CINCINNATI -- When the Cincinnati Bengals kick off the 2015 regular season, they will do so by facing the second-toughest schedule in the league behind only Pittsburgh.

In order of 2014 ranking, the Bengals this season are facing these top defenses: Seattle (first), Denver (third), Buffalo (fourth), San Francisco (fifth), Kansas City (seventh) and Baltimore (eighth).

Last season the Bengals won all three games they played against Denver and Baltimore. They scored 23, 27 and 37 points in the meetings. All but seven of the combined 84 points came on offense. The lone touchdown that didn't was cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick's 30-yard interception return for a touchdown late in a Monday night win over Peyton Manning and the Broncos.

Two seasons ago, when Ryan was still the Jets' head coach, the Bengals handled them well, too. Cincinnati scored 49 points in a win that resulted in one of the more lopsided home victories in team history. The Jets finished that year ranked 11th in defense. The Bengals were third before last year's 22nd ranking.

Much of what made the Seahawks, Broncos, 49ers and Ravens defenses successful last season was their ability to stop the run. Only the 49ers allowed more than 90 yards rushing per game, giving up a still mild average of 100.8.

The Bills and Chiefs were better against the pass, allowing less than 206 yards in the air per game.

To their credit, the Bengals gained an average 213.8 yards via the pass in 2014, and 135.9 on the ground.

When the NFL releases the Bengals' complete schedule later this month, pay close attention to where these six teams appear on it. Any multi-week stretches that feature games against these teams are worth noting, particularly if any of them come in consecutive weeks on the road. Denver, San Francisco and Buffalo host the Bengals this year, as does Baltimore for one of two annual AFC North games.