MADRID, Md. —
The Cincinnati Bengals have arrived in Spain and are settling into their environment before taking on the Atlanta Falcons this Sunday.
Cincinnati is playing its third game overseas in franchise history, facing Atlanta at Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid.
The main attraction of the trip will be the game, as the Bengals look to win their fourth straight and improve to 6-2, but the Bengals are also enjoying the surroundings of Spain, where the NFL is playing in for just the second time ever.
“Very beautiful, very grateful to be here,” center Ted Karras said. “This is an unbelievable experience and opportunity, and I’m expecting the crowd to be rocking. We were walking around in town, a lot of Bengals fans walking around, so (I) saw a lot of faces I know.”
The Bengals’ trip to Spain comes on the heels of the country’s soccer team winning the FIFA World Cup this summer.
“Madrid’s beautiful,” Bengals running back Chase Brown said. “It’s my first time in Europe, so I didn’t really know what to expect, but I’ve watched soccer, I’ve watched World Cup, watched some Real Madrid games, so I know that the energy is going to be there.”
Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins said it’s the first time he’s crossed the Atlantic Ocean. The Pro Bowl wideout said he was in awe as the Bengals landed overseas.
“Once I landed out here, I was just like, I can’t believe I actually crossed the Atlantic,” Higgins said. “You know, it’s my first time ever crossing the Atlantic in Europe. So, it’s just like, it’s amazing to me. Just knowing where I came from, and even you know bringing my family out here, because it’s their first time, as well. So, it’s pretty dope. It’s surreal.”
Cincinnati viewers can watch the game on WLWT, with kickoff scheduled for 9:30 a.m. ET.