Adam Schein: Bengals biggest schedule winner

Adam Schein said on his “Schein Time” show that the Cincinnati Bengals were the biggest winners of the NFL’s 2026 schedule release, a judgment that circulated in early reaction pieces after the league unveiled the full slate on May 14. Yahoo Sports summarized Schein’s call in a May 17 article and linked it to Cincinnati’s week-by-week path through the season. The Bengals’ schedule gives Cincinnati seven games before November without a standalone prime-time assignment, according to Yahoo Sports’ published schedule. That run includes a Week 6 bye, a Week 9 international game against the Atlanta Falcons in Madrid, and later home dates against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens. (sports.yahoo.com) ### What exactly did Adam Schein say about Cincinnati? Adam Schein said Cincinnati was the “biggest winner” of the schedule release and used the segment to make a broader forecast for the season. Yahoo Sports quoted Schein as saying, “Here’s the bold prediction. Bengals win the division,” and added that he said the team would lose “at most” one game after Nov. 1. (sports.yahoo.com) Yahoo Sports said Schein tied that view to the shape of Cincinnati’s schedule as much as to the roster. The article said Schein has been publicly bullish on the Bengals through the offseason and that the schedule release reinforced that position. ### Which parts of the Bengals’ schedule support that argument? Yahoo Sports’ schedule listing shows Cincinnati opening at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sept. 13, then playing at Houston, at Pittsburgh, home against Jacksonville and at Miami before its Week 6 bye. (sports.yahoo.com) All five of those games before the bye are set for 1 p.m. Eastern starts. The second half includes several nationally visible dates. Cincinnati hosts Atlanta in Madrid at 9:30 a.m. Eastern on Nov. 8, hosts Pittsburgh on Sunday Night Football on Nov. 15, visits Washington on Nov. 23 for Monday Night Football, hosts Baltimore on Dec. 31 for Thursday Night Football, and closes against Cleveland in Week 18. (sports.yahoo.com) Yahoo Sports’ reaction coverage also noted one scheduling complication. The outlet said the Bengals do not have a week off immediately after the Madrid game, a logistical issue that drew attention in first-day reactions to the schedule. ### Why did early coverage mention the Giants too? Yahoo Sports’ team schedule page for the New York Giants showed a nationally prominent start, beginning with Dallas on Sunday Night Football in Week 1 and the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football in Week 2. (sports.yahoo.com) The Giants also have a Thursday night home game against Washington in Week 10 and a Monday night trip to Detroit in Week 16. (sports.yahoo.com) That placement made New York part of the early “beneficiaries” conversation in schedule-release reaction coverage, alongside Cincinnati. The Giants’ slate includes four standalone windows and a Week 8 bye, according to Yahoo Sports’ published schedule. ### What is actually on the calendar now for Cincinnati? The NFL’s released schedule, as published by Yahoo Sports, sets Cincinnati’s opener for Sept. 13 against Tampa Bay at Paycor Stadium. (sports.yahoo.com) The Bengals then face the Falcons in Madrid on Nov. 8, the Chiefs at home on Dec. 13, the Ravens at home on Dec. 31, and the Browns in Week 18 on a date and time still to be determined. May 14 was the formal release date for the full 2026 NFL schedule, and the next fixed milestone for Cincinnati is that Sept. 13 opener against the Buccaneers. Yahoo Sports’ listing also identifies the Nov. 8 Madrid game and the Dec. 31 Ravens matchup as two of the Bengals’ most prominent dates on the 17-game slate. (sports.yahoo.com)