For the second time in three seasons, the Washington Commanders will face the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football
After taking a look at early season matchups against the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, Seattle Seahawks, Indianapolis Colts, New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams, we dive into the Washington Commanders' week 11 opponent when they host the Cincinnati Bengals at Northwest Stadium on Monday Night Football.
It will also mark the first meeting between the two teams since Washington pulled out a 38-33 win over Cincinnati on Monday Night Football during the 2024 season, but can quarterback Jayden Daniels find similar late game magic to pull out the late season win?
2025 Record: 6-11, third in Division
Key Players: Joe Burrow, Tee Higgins, Jamarr Chase, Dexter Lawrence, DJ Turner, Chase Brown, Orlando Brown, Dax Hill
Key Losses: Trey Hendrickson, Joseph Ossai, Noah Fant, Geno Stone, Cam Taylor-Britt
Key Additions: Dexter Lawrence, Boye Mafe, Bryan Cook, Jonathan Allen
How They Fared: Joe Burrow missed over two months after suffering turf toe in Week 2 against the Jaguars. During his time off the field, the Bengals went from 2-0 to 3-8, essentially ending their season before he returned. While Burrow did everything he could to get them back in the playoff race, destroying the Ravens 32-14 on Thanksgiving in Baltimore, it was too much to overcome, and the team lost their next two games. In the nine games without Burrow, the team had Joe Flacco and Jake Browning start for them, and the two combined for one win. It didn’t seem to stop the best receiving duo in the league, as Ja’Marr Chase caught at least 100 passes for the third straight year, while Tee Higgins caught 11 touchdowns. Running back Chase Brown rushed for over 1000 yards for the first time in his career. While the offense did everything they could to overcome the loss of Burrow, it wasn’t enough to help out their defense. The team lost pass rusher Trey Hendrickson for 10 games, and no one on the team had at least six sacks in 2025. The defense gave up the second-most yards and the third-most points last year. They were also the worst in the league at stopping the run, giving up the most yards out of all 32 teams. While losing Burrow was rough, the defense’s performance is what did the Bengals in.
2026 Expectations:
DraftKings has the Bengals at the second-best odds to win the AFC North behind the Ravens. They are tied with the Denver Broncos with the 13th-best odds to win the Super Bowl. This season will depend on both the health of Burrow and how the defense performs with the new pieces on the team.
Key Matchup:
Secondary vs Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins:
Chase and Higgins have been the best receiver duo since the team drafted the former fifth overall in 2021. In that time, Chase has caught 520 passes for 6837 yards and 54 touchdowns, while Higgins has had 322 catches for 4533 yards and 39 touchdowns. When the two are on the field together, it’s a case of ‘pick your poison’ of who deserves the most coverage. Chase’s breakaway speed in the open field makes him hard to catch. Higgins, meanwhile, has one of the best catch radii in the league. The two would be problem enough for veteran corners, let alone the third-year Mike Sainristil and second-year Trey Amos. These two will have to prepare for anything and everything with the receiving duo.
