome place. It will be very interesting to see how the adjustment in time, how the adjustment with the travel really works out for them. I know they'll be running around.

They'll get there probably a week early just to make sure that everything, their feet are on the ground. It should be a good game. They play Tennessee in week eight, which my cousin thinks, my cousin tells me that could be. a draft game and I'm not going to dismiss that. I mean, you play Baltimore the week before. You host Tennessee at home. It's a game you should win. But are you looking too far ahead to the Madrid game? I don't know. The Falcons game, you're not looking at all because you're going

overseas. I mean, and look, you want to put on a show. I love what Joe Burrough says. You know, when he when he said that the Bengals have the opportunity to grow their brand and grow the game by going over to Madrid and he linked it to Michael Jordan and the Bowls in the 90s. I mean, that's a really, really understanding what this is and understanding the magnitude the Bengals going overseas. Well, you know what, it is. And that's what all of those European games or the international games are, is their branding opportunities for the league and for each team.

I know this that having spent last spring in Europe, you don't see a lot of Bengals gear. I mean, they are NFL ready. The Europeans are. And they'll wear every throwback jersey. You got some real old throwback. back jerseys, but you know what? It's a part of creating a brand for the player and for the team and for the national football league and you're playing good football and you're playing a winnable opponent. You know, it's a different thing as if you're going over there and you're,

you know, you're obviously not playing somebody that's up to par at that particular point in time. So it's going to be, it'll be good. It'll be good for the league. It will be, especially if the Bengals go into that, let's say five and two and you're, you're talking about, you know, you're a good team and maybe Atlanta surprises people this year. They have some very nice pieces. And if Tua and Kevin Stofansky or Pennix and Kevin Stifansky can, you know, they can work in harmony, I'm telling you, that game could be very, very good. And the last time Joe Borough played the Falcons was in 2022.

All he did in that game is throw for 481 yards and three touchdowns in that game, 345 of those in the first half. All right, we got about five to 10 minutes left here on the Bengals Squad show today on this Friday morning, beautiful St. Petersburg, Florida coach is somewhere in Texas. It's so big. I mean, it could be anywhere for all. I know. Arlington, right now. Arlington, okay. We're getting on a bus and driving to Fort Hood military installation.

And we are playing the Dallas Renegades there. First time a professional game ever has been played on a military base. Wow. So no one, there is no friend and family. the only the people that are going to be there to show for the game are all we've got a captured audience that's all military personnel and that's incredible are going to be at the game so it's it's an exciting day for the ufell that's incredible that really is incredible i'm so happy for both of both the teams you guys the Orlando storm five and two playoff push is on just three games remaining coach

we'll see what happens tonight uh with you guys against the renegades. All right. Bengals, 2026 schedule. We'll go game by game briefly. Win loss, straight up. Week one,

home against Tampa Bay. I'm going to give, I'm going to give the nod to Joe Burr to the Bengals. I will too. I'm going to go with a win. I think the Bengals secondary is going to test the Buccaneers new look receiving core. I think the Bengals win a very nip and tuck game 2320.

Week two at Houston. Here we go with this one. You know what? I've got to go. Wow, you know what? Very close game. Defensively, if they're still trying to find themselves, they've got enough to be able to stop Houston. But I don't know about Domingo Ryan's and that defense is going to be good. I got to go with Houston. Houston opens at home against Buffalo in week one and Cincinnati in week two. I'm going to pick the Texans to win this game. It's going to be low scoring. The Texans aren't the best team in September either.

They started 0-1-3 last year before they ripped off 12 wins in their last 14 games. I'm going to say the Texans win 20 to 13. So questions maybe about the Bengals offense through two weeks. We go to week three in Pittsburgh. Wow. Don't want to pick that one. Don't want to pick that one. You know what?

The rivalry plays so much in Pittsburgh. I think the first two games will show what the Bengals are capable of. and I got to go with the Bengals in that one. I'm going to go with the Bengals as well. I think their offense shows up. I think they make enough plays. I think the defense gets some turnovers to help compliment the offense. I'll say the Bengals win that game 28 to 21.

Week four at home against Jacksonville. Don't overlook the Jaguars coach. They won their division last year. Well, hey, you got Trevor Lawrence coming in. Pretty healthy defense at that time, hopefully. That again, that's a toss-up. But you know what? Just to make things interesting, I'm going to go with Jacksonville.

Oh, okay. So we're going to differ here. I'm going to pick the Bengals. I'll be in a close one. I'm going to say 27, 24. They get it done. Week 5 in Miami. Oh, I've got to go with the Bengals.

I think the Bengals offense rolls. I think they don't look ahead of the buy. I think they do. I think they have a very good day in Miami. I'll say 38 to 21. They win in Miami. So 4 and 1 going into the buy. You're at 3 and 2.

going into the by week seven at the Ravens. I say that I like Joe Burrow in Baltimore. I've got to go with the Bengals. It's a tough one for me. I'm going to pick the Ravens in a very close one. I know it's a one o'clock game, so it should favor the Bengals, and they also won in prime time last year.

But I'm going to have to go, the Bengals coming out of the Bay. You just never know. I think a slow start kind of dooms them in this game. I'll say the Ravens win this game 3124. But four and two for both of us now, week eight against the Titans. I'm telling you right now, coach, you can't overlook Tennessee. No, you can't.

And, you know, quarterback is still unproven. But he's going to turn the ball over. You know, he'll turn the ball over a couple of times. Still don't have a, or to this day, going into the season, a great running game. So I got to go with the Bengals. Okay, I'm going to go with the Bengals as well, because I do like the pick of Cardinal and Tate to Tennessee. Robert Salas, a good coach, but he's also better as a defense coordinator. I think the Bengals handled their business in this one. I'll say 3417. All right,

let's go to, actually, I'll say 3420, just because I don't know if the defense is going to be that much improved. I think they will be improved, but I'll know about that much. All right, let's go to Madrid against the Falcons week nine. Okay, long way away. I'll go, I got to go with the Bengals. I'm going to go with the Bengals as well. 31, 28. Evan McPherson will hit a game winning field goal. as time expires. So we're both at six and two for the Bengals, week 10, home against the Steelers on Sunday night football. Oh, you know what? Six and two, at this point in time, if you told me after eight games, we were going to be six and two, I'd take it. But I got to go with Pittsburgh on this. I think they will split their series with the Steelers.

I'm going to go to the opposite and say they sweep the Steelers. I'm going to pick the Bengals to win this game. I think their offense shows out in this game. I'm going to say 35, 28, the Bengals beat the Steelers. Week 11 at Washington, Monday night football. Reduced Washington commanders. Dan Quinn will come up with some kind of scheme to be able to handle Joe Burrell, but not enough. I think the defense is going there. Washington will turn the ball over. And I think that in that case, I got to go with the Bengals. Washington is really interesting for me. I don't like the Bengals playing there.

It's in week 11, six years ago. Week 11, Joe Burroughs knee was shredded. The good news for them is Jonathan Allen is now on their team. He was the guy that ran into Burrow on that play six years ago. Unfortunately, I am going to go with the commanders in this game. I'm going to say 34, 31. Slight setback for the Bengals, 7 and 3. Week 12, the Bengals are home to the Saints.

Oh, you know what? My son's coaching on the Saints, but you know what? I'm a realist. Wow. You've got to show me. Yeah, I'm one of those guys. It's a show me game, and you have to show me that you've made improvements. And at this time, I think, with what the Bengals front office has done, they've gotten out of that New Orleans kind of area. And so I got to go with the Bengals. I'll take the Bengals as well. I think it'll be a closer game than some might think. I'll say 34 to 24, the Bengals get the win. So we're both at 8 and 3 through week 12. Bengals at Brown's week 13.

Oh, they've got to, I'm going with the Bengals. I'll take the Bengals 2320, very nip and tuck game, but they get it done. week 14 tough day for uh orlando brown well giving some help yeah yeah needless to say week 14 home to the chiefs they you know what i got to go with the chiefs i think yep Andy Reid understands how to play in in games like this although it'd be a shootout I still have to go with with Andy Reed. I'm going to pick the Chiefs as well. I think in a very close game, obviously, I'm going to go 37 to 34, so a very, very close game. We go to week 15 at the Carolina Panthers, not an easy bounce back game after the Chiefs. It's not. And I'm going to tell you what,

I think Carolina steals one on that one. I think the Panthers played the Bengals tough, but I will take the Bengals to win this game. Evan McPherson with another game winning field goal. Bengals escape Carolina. I'm going to say 30 to 27. They went, actually, I'm going to go, yeah, I'll say 30, 27. Week 16 at the Colts. Drive down the road. I think a lot of it depends on.

Is it the first part of the Bengals or the Colts or is it the second half of the Colts? They don't finish well. I've got to go with the Bengals. Interesting there. I'm going to pick the Colts in this one. This is a game that actually I'm a little more nervous for because Luana Ruma, former Bengals, Defensive Coordinator, plus they have Jermaine Pratt and Cam Taylor Brits.

They know the Bengals well. I'm going to take the Colts 24, 21. So the Bengals at 10 and 5, you're at 10 and 5. Yeah, 10 and 5. Thursday night football, week 17, New Year's Eve against the Ravens. You know what? New Year's Eve, people are toasting. I'm going to toast the Bengals on this one.

I think the Bengals are going to be ticked coming into this game. If how I have this, if I have them if their season playing out. I think they light up the scoreboard. I'm going to go 42 to 28. The Bengals win. Joe Barrow throws for 500 yards in that game. Whoa. So now 11 and 5, maybe the Bengals have wrapped up the AFC North.

Week 18, home against the Browns. Oh, they sweep the Browns. Yep. I think the Browns are at that particular point in time. The only one that they got to stop is Miles Garrett from. And he may not even play that game. Yeah. It depends on what.

is that. If he's close to another record, his own record? Yeah, hang on. I think the Bengals win that game. They may play their backups, and if they do, I still think they win. I'll say 23 to 17. So 12 and 5 is what you and I have, the Bengals going. I'm not sure where that will put him in the playoffs. I think 12 and 5 wins the AFC North in a very new look, AFC North this season. Look, this is going to be a fun season. We got much more on the NFL schedule coming your way next Tuesday. Jake Lisco will join us on Tuesday for the Bengals Squad show. You and I are back on Friday. Looking forward to that as we enter Memorial Day weekend, week eight of the UFL season tonight. Coach, your one key to tonight's game for you guys. Oh, you know what? The thing that we have to do, and every game is

nip and tuck in this league, the way the rules are, which we still have not put a complete game together. And what I mean by that is defensively, they played well. They held us up. Special teams has always done that. And now it's time for us on offense to put some, put some plays on the board to execute the offense. And I think we'll be okay. It's exciting. We're excited to go up there to play. I think it's going to be in great environment. And we look at it as in terms of, hey, we're paying these guys back for allowing us to do our job. jobs and by entertaining them. And that goes a long, long way because I know for as old as I am, I wouldn't be able

to do this for as long as I have if it wasn't for the people on that army base. And we thank everybody that will be there tonight for their service to this great country that we live in. For Coach Ard-Fallero, I'm Alex Frank and Frankie underscore Nattie. Thank you for watching the Bengals Quay Show this morning, the twice a week, long-form conversational supplemental supplement to the daily lockdown bengals podcast hosted by james rapine and jake lisko for more on the every day or club visit lockdown podcast.com slash every day or have a great weekend we will talk to you on tuesday right here on the bengal squad show coach safe travels and good luck tonight in your game

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