Cincinnati Bengals NFL roster roasts opponents with Pokemon

The Cincinnati Bengals used a franchise that QB Joe Burrow loved Pokemon franchise as a way to reveal and roast who they will face during the 2026 NFL season. The Bengalis used various animals from Pokemon series to describe their upcoming opponents, with some notable jabs at their three AFC North division rivals.

Although the Cincinnati QB is known for his competitiveness and leadership on the gridiron, Burrow is also enthusiastic Pokemon fan. During the 2025 NFL season, Burrow stated that he was a fan Pokemon trading card game. Burrow said he found the current culture of ripping open decks of cards to grade and sell them “weird” that has taken hold on social media. Burrow also revealed that some of his favorites Pokemon cards are from older generations, and he mentions Mewtwo, Zapdos, and Blaziken among his best.

NFL opponents compared to Pokemon

While the 2026 NFL season is still four months away at the time of writing, that hasn't stopped the Bengals from having a little fun at their opponents' expense. The Bengals took to Twitter to reveal the opponents they face during the upcoming season. In addition, the Bengalis used images from Pokemon franchise as a way to roast or compliment their NFL detractors. For starters, a Trash Bag Pokemon named Trubbish was used to describe one of the Bengals' oldest enemies, the Cleveland Browns. Although the Bengals finished the 2025 NFL season 6-11 and missed the playoffs, the Browns fared worse with a 5-12 record. As AFC North division foes, the Bengals will face the Browns twice during the 2026 NFL season, one game in Cincinnati and the other in Cleveland.

Cincinnati Bengals 2026 NFL season opponents as Pokemon

• Cleveland Browns – Trubbish

• Pittsburgh Steelers – Klang

• Miami Dolphins – Magikarp

• Kansas City Chiefs – Zebstrika

• Jacksonville Jaguars – Persian

• Tennessee Titans – Shiny Aegislash

• New Orleans Saints – Serperior

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Dhelmise

• Houston Texans – Tauros

• Indianapolis Colts – Ponyta

• Atlanta Falcons – Pidgey

• Carolina Panthers – Luxray

• Washington Commanders – Lechonk

• Baltimore Ravens – TM27 (return)

For the Pittsburgh Steelers, a Gen 5 steel Pokemon called Klang was used as a fitting descriptor, thanks to Pittsburgh's longtime nickname of Steel City. Other Pokémon featured by the Bengals as facsimiles for teams they will face in the upcoming NFL season include Magikarp for the Miami Dolphins, Persian for the Jacksonville Jaguars and Gen 9 Hog Pokémon Lechonk for the Washington Commanders. The inclusion of Lechonka is a reference to Major Tuddy, the costumed commanders mascot introduced in 2023.

However, the Bengals used a special benchmark for one of their fiercest division rivals, the Baltimore Ravens. Rather than use a raven-like Pokemon like Murkrow or Corviknight, the Bengals chose TM27 (Return) as the descriptor for their Baltimore foes. In the majority Pokemon game, Return is a normal type move that becomes more powerful if the user has a high friendship rating with their trainer. Although Return can be a handy TM to use Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreenthis was not a usable move from Gen 8 onwards. It is currently unclear why Return was selected to represent the Ravens on the Bengals schedule.

In response to Bengali Pokemon In comparison, some fans compared the Cincinnati NFL team to powerful Fire-type Pokemon such as Incineroar and Arcanine. The Bengals and the rest of the NFL teams will see their full rosters, including kickoff dates and times, revealed during a special NFL Network presentation on Thursday, May 14 at 8:00 PM ET.