Bengals and Bears Bring NFL Buzz to Spain and Madrid

WHO:

bengals.com - The Cincinnati Bengals and Atlanta Falcons are the teams in the Madrid NFL game; Bengals head coach Zac Taylor and players Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Dexter Lawrence, Jonathan Allen, and Mike Gesicki are mentioned.

bengals.com - Falcons running back Bijan Robinson is described as 5-foot-11 and 215 pounds. Bengals wide receivers include Chase and Higgins; Falcons wide receiver Drake London is matched up with Bengals cornerback DJ Turner II.

bengals.com - Bengals fans visiting Madrid included Florian Kroess, 38, from Munich with his wife and friends; a couple from Mason, Ohio; and a fan from northwest of London who became a Bengals supporter during Boomer Esiason’s 1988 season.

chicagobears.com - Former Bears offensive lineman Roberto Garza accompanied the Chicago Bears on their Spain trip. Members of Spain’s women’s flag national team helped coach clinics.

Billboard - The article says Colombian singer Manuel Turizo will perform at halftime of the NFL Madrid game.

NY Post - The article identifies the matchup as the Bengals versus the Falcons and says the NFL returned to Spain after debuting there the previous season.

WHAT:

bengals.com - The Bengals were set to play the Falcons at Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid. The article gives kickoff as 9:30 a.m. and lists Cincinnati’s Channel 5 and NFL Network as broadcasters.

bengals.com - Robinson led the NFL in rushing, averaged more than five yards per touch, and had 983 scrimmage yards—10 short of passing Edgerrin James for the fifth-most scrimmage yards by age 25.

bengals.com - With Lawrence on the field, Cincinnati’s rushing success rate was 31.3%, best in the NFL; without him, it was 50.8%, ranked last. Lawrence had 10 run stuffs for loss or no gain, the most by an NFL defensive lineman, and five sacks, tied among tackles with Jeffery Simmons and Quinnen Williams.

bengals.com - Higgins had the league’s second-most receiving yards, Chase the second-most touchdowns, and Joe Burrow’s passer rating was 132.3 targeting Higgins and 113.6 targeting Chase.

chicagobears.com - The Bears held flag-football clinics for hundreds of children across Spain during a four-city tour. The trip was the club’s fourth consecutive year of Spain clinics; its flag league had grown to about four times its size since launch.

Billboard - The article advertises a free online livestream of the game and halftime performance. NY Post advertises information on watching Bengals–Falcons for free.

WHERE:

bengals.com - The game and Bengals fan gatherings were in Madrid, including Mercado de San Miguel and Bernabeu Stadium.

chicagobears.com - The Bears’ Spain tour included Bilbao, Barcelona, and Badalona. Clinics in Bilbao used Athletic Club’s facilities; Barcelona and Badalona clinics involved the Barcelona Dragons.

WHEN:

bengals.com - The game was scheduled for Sunday at 9:30 a.m.; the article also describes activity on Saturday afternoon.

Billboard - The article gives the game date as Nov. 8, 2026.

chicagobears.com - The article is dated Friday, Nov. 6, and Garza said the tour had been underway for about two weeks.

bengals.com - Bengals were expected to play overseas again in 2027; Kroess said he planned to attend a Lions–Patriots game in Munich the following week.

WHY:

chicagobears.com - The Bears’ clinics aim to grow football internationally and inspire children; the article notes flag football’s planned debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

bengals.com - Kroess said his first NFL game was “the thrill of a lifetime” and praised Higgins’s play and calmness.

The Bengals face the Falcons in Madrid, as the NFL returns to Spain. Manuel Turizo will perform at halftime, while Bijan Robinson leads the league in rushing. Meanwhile, the Bears held flag-football clinics for hundreds of children across Spain.