The Bengals' 2015 preseason schedule, released Thursday by the NFL, features a game at Tampa Bay, home dates against the New York Giants and Chicago Bears, and the renewal of Cincinnati's long-running preseason series against regional rival Indianapolis.
In the 2015 preseason, the Bengals will be preparing their bid for a fifth straight trip to the playoffs. The Bengals are one of only four NFL teams to make the playoffs each of the last four years.
The only preseason game whose exact date and kickoff time is presently known is game two, on Mon., Aug. 24 at Tampa Bay. The game will be part of the NFL's Monday Night Football package. Dates and kickoff times for the other three games are to be announced later this month, and those games will be on the Bengals Preseason TV Network.
Season tickets are available now through the Bengals Ticket Hotline at 866-621-8383 (TDTD) or online through Bengals.com. Dates and times for home games in the regular season have not yet been announced, but it's known that in addition to AFC North Division rivals Baltimore, Cleveland and Pittsburgh, the Bengals will host defending NFC champion Seattle (also the 2013 Super Bowl winner) along with Houston, Kansas City, St. Louis and San Diego.
The preseason opener will be during the weekend of Aug. 13-17, against the Giants. It will mark only the second time in the last nine years for Cincinnati to open preseason at home. The Bengals will seek to win against the Giants in preseason for the first time. New York leads the brief series 3-0, and the only previous Giants visit to Cincinnati in preseason was in 1993.
The second preseason home game, against Chicago, will be in week three, on the weekend of Aug. 27-31. The Bengals are 6-3 against the Bears all-time in preseason. The teams have not met in preseason since 2001, and the last Bears preseason visit to the Queen City, on Aug. 19, 2000, was the first Bengals game at Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals won, 24-20.
The preseason finale at Indianapolis will be played on Sept. 3 or 4. The game will be the 23rd preseason meeting between the two teams in the last 24 years, and the 24th meeting overall. The Bengals lead the series 15-8. Cincinnati vs. Indianapolis is the closest geographical rivalry among cities in the AFC, with a driving distance of 110 miles.
