It was August 2025 and Mr Travelling Han (MTH) and I were talking about the NFL season, slightly tipsy in a bar in London. We realised that my NFL team (the Arizona Cardinals) and MTH’s NFL team (the Cincinnati Bengals) were playing over Christmas, AND we were already on leave from work, planning to lounge around at home in the festive break for a few days
I always seem to make drastic purchasing decisions when I’m tipsy (“oh we only live once” etc). So we booked the tickets and flight, to fly on 26th December!
And with that, instead of spending Boxing Day with our families, we hopped on a plane from London to the Queen City. Game Day turned out to be one of my best travel days ever. It was so much fun. So let’s go to a Cincinnati Bengals game!
Want to read more about Cincinnati beyond the Bengals? Read my full itinerary HERE.
The NFL & Me
You might be wondering why two Brits are so NFL mad. Well, blame Netflix.
I got in to football of the American kind in 2016. My Dad is a Dolphins fan and growing up I remember him staying up very late for the Superbowl. When a documentary came on Netflix called “All or Nothing” following the Arizona Cardinals of the NFL, I decided to watch it to learn a bit about it. And I was hooked. From 2017-2022 I’d sit watching NFL every Sunday evening in bed whilst MTH had his weekly Xbox gaming night with his friends downstairs.
Then one night, in 2022, I was watching the AFC championship game (Bengals vs. Chiefs). MTH was poorly, so he was just sat on the sofa with me instead for the evening – and it was probably the BEST game I’d ever seen. The Bengals pulled off an incredible overtime win to reach the Super Bowl (which they sadly then lost). Now MTH was hooked too.
Since then, every Sunday is football Sunday, plus we’ve also been to the London NFL games 3 times.
Pre Game Experience
It’s safe to say that the NFL games in London, whilst amazing, aren’t a patch on my experience of a Bengals Game Day. Kick off was at 1pm, so we headed to the stadium at 10am to soak it all in. We bought lots in the pro shop, then walked to the riverfront to join in a tail gate. There were lots of drinks, music, food and a great atmosphere.
I was the only Cardinal in a sea of Bengals but was made to feel very welcome, helped by my sign. We were told multiple times our accents were amazing and I think we were the only non Americans there. We also spent some time in the bars along The Banks, which connects the Bengals football stadium to the Reds baseball Stadium. It was such a good vibe and we enjoyed the atmosphere a lot.
We also soaked in the Bengals themes. The home stadium is nicknamed “The Jungle” so there are lots of jungle themed bars, cocktails and colours. The chant is “Who Dey” (which continues “who dey think gonna beat dem Bengals”…. as a lover of grammar it truly offends me). Everyone was Who Dey’ing each other as they passed. 2.5hrs easily flew by – we felt welcomed, excited and ready for the game! And just like that, it was time to enter the stadium.
Game Dey!
Whilst I support the Arizona Cardinals, I do have an ulterior motive for seeing them play Cincinnati beyond them being my husband’s team. And that motive is Joe Burrow. Joe Brrr, Joe Shiesty, Joey B – is always one of the most exciting Quarterbacks to see play. He’s just elite. And smart. And very handsome. Win win win.
As we walked in to the stadium the Bengals ran out for warm up. Seeing Joe Burrow stretch for 20 minutes was a highlight.
The game itself had nothing on the line – my Cardinals had the tied worst record in the league at the time and of course didn’t make the playoffs. The Bengals had Joe Burrow injured and out for half the season so they were also out of playoff contention. Both teams were playing for pride.
It’s no surprise the Bengals won, as the much superior team with Joe playing. It was 37-14 to the Bengals, and most of the Cardinals’ points were scored late when the Bengals were fielding their second team.
What I loved was the atmosphere; there was a band, sellers came around the stands with beer and drinks, the seats were comfy, there were no queues for food and the stadium was simple and easy access (putting Wembley to shame).
We enjoyed the game and stayed right to the end, then headed back to our hotel to watch the later games in the bar. It was so incredible to experience a game in the US.
Even if you’re not an NFL fan, going to the games is so much fun and I’d still recommend experiencing the atmosphere if you’re visiting the US and in to sports. Do you follow the NFL and have you been to a game? Or would you like to go? Let me know in the comments below!
Cincy – you were a blast. WHO DEY!
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