White Bengal Night Under the Lights

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The White Bengal is back, and it's primetime. NBC's Sunday Night Football, Nov. 15, 8:20 p.m., Paycor Stadium. The Bengals are 5-1 all-time in the White Bengal uniform, including last season's 33-31 Thursday Night Football win over the Steelers when Joe Flacco outdueled Aaron Rodgers.

Also on the calendar: Stripe the Jungle is back on Dec. 13 against Kansas City, 4:25 p.m. at Paycor. This is the first time Cincinnati has hosted the Chiefs in a regular-season game since 2022. The tradition is 2-1, with the only loss coming to Detroit in Week 5 last season when Lions fans showed up in enough numbers to blot out the stripes.

The home opener on Sept. 13 is the third consecutive Open in Orange, this time against Tampa Bay. The first one ended in a loss to a Jacoby Brissett-led Patriots team. The second one, Burrow tore up his toe and missed two months. Third time? Hopefully better than the first two!

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler polled NFL executives, coaches, and scouts on the top 10 quarterbacks, and Burrow came in fourth. He was third last year. The voters who praised him said things like "best pocket movement in the league" and "he doesn't play in a system, he is the system." One NFL coordinator described his release speed as physically frustrating to defend.

And then there's this: NFL evaluators called him the closest resemblance to Tom Brady's game currently playing. Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, and Matthew Stafford are the three names above him. Lamar Jackson is fifth.

Ja'Marr Chase is the best wide receiver in football for the second straight year. ESPN's Fowler polled NFL executives, coaches, and scouts, and Chase earned around 70% of the first-place votes despite finishing third in catches and fourth in receiving yards last season. One coach: "He's the best I've gone against. He can break it for 80 at any time." He has the second-most receiving yards in NFL history through five seasons, behind only Justin Jefferson, and the most 40-plus yard touchdowns since 2021 by six over the next man on the list. Tee Higgins was in the "also receiving votes" group.

Madden agrees. Chase is one of six players in Madden NFL 27 to receive a 99 overall rating. Joe Burrow is a 97. Dexter Lawrence is a 93.

CBS Sports released its 2026 offensive triplets rankings, and Cincinnati claimed the top spot for the second straight year. Chase Brown's emergence as a legitimate dual threat, crossing 1,000 rushing yards with six touchdowns and posting 69 catches for 437 yards and five more scores, is what pushes this past the Rams' Stafford-Williams-Nacua trio.

On a related note, Orlando Brown Jr. said on the Locked On Bengals podcast this week that this offense has the best pass protection in the NFL. Not "one of the best." The best. All five starters are back together for the first time in the Burrow era, after a 2025 season that ran three quarterbacks, a midseason scheme shift, and two games in five days when Flacco arrived.

Amarius Mims didn't crack the top 10 in Fowler's poll of the league's top offensive tackles, or even the extended group of 22 names. His PFF grade last season was 67.6, which ranked 42nd. But he was 23 years old, played 1,050 snaps, and allowed no hit or sack of Burrow from Thanksgiving through the end of the season.

ESPN's Ben Solak named Erick All Jr. the Bengals' breakout candidate for 2026. All hasn't played since tearing his right ACL in November 2024, his second ACL tear on the same knee, and missed all of 2025 due to complications from the first surgery. He was already out-snapping Mike Gesicki in five of nine games before the injury in his rookie year. Zac Taylor said at OTAs that All was "trying to put his face through somebody's soul."

The linebacker room carries the most risk on this defense. Barrett Carter ranked 85th of 88 qualifying linebackers by PFF grade last season. Demetrius Knight Jr. was 83rd. They combined for 34 missed tackles. Duke Tobin's case for leaving the position alone in free agency: "Probably the best thing we did for our linebacker room is what we did for the D-Line room, and that's going to elevate those guys." Carter's own read on Year 2: "Night and day." Better interior pressure does create cleaner reads for linebackers in pursuit. That's the bet the front office made.

Bryan Cook landed outside the top 10 in Fowler's safety poll, off even the honorable mention list.The counter: Cook posted an 83.5 PFF grade last season, fourth among all safeties who played at least 600 snaps, with the second-best missed-tackle percentage among safeties with at least 85 tackles. Bengals safeties from a year ago weren't sniffing a list like this.

Sports Illustrated's Matt Verderame ranked the Bengals' Jordan Battle and Bryan Cook the fifth-best safety duo in the NFL entering 2026. Battle played 96 percent of Cincinnati's defensive snaps last season, posted four interceptions and 125 tackles, and enters a contract year. They're the only AFC North team on the list outside Baltimore.

Rookies report July 25. Veterans required in by July 28. First public practice is July 29.

Preseason:

Season opener: Sun, Sept. 13 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (home), 1 p.m.

The 2026 Cincy Hats Collab

🔥 COMING EARLY AUGUST! 🔥

We're excited to officially announce the 2026 CincyHat × Bengal Jim & Friends Tailgate Collaboration!

These limited-edition hats will be available for pre-order in early August, and once they're gone, they're gone!

Even better, every purchase helps support the charitable mission of Bengal Jim & Friends, making this more than just a hat… it's a way to give back while representing the Who Dey Nation and helping adults with disabilities.

👀 Keep an eye on our social media and Sunday newsletter for the official pre-order announcement.

Limited quantities. Don't miss out!

On the Podcast

Talking Football with Bengal Jim & Friends is BACK! 🐯🎙️

Season 7 kicks off Sunday, July 26 at 8:00 PM!

We've got another season packed with Bengals talk, special guests, breaking news, and plenty of laughs.

Make sure you're subscribed now so you don't miss a single episode, and hit the notification bell so you're ready when we go live! Subscribe here.

🚨 The 2026 Tailgate Tour Shirt: The Revenge Tour

We remember LA. We remember how close we came.

This isn't just another season, it's The Revenge Tour.

Designed like a classic '80s concert tee, the front features our journey back to California and Super Bowl LXI. The back lists every stop on the road to redemption, ending where we plan to finish the job.

Thank you Cincy Shirts 🫡

🌴 MIAMI HERE WE COME! 🐯

Bengal Jim & Friends Miami Tailgate tickets are now available! This tailgate will sell out, so don't wait!

We also have discounted game tickets available, with $30 savings off regular prices! Sit with fellow Bengals fans in our reserved Bengal Fan Ticket Blocks in Section 110 & 308.

Let's turn Miami into Jungle South again this year! Grab your tailgate and game tickets before they're gone.

Become a 2026 Partner

Support the Tailgate • Support Local Charities • Be Part of "Before The Roar"

Thanks to your incredible support, your tailgate continues to grow year after year. With that growth comes increased costs to deliver the high-quality experience everyone looks forward to each week.

After raising $130,000+ for local charities last season, we're excited to build on that success by introducing new opportunities for supporters to contribute. These contributions will help offset expanding expenses, such as our partnership with Cincinnati Parks to enhance the GameDey experience, and strengthen our ability to secure venues, logistics, and infrastructure, especially for away games.

For those who can give, we appreciate your support and are excited to offer exclusive VIP perks and recognition in return.

Tailgate Backer: $250

Tailgate MVP: $500

Tailgate Pro Bowl: $1,000

Tailgate Ring of Honor: $2,000

Title Presenting Partner: $5,000 (Only One Available)

For sponsorship information, just reply to this email and we'll get you set up.