Cincinnati Bengals to be Featured in New Season of Reality Series 'Hard Knocks'

A new kind of Game of Thrones will come to HBO this winter as the Cincinnati Bengals battle for the AFC North crown on the sports documentary series Hard Knocks, which is expanding to feature an entire NFL division for the first time in its 23-year history.

Hard Knocks: In Season with the AFC North will follow the Bengals, as well as the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers, during the final six weeks of the NFL season. It will also document the playoff run for the division winner and any AFC North Wild Card teams. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor, quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase will be among the staff and players featured.

"Last season the AFC North became the first division ever to have all four teams finish with a winning record, making it the perfect place to launch this new approach to Hard Knocks," Keith Cossrow, NFL Films vice president and head of content, said in a press release. "We thank the Bengals, Browns, Ravens and Steelers for the opportunity to showcase some of the greatest rivalries in football and present the intensity of a playoff chase from all four corners of this incredibly competitive division."

The Cincinnati Bengals will be appearing in the series for the third time, having been featured in the 2009 and 2013 seasons. This will be their first time appearing in Hard Knocks’ “In Season” edition, which launched in 2021. And it may be the perfect year to follow the Bengals as star quarterback Burrow returns after a season cut short last year by a torn ligament in his right wrist, defensive end Sam Hubbard recovers from an extensive ankle surgery and the team recently announcing it’s re-signed wide receiver Tee Higgins to a one-year contract.

"We don't think — we know — this is the best division in football," Taylor said in a Bengals press release. "I understand why it's an attractive pick for Hard Knocks and it's an honor to be part of a division that people think so highly of. We have an exciting team with a lot of really talented players and good team guys. They are players that the league is excited about, so this exposure is a positive."

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Hard Knocks: In Season with the AFC North will premiere on HBO Tuesday, Dec. 3 at 9 p.m. and will be available to stream on Max. New episodes will air every Tuesday through the end of the NFL’s regular season and continue into the NFL playoffs in January 2025.

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