NFL officially announces 17-game schedule, including Bengals vs. 49ers

The NFL has officially approved expanding the regular season to 17 games, the league announced Tuesday.

For the Cincinnati Bengals, it means they will have a ninth home game in 2021, which will come against the San Francisco 49ers.

This also means teams will just have three preseason games moving forward. Because the Bengals get an extra regular-season home game, they will have just one preseason home game. The full preseason and regular-season schedule will be announced at a later date.

Within the AFC North, arguably the biggest game added is the Baltimore Ravens getting an extra home game vs. the Los Angeles Rams. The Pittsburgh Steelers will get a home game vs. the Seattle Seahawks, while the Cleveland Browns’ extra home contest is vs. the Arizona Cardinals.

NFL Kickoff Weekend will begin Thursday, Sept. 9, and the regular season now ends Sunday, Jan. 9, 2022. Be sure to check out the league’s official release on the announcement.

Now, here is a look at the updated opponents list for the entire AFC North for the 2021 season.

AFC North

Pittsburgh Steelers

• Home: Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Las Vegas Raiders, Seattle Seahawks, Tennessee Titans.
• Away: Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Minnesota Vikings.

Baltimore Ravens

• Home: Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Rams, Minnesota Vikings.
• Away: Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Las Vegas Raiders, Miami Dolphins.

Cleveland Browns

• Home: Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers, Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, Las Vegas Raiders.
• Away: Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers, Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots.

Cincinnati Bengals

• Home: Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Minnesota Vikings, San Francisco 49ers.
• Away: Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Jets.