Five of the Bengals’ six division games are in the season’s second half. Beginning on Nov. 13, when defending AFC Champion Pittsburgh comes to Paul Brown Stadium, the Bengals will play four division games in four weeks. Following the Steelers game, Cincinnati will visit Baltimore, host Cleveland and visit Pittsburgh.
For the first time since 1996, the Bengals will play their first two games on the road. They open at Cleveland on Sept. 11 and visit Denver on Sept. 18. But Cincinnati will close with two home games for the first time since 1997, as Arizona will visit the week before the finale vs. Baltimore.
“I’m excited not only to have our last two at home, but three of our last four,” said ninth-year head coach Marvin Lewis. “And obviously the stretch of division games in November and December is going to be a key for us.”
The home opener vs. San Francisco on Sept. 25 will be the latest home opener in franchise history. The previous latest date was in 1972, when Pittsburgh visited Riverfront Stadium on Sept. 24.
The Bengals’ first three games will be against teams with new head coaches for 2011. Pat Shurmur is taking over in Cleveland (Sept. 11), former Carolina coach John Fox will direct Denver (Sept. 18), and Jim Harbaugh has assumed the reins in San Francisco (Sept. 25).
Cincinnati will open a season against the state rival Browns for the first time since 2005, when the Bengals kicked off an 11-5 division championship year with a 27-13 win at Cleveland.
Seven of the final eight games -- in Weeks 10-15 and 17 -- will be subject to possible kickoff time changes under the NFL’s flexible scheduling program. Any of the seven games could be switched to late afternoon kickoffs, or to night kickoffs on NBC’s Sunday Night Football. The last Bengals game affected by flex scheduling was the 2009 season finale at the New York Jets, which was switched from Sunday afternoon to Sunday night.
Week 16 games, most occurring on Christmas Eve (Sat., Dec. 24) will not be subject to flex scheduling. The Bengals will host Arizona on Dec. 24 at 1 p.m.
Also today, full details on the Bengals preseason schedule are announced. Both preseason home games will be on Thursdays at 7 p.m., on Aug. 25 vs. Carolina and Sept. 1 vs. Indianapolis.
CINCINNATI BENGALS 2011 SCHEDULE All times are Eastern. An asterisk (*) denotes a game subject to flexible scheduling.
PRESEASON (day, date, opponent, time) Fri., Aug. 12, at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. Sun., Aug. 21, at N.Y. Jets, 7 p.m. Thurs., Aug. 25, CAROLINA, 7 p.m. Thurs., Sept. 1, INDIANAPOLIS, 7 p.m.
REGULAR SEASON (day, date, opponent, time) Sun., Sept. 11, at Cleveland, 1 p.m. Sun., Sept. 18, at Denver, 4:15 p.m. Sun., Sept. 25, SAN FRANCISCO, 1 p.m. Sun., Oct. 2, BUFFALO, 1 p.m. Sun., Oct. 9, at Jacksonville, 1 p.m. Sun., Oct. 16, INDIANAPOLIS, 1 p.m. Sun., Oct. 23, — BYE — Sun., Oct. 30, at Seattle, 4:15 p.m. Sun., Nov. 6, at Tennessee, 4:05 p.m. Sun., Nov. 13, PITTSBURGH*, 1 p.m. Sun., Nov. 20, at Baltimore*, 1 p.m. Sun., Nov. 27, CLEVELAND*, 1 p.m. Sun., Dec. 4, at Pittsburgh*, 1 p.m. Sun., Dec. 11, HOUSTON*, 1 p.m. Sun., Dec. 18, at St. Louis*, 1 p.m. Sat., Dec. 24, ARIZONA, 1 p.m. Sun., Jan. 1, BALTIMORE*, 1 p.m.