Joe Burrow has played enough big games that a Sunday night date with the Pittsburgh Steelers should barely register as a career first. Somehow, this one does.
The Cincinnati Bengals quarterback is set to play in his first home, divisional primetime game. The discovery left Cincinnati fans checking the calendar and wondering how the NFL managed to make them wait this long.
Bengals Fans Stunned by Joe Burrow’s Long-Awaited Primetime First
Cincinnati hosts Pittsburgh at Paycor Stadium on Nov. 15, giving Burrow a chance to check off a surprisingly stubborn box in his seventh NFL season. Both teams enter the matchup at 6-2, with first place in the AFC North up for grabs.
The unusual first has left fans wondering how this hadn’t happened sooner.
“Absolute insanity that it took this long,” one fan wrote.
Absolute insanity that it took this long
— TripleG (@GotGameAllDay) November 11, 2026
Another fan had considerably less patience for the league.
“Pathetic,” they wrote, “Seven years, and the guy finally gets some respect.”
“Wait… excuse me?” a third fan asked.
Burrow has been one of the league’s most recognizable quarterbacks for years, making the lack of a primetime home game against a division rival all the more unusual.
“He actually had to call the NFL out to get it too,” one fan added.
@CharlieG__ He actually had to call the nfl out to get it too 😅
— Slim Shiesty SZN (@Burrow_SZN) November 11, 2026
Burrow publicly questioned the scheduling in May 2025 after the Bengals were scheduled for a fourth consecutive season with a primetime road game against Baltimore. His request was simple.
“Maybe we can get one of those in Cincinnati? Please,” Burrow said.
NFL scheduling executive Mike North acknowledged that Burrow’s complaint was fair. That history helps explain why fans were quick to connect his past comments to Sunday’s matchup.
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An X account named “NFL Schedule Enthusiast” laid out Burrow’s history of primetime divisional games in a post.
They listed seven matchups, all on the road: a 2020 Thursday night game at Cleveland, two games at Baltimore and Cleveland in 2022, a Thursday night game at Baltimore in 2023, another at Baltimore in 2024, a Saturday game at Pittsburgh that season, and a Thanksgiving matchup at Baltimore in 2025.
Previous divisional primetime games in Joe Burrow’s career:
2020 Week 2 TNF at Browns
2022 Week 5 SNF at Ravens
2022 Week 8 MNF at Browns
2023 Week 11 TNF at Ravens
2024 Week 10 TNF at Ravens
2024 Week 18 Saturday at Steelers
2025 Week 12 Thanksgiving at Ravens— NFL Schedule Enthusiast (@schedulerelease) November 11, 2026
“That’s insane… INSANE,” another fan remarked.
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Burrow did start Cincinnati’s 24-17 Wild-Card win over Baltimore at home on a Sunday night in January 2023. However, this week’s milestone applies specifically to the regular season.
The Bengals also hosted Pittsburgh in primetime in 2020 and 2025, but Burrow missed both games due to injuries. Ryan Finley and Joe Flacco started those matchups, respectively. A scheduled Thursday night home game against Cleveland in December 2024 was also moved to Sunday afternoon.
So the lack of a regular-season primetime home game against a division rival comes down to both scheduling and missed opportunities. Cincinnati has hosted these matchups before, but Burrow, who ranks No. 1 in the league with a PFN QB Impact Score of 90.0, has yet to play in one at home during the regular season.
