The Cincinnati Bengals weren't quite as solid in 2014 as they were the season before, but they still ended up going to the postseason, where they lost 26-10 to the Indianapolis Colts. Rookie running back Jeremy Hill helped their rushing attack become one of the best in the league, but question marks still remain after another mediocre season from quarterback Andy Dalton.

Cincinnati's opponents this season had a combined 144-112 record last year, which means they will need to fix their problem areas if they want to go back to the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season.

Home: Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs, San Diego Chargers, Houston Texans, St. Louis Rams, Seattle Seahawks

Away: Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders, Buffalo Bills, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers

Here are three of the matchups to keep an eye on:

Pittsburgh Steelers: After being swept by the Steelers last season, the Bengals are now just 2-8 against them since 2010. The Bengals will be wanting to get back to the top of the AFC North, so they will have to perform better against the Steelers this season.

Baltimore Ravens: One of the main reasons why the Bengals were able to make the playoffs last year is because they won both of their games against the Ravens. It will be interesting to see which team improves more on the offensive side of the ball because that team should have the advantage in these games.

Seattle Seahawks: Cincinnati hasn't faced the Seahawks since back in 2011, so they haven't had a chance to see how good they are yet. They will be happy to be playing them at home, but this will still be one of the toughest games on their schedule.

Read more articles by Josh Schonwald