Commanders & Bengals meet for “Part 2” of ‘24 MNF thriller in Week 11

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Previewing Washington’s 14 opponents of the ‘26 season — one at a time

In 2026, the Commanders will, like every other team in the NFL, play 17 games against 14 opponents. With the amount of roster change that NFL teams undergo annually along with the unusually large number of head coach and coordinator changes in 2026, it seems useful to spend some time to review each of Washington’s regular season opponents.

Week 11 is part of an interesting stretch for Washington:

It is the last of three home games in a 4-game stretch from Wk 8 to Wk 11 that includes the Rams and Eagles (ranked #1 and #10 on the ESPN Power Index respectively)
It is the only home game in a 4-game stretch from Wk 10 to Wk 13 in which the Commanders play the Giants, Titans and Cardinals (ranked #23, #27 and #29 on the ESPN Power Index respectively)

In some ways, the Weeks 10 & 11 games against the Giants and Bengals seems to mark the pivot-point between the brutal first half of the season when the 8 opponents have an average ranking of 10.5 on the ESPN Power Index (with 5 games vs top-10 ranked teams), and the relatively benign final seven games of the season in which the 7 opponents have an average ranking of 20th on the ESPN Power Rankings (and only the Cowboys [11] and Texans [13] rank in the top half of the league).

Week 11 Preview: Cincinnati Bengals at Washington Commanders

Date: November 23, 2026, 8:15 p.m. ET (Monday Night Football)
Location: Northwest Stadium in Landover Maryland

The Bengals ended with a disappointing 6-11 record in 2025, finishing 3rd in the AFC North and missing the playoffs for a 3rd consecutive year. The season was quickly derailed when franchise quarterback Joe Burrow suffered a turf toe injury in Week 2, forcing him onto injured reserve and leading to a brutal 1–8 stretch without him. Compounding Burrow’s absence, star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson was limited to just seven games, with the defense giving up 28.9 points per game and ranking dead last in rush defense. To solve these glaring issues ahead of 2026, the front office revamped the defensive interior by trading their 2026 1st-round pick for 3-time Pro Bowl DT Dexter Lawrence, while also restructuring Burrow’s contract to free up cap space.

Looking ahead, a...