The Bengals prepare for their first game of the season versus the Browns

Xander Bailey, Staff

September 2, 2025

Overhead view of PayCore Stadium Home of the Cincinnati Bengals for 25 years Courtesy of Kelly on Pexels

On Sep. 7, 2025, the Cincinnati Bengals will step onto the field for the first regular-season game in the National Football League (NFL). The Cincinnati Bengals have been a team since 1968, and so far, they have been to the Super Bowl only three times. In comparison, the Pittsburgh Steelers have been to the Super Bowl eight times.

The Bengals and the Browns have faced each other eight times in week one. The Browns are the most frequent week one opponent for the Bengals. The most recent season opener between the two teams was in 2023, and they are set to face each other in week one of the NFL season.

This year, the Bengals have made many trades and drafted, and also signed several new people. For example, the Bengals signed Trey Hendrickson and Noah Fant. They signed him for one year. The Bengals also signed Shemar Stewart along with former Cincinnati Bearcats Quarterback Desmond Ridder.

“I am very happy that Trey Hendrickson got signed. We have needed to do that for a while,” Braden McDowell (10) said.

There is some controversy about how the Bengals will do. There have been major changes in the Bengals’ defense. The Bengals have lost Sam Hubbard, Germaine Pratt, Mike Hilton, Alex Cappa, Trent Brown, and Akeem Davis-Gaither.

“The Bengals have lost a bunch of defense, so it will be interesting to see how they will be this year,” Social Studies teacher and past alumnus Ryan Hahn said.

While there are many downgrades to the Bengals’ defense, there are also some good changes. BJ Hill and TJ Slaton will be defensive tackles, and Joseph Ossai and Trey Hendrickson will serve as defensive ends.

With all these signings, this season can be good for the Bengals and help them out in the long run. Also, it can be useful to sign more defensive players than offensive players only due to the fact that the Bengals have a strong offense.

This season will be good for the Bengals. It will be interesting to see which teams will be the biggest challenge this season. It will also be interesting to see how the Bengals’ defense will do this year.

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About the Contributor

Xander Bailey, Staff

Xander is going into his second year of publications. He is going into his sophomore year at Highlands High School. In his free time, he enjoys wrestling and is on the wrestling team for Highlands. Xander is also a part of a Christian youth group called Navigators. He wishes to work on his relationship with Christ throughout the year. He is also big on listening to Christian music like Forrest Frank, etc.