The Cincinnati Bengals are going from playing on Thursday Night to Monday Night Football. Last week wasn’t necessarily a primetime slot like this one will be. This preseason game against the Washington Commanders will be unusually easy for fans outside of their immediate area to watch.
These two teams met on primetime last season as well. It was the most obvious case of the defense letting Joe Burrow and the offense down last season as they failed to stop Washington’s offense a single time. The stakes are obviously much lower this time around.
The Commanders plan to play their starters for a short amount of time, so we will see the Bengals’ starters play against an opposing first team. Last week, the Philadelphia Eagles didn’t play their starters, so it will be a good test for this defense that clearly had issues with Washington’s offense last season.
We should also get to see plenty of the young defenders like Shemar Stewart, Demetrius Knight, and Barrett Carter, all of whom played a fair amount in Week 1. We could also see some shuffling along the offensive line. Rookie offensive lineman Jalen Rivers got work at right guard after struggling majorly at tackle. Maybe we can get a peek at that.
What are you looking forward to most on Monday night? Let us know in the comments below!
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Washington Commanders
- Date/Time: Aug. 18th, 2025 at 8:0 pm ET
- Location: Northwest Stadium in Summerfield, MD
- TV Channel: The game will air nationally on ESPN. In the Cincinnati market, the ESPN broadcast also will be simulcast on WLWT-TV (Channel 5).
- Broadcasters: Joe Buck (play-by-play), Troy Aikman (analyst), Lisa Salters (sideline reporter), and Laura Rutledge (sideline reporter).
- Online Stream: ESPN App, ESPN+ (national), NFL+ (national), and NFL Game Pass International (International, excluding Canada and China)
- Replay: NFL+ and NFL Network (check local listings)
- Radio Broadcast: The game will air on the Bengals Radio Network, led by Cincinnati flagship radio stations WCKY-AM (1530) and WEBN-FM (102.7). Broadcasters are Dan Hoard (play-by-play) and Dave Lapham (analyst).
- SB Nation Commanders’ site: Hogs Haven
- Rosters: CIN | WAS
- Odds: Bengals -4.5 via FanDuel Sportsbook.
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