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          NFL Nation

          Cincinnati Bengals' schedule has rough road early again

          A.J. Green and the Bengals have three of their first four games on the road in 2019. Andy Lyons/Getty Images
          • Katherine Terrell, ESPN Staff WriterApr 18, 2019, 12:17 AM
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              Katherine Terrell came back to ESPN to cover the New Orleans Saints in the summer of 2022. She left the company in 2019 after joining in 2016 to cover the Cincinnati Bengals. Katherine is a graduate of LSU and a Baton Rouge, Louisiana, native, and she has covered the NFL since 2013. You can follow Katherine on Twitter: @Kat_Terrell
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          The NFL has released its 2019 regular-season schedule. Here's a look at what's in store for the Cincinnati Bengals:

          Game-by-game prediction

          Bengals reporter Katherine Terrell is predicting an 8-8 finish:

          Sept. 8: at Seattle, Loss

          Sept. 15: vs. 49ers, Win

          Sept. 22: at Buffalo, Win

          Sept. 30: at Pittsburgh (Monday), Loss

          Oct. 6: vs. Arizona, Win

          Oct. 13: at Baltimore, Win

          Oct. 20: vs. Jacksonville, Loss

          Oct. 27: vs. L.A. Rams (at London), Loss

          Nov. 10: vs. Baltimore, Loss

          Nov. 17: at Oakland, Win

          Nov. 24: vs. Pittsburgh, Win

          Dec. 1: vs. New York Jets, Win

          Dec. 8: at Cleveland, Loss

          Dec. 15: vs. New England, Loss

          Dec. 22: at Miami, Win

          Dec. 29: vs. Cleveland, Loss

          Strength of schedule: .473 (T-20th)

          Breakdown

          There's no doubt about it: This is a tough schedule. The Bengals have to play the Patriots and the Rams, who were both in the Super Bowl last year, a 49ers team that will get quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo back, and an improved Browns team that beat them twice last season. The organization has been trying to find the spark to get the fans back into the stands at Paul Brown Stadium, but if they struggle early on the road, they might not see the fans come back all year. Unlike previous seasons, there's no real "break" in the schedule. The opponents that seem like the biggest challenge are spread throughout the season.

          Quick start needed

          The league schedule makers didn't exactly take it easy on new coach Zac Taylor. The Bengals start off at CenturyLink Field in Seattle, historically one of the toughest venues to play in the NFL, then have to travel to Buffalo in Week 3 and to Pittsburgh in Week 4 on Monday Night Football. The Bengals haven't beaten Pittsburgh since 2015. If the Bengals play like they did last September, when they finished 3-1 despite going on the road three times, they have a fighting chance. But if the 2018 late-season Bengals show up, things could be over before it even really starts.

          Logging mileage

          This could be the most air miles the Bengals ever log in one season. Their four longest trips: at Seattle, against the Rams in London, at Oakland and at Miami add up to almost 10,000 miles of travel. This might be an exhausted team by the time they get to December, where they'll face the Browns twice in addition to the Patriots.