NFL schedule leaks: Saints play Bengals on Thanksgiving weekend

Plenty of games in the 2026 NFL season are being leaked ahead of the schedule release, which is set to take place in mere hours. The latest game date to be reported for the New Orleans Saints falls on Thanksgiving weekend, when they’ll travel to Cincinnati to face the Bengals, per FOX 8's Garland Gillen. It’s a Week 12 matchup between two teams that are likely going to be fighting for playoff positioning.

The Bengals have been underwhelming over the last several seasons. Dealing with the injury bug, Joe Burrow has only played in one full season over the last three. When healthy, he and the Bengals pose as a highly explosive offensive threat, but things just haven’t lined up the way that they want to, and the team hasn’t made the playoffs since 2022.

As for the series between the two teams, the Bengals hold the advantage, having an 8-7 record. The two teams last played on Oct. 16, 2022, with Cincinnati winning 30-26 on the back of the Burrow-to-Ja’Marr Chase connection. The two connected seven times for 132 receiving yards and two touchdowns, including a 60-yard completion for a score.

The key to the Saints' victory will clearly be whether and how they can stop the explosive wide receiver corps the Bengals bring to the table. Chase is the team’s No. 1 option, but Tee Higgins and Andrei Iosivas are also consistent threats at all times. If the Saints’ young defensive backs can find their footing early on in the season, it’ll be interesting to see if they can keep up with Cincinnati’s offense in late November.