AFC North · 2026 season

CincinnatiBengals

6-2record1stin North#6AFC seed+65point diffW4streak

SteelersSun, Nov 15 · 8:20 PM ETCIN -3.5 · O/U 48.5

What changed · Last 4 games (weeks 5-9) vs 4 games before (weeks 1-4)

Biggest improvementOffensesuccess rate13th→1st

Over the last 4 games the offense has posted a 56.1% success rate (237 plays), 1st among 32 teams over their own last 4. In the 4 games before: a 44.9% success rate (247 plays), 13th.

Season EPA ranks ↓Emerging problemDefensesuccess rate allowed9th→26th

Over the last 4 games the defense has allowed a 46.5% success rate (256 plays), 26th among 32 teams over their own last 4. In the 4 games before: a 41.9% success rate (236 plays), 9th.

Season EPA ranks ↓Usage shiftBryan Cook, Sdefensive snap share59%→97%

Bryan Cook has played 97% of defensive snaps over the last 4 games, up from 59% in the 4 games before. On the field in 4 of 4 and 3 of 4; a game without a snap counts as zero.

Snap counts, week by week ↓

At a glanceUpdated Nov 10, 2026, 7:41 AM ET

The Cincinnati Bengals are 6-2 in the 2026 season, 1st in the AFC North and the No. 6 seed in the AFC, with a point differential of +65. On offense they rank 3rd in the league in EPA per play (+0.142); on defense they rank 18th (+0.005 allowed). The Pigskin Nightly model gives them a 97% chance to make the playoffs and 6.8% to win the Super Bowl. The Cincinnati Bengals play next at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sun, Nov 15, 8:20 PM ET (Week 10), on NBC.

What is the Cincinnati Bengals record?

6-2, 1st in the AFC North. Home 2-1, road 4-1, division 1-1, conference 4-2, current streak W4. Points: 240 scored, 175 allowed.

Who do the Cincinnati Bengals play next?

The Cincinnati Bengals play next at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sun, Nov 15, 8:20 PM ET (Week 10), on NBC.

What are the Cincinnati Bengals' playoff chances?

97% to make the playoffs, 63% to win the AFC North, 10% to earn the No. 1 seed and the bye, 13.2% to win the AFC and 6.8% to win the Super Bowl, from 10,000 simulations of the rest of the season (projected record 12.2-4.8).

Who is the Cincinnati Bengals starting quarterback?

Joe Burrow is first on the Bengals depth chart at quarterback, with Joe Flacco behind.

Who is injured for the Cincinnati Bengals?

Out, doubtful or on injured reserve: Kyle Dugger (S, out, quadriceps), Andrei Iosivas (WR, injured reserve, thumb), Cashius Howell (DE, injured reserve, wrist) and Erick All Jr. (TE, injured reserve, knee - acl).

How good is the Cincinnati Bengals offense and defense?

Offense: 3rd in EPA per play (+0.142), 3rd on dropbacks, 18th on runs, success rate 50.4%. Defense: 18th in EPA allowed (+0.005), 14th against the pass, 24th against the run.

Cite this page

Pigskin Nightly, “Cincinnati Bengals 2026: record, EPA, depth chart and injuries”, https://pigskinnightly.com/teams/bengals (updated 2026-11-10).

How we calculate Plain-text version Report an error

From the Bengals Desk

Open the desk →

The TapeJoe Burrow throws three touchdowns on 29 attempts as Bengals beat Falcons 34-17A 17-0 second quarter turned a 10-7 deficit into a 24-10 halftime lead, and the Bengals' passing tree did most of the work.Nov 8, 2026 · 3 min read Scouting ReportTee Higgins leads a Bengals passing tree facing a Falcons offense ranked 28thNov 7, 2026 · 3 min read

The Wire

The Verdict · 2026

The Bengals, judged from every snap

About rightthe record matches the snaps

Real record6-2

Deserved6.0wins

Looking back, not ahead. Deserved wins grade how well a team has played, from every snap of the games already played. They are not a forecast of the games to come. How well they hold up

0.0 luck wins · 16th luckiest in the NFL · net EPA per snap 6th

Bars: deserved win probability, from the snaps50% line

Bottom linerobbed in 1 of 8.

How to read this chart

The track:: solid dot = real wins, ring = deserved wins (the record the snaps earned), on a scale from 0 to 8 games. The colored gap between them is the luck.
The strip:: one tile per game, oldest first, with the opponent and the score. The bar is how often the Bengals would win a replay of the same snaps; above the middle line they deserved to win.
The label:: Earned or Fair loss = the result matched the play; Coin flip = it could have gone either way; Lucky / Robbed = the result went against the play.

One-score games3-2decided by 8 or fewer

Chicken Index75%4th most timid of 28

Flags, net+22win prob. points · 10th

Bounce & kick luck0.0points · 0.0 a game

Latest ruling · Week 9

Bengals earned it: the snaps said Bengals by 10.2, a deserved win probability of 97%.

From the Lab

The lab file

All Lab tools →

Scheme DNAMost pass rate over expected, most early-down pass rate in the leagueClosest twin: Steelers (51%)Clock IQ24th of 32 at managing the clockZac Taylor · 9 timeouts burned · 0 halves left on the table Deserved Standings

Real66-2

Deserved36.0-2.0

#6 seed for real, #3 seed deservedSeeds in the AFC, real and as if every game went to the team that deserved it Market vs Snaps+1.5The market underrates themPoints a game the snaps beat the line · 4-3-1 against the spread Sliding Doors0losses that one coin-flip play could have flipped73 points of win probability lost to those plays, 94 saved in wins

The season, week by week

Offense EPA/playDefense EPA prevented

Wk 6Bye

Bars above the line are good: offense adding expected points, defense taking them away. The middle line is league average zero.Rest days and miles traveled, all 32 →

The road ahead

Playoff odds, all 32 →

Playoff oddsBengals6-2 · proj 12.2-4.8 · 3rd in AFC97%▲ 5 pts

Win it all 6.8% · likeliest seed No. 3 (20%)Full odds →

Next 5 · schedule leftNo. 28 hardest of 32 · avg opp -1.5 →

Regular season · rank among 32 teams

Where the Bengals stand

Offense

EPA per play+0.1423rd

Dropback EPA+0.2613rd

Rush EPA-0.09518th

Success rate50.4%2nd

Defense

EPA allowed+0.00518th

Pass EPA allowed+0.02914th

Rush EPA allowed-0.03824th

Success allowed44.3%22nd

Pass rate over expected: +8.1% (1st most pass-heavy given down, distance and score). 484 offensive plays logged.

Fantasy points allowed per game: QB 18.5 (14th most) · RB 21.9 (15th most) · WR 31.3 (18th most) · TE 15.8 (8th most). Defense vs position

Who produces

EPA from the nflverse play-by-play model

Quarterback · 322 dropbacksJ.Burrow+0.261EPA / dropback+9.7CPOE7.5aDOT55%success

Rushing	Car	Yds	TD	EPA/car	Success
C.Brown RB	103	397	1	-0.15	38%
S.Perine RB	46	179	1	-0.04	43%
J.Burrow QB	8	20	2	+0.29	88%

Targets	Tgt	Target share	Air share	aDOT	Yds	TD	EPA/tgt
J.Chase WR	73	25%	34%	10.1	647	7	+0.56
T.Higgins WR	68	23%	40%	13.0	758	6	+0.82
C.Brown RB	45	16%	-2%	-0.8	207	0	-0.29
D.Meyers WR	26	9%	7%	5.8	222	0	+0.18
M.Gesicki TE	26	9%	12%	10.5	252	6	+0.74
S.Perine RB	11	4%	1%	1.3	70	1	+0.42
E.All TE	9	3%	1%	1.8	56	0	+0.34
M.Tinsley WR	9	3%	5%	11.9	60	0	-0.34

Depth chart, on the field

QuestionableOut / IRFull roster →

Offense3WR 1TE

1WRChase Young

DefenseBase 4-3 D

6FSCook Jules

20LCBDavis Ivey

53LDEMafe Johnson

97LDTLawrence II Slaton Jr.

49MLBCarter Giles-Harris

23NBHill Newton

0RCBTurner II

99RDEMurphy Stewart

93RDTAllen Hill

42SLBBurks Kiser

27SSBattle Dugger ·

44WLBKnight Jr.Bozeman

HolderRyan Rehkow Kick ReturnerDohnte Meyers Long SnapperWilliam Wagner PunterRyan Rehkow Place KickerEvan McPherson Punt ReturnerDohnte Meyers

Snap counts

Share of team snaps, every weekThis week's starters →

Offense	1	2	3	4	5	7	8	9
Orlando Brown Jr.T	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100
Dalton RisnerG	100	100	100	100	100	94	100	100
Ted KarrasC	100	100	100	100	100	94	100	100
Joe BurrowQB	100	100	100	100	100	94	100	100
Amarius MimsT	100	95	100	100	95	94	100	100
Dylan FairchildG	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	98
Ja'Marr ChaseWR	94	88	100	20	89	87	96	84
Tee HigginsWR	72	72	93	79	69	87	88	68
Drew SampleTE	66	60	51	26	52	55	39	67
Chase BrownHB	72	70	70	79	60	75	69	63
Mike GesickiTE	33	35	51	62	45	38	68	47
Dohnte MeyersWR	16	18	56	89	29	38	59	42
Samaje PerineHB	28	40	32	36	51	23	35	40
Jack EndriesTE		2				17	16	30

Defense	1	2	3	4	5	7	8	9
Barrett CarterLB	100	100	100	100	100	94	100	100
Jordan BattleS	98	100	100	100	100	87	100	100
Daxton HillCB	100	99	100	100	97	94	87	98
Bryan CookS	100	100	34		97	94	99	98
DJ TurnerCB	98	100	100	100	97	94	75	97
Josh NewtonCB						9	82	90
Myles MurphyDE	60	56	73	67	68	60	77	87
Boye MafeDE	65	71	74	84	74	79	78	81
Demetrius KnightLB	89	90	90	74	83	73	84	69
Dexter LawrenceDT	61	64	79	77	65	63	71	69
Jonathan AllenDT	56	65	76	70	56	61	55	63
B.J. HillDT	42				48	51	39	42
Tedarrell SlatonDT	37	34	35	31	35	33	29	29
Cedric JohnsonDE	33	29	19	23	23	24	5	21