The Cincinnati Bengals could enter New Year’s Eve with a lot riding on their final matchup of 2026.
CBS Sports’ Bryan DeArdo named Cincinnati’s Week 17 home game against the Baltimore Ravens among 10 matchups that could define the upcoming NFL season. The AFC North rivals meet Dec. 31 at 8:15 p.m. ET on Prime Video.
"The league couldn't have picked a better game to show on New Year's Eve," DeArdo wrote. "It's a showdown between division rivals whose games against each other always seem to go down to the wire."
DeArdo pointed to potential playoff ramifications along with the star power of Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry. He also noted the matchup could tilt the scales of an NFL MVP race if Burrow and Jackson are both in contention
late in the year.
Slotting between a Week 16 trip to Indianapolis and a Week 18 home finale against Cleveland, it will be Cincinnati’s second meeting with Baltimore after the Bengals travel to M&T Bank Stadium in Week 7.
The teams split their two meetings last season. Cincinnati won 32-14 in Baltimore on Thanksgiving before the Ravens answered with a 24-0 win at Paycor Stadium in December.
Assuming the AFC North remains unsettled into the final two weeks, this year’s meeting could hold massive implications.
This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals-Ravens 'down to the wire' matchup among NFL's best in 2026
