Joe Burrow.
Joe Burrow has made his frustrations known about the NFL’s 2025 schedule—and the league is listening. The Cincinnati Bengals quarterback is notably unhappy with one particular matchup: facing the Baltimore Ravens in Baltimore for the fourth consecutive year.
Slated for Thanksgiving night, the prime-time game has become a sticking point for the 28-year-old signal-caller. “Playing in Baltimore for the fourth straight prime-time year isn’t ideal,” Burrow remarked last week, according to ESPN. “Maybe we can get one of those in Cincinnati next year. Please.”
His concerns aren’t falling on deaf ears. Mike North, the NFL’s vice president of broadcast planning and scheduling, acknowledged the issue in an interview published on the Bengals’ official website. “It’s fair,” North said. “Once you start getting to the same thing three years in a row—four, five years in a row—whether it’s a short-week Thursday on the road or opening on the road… when trends like that emerge, we probably have to adjust at some point.”
The Bengals have struggled in recent outings against the Ravens, dropping the last three matchups—including a heartbreaking 35–34 loss last season. While scheduling is an intricate process with many moving parts, North admitted the league is aware of the pattern. “As we got down the stretch here, this was our best schedule. But I fully acknowledge Bengals fans are probably a little surprised and a little disappointed,” he said. “Which puts them in the same category as all 31 other teams. Everybody is just a little disappointed in the schedule makers.”
Despite Burrow’s concerns, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor is finding a silver lining. “Playing on Thanksgiving night in a standalone game with the whole world watching, sitting on their couch—it’s really exciting,” Taylor told NFL.com. “It’s why you’re in this business.”
And North left fans with a final note of optimism, saying, “I’m sure Bengals fans would have preferred it in Cincinnati, but it should be fun for you guys to ruin Baltimore’s Thanksgiving.”
