How the 2024 NFL Schedule Is Very Much Unfavorable To Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals have the NFL’s worst Prep and Rest schedule of 2024.

It was the NFL’s worst before I even accounted for the insane string of “three games in 10 days” late in the season.

The Bengals play three short-week road games:

• Week 4 in Carolina on a Sunday after a Monday night game Week 3
• Week 10 in Baltimore on Thursday after a Sunday game Week 9
• Week 15 in Tennessee on Sunday after a Monday night game Week 14

No team plays more than three short-week road games this year.

Bengals supporters should be frustrated because in 2023, they were one of three teams required to play three short-week road games (the most in the NFL). So, in back-to-back years, the Bengals will play three short-week road games, the most in the NFL. I mentioned the teams’ record in these games before (scroll up to read), and it isn’t good. Furthermore, it gets noticeably worse later in the season. The Bengals also play five games against teams that have had more than seven days to prepare. Only five teams play more of these contests.

Cincinnati is ranked #24 in “net” games against opponents who have more or less than a week to prepare (-3). The Bengals’ Week 12 bye week is partially negated because the Steelers play on Thursday night in Week 12 and have a mini-bye prior to that game. The Bengals are one of the teams playing three games in ten days, and they have a rest disadvantage in all of them.

• Week 14 Monday night in Dallas – Dallas has a three-day rest edge because Dallas played the prior Thursday
• Week 15 Sunday in Tennessee – Tennessee has a one-day rest edge because Cincy is off MNF
• Week 15 Thursday vs. Cleveland – Cleveland did not play three games in 10 days, so hasn’t been strained like Cincy entering this game.

The bottom line is that for most of their toughest games on the schedule, rest is working against the Bengals:

• Week 2 vs. the Chiefs in Kansas City – KC is off a Thursday game and thus a mini-bye
• Week 10 vs. the Ravens in Baltimore – Short-week road game
• Week 14 vs. the Cowboys in Dallas – DAL is off a Thursday game and thus a mini-bye.

The Bengals play the #6 easiest schedule based on opponents faced per my strength of schedule calculation.

But their net rest edge is -2 (#9 worst), and the timing of some of their games will be tricky to navigate.