The LabThe fingerprint of every playbook

Cincinnati BengalsScheme DNA

Most pass rate over expected, most early-down pass rate in the league. Their closest twin is Steelers (51% alike), then Panthers and Texans. 479 offensive snaps read, 425 of them charted.

League map Bengals verdict JSON

Pass rate over expected+9.0%100th percentile · league −2.3%

Early-down pass rate63.6%100th percentile · league 50.6%

Shotgun rate75.8%97th percentile · league 61.5%

Outside runs14.0%0th percentile · league 23.4%

Bottom lineTheir loudest habits: pass rate over expected (+9.0%, 100th percentile), early-down pass rate (63.6%, 100th percentile), shotgun rate (75.8%, 97th percentile).

How to read this chart

The flower:: each petal is one play-calling habit, labeled around the edge. Petal length is the team's rank among the 32 (long = does it more than most; for tempo, long = fast). The dashed ring is the league middle.
The bars:: the same habits as a list: the bar is the rank (the tick in the middle is the league middle), then the real value and the percentile (90 = more than 90% of teams). Jargon: pass rate over expected = how much more or less they throw than the situation predicts; RPO = run-pass option; men in the box = defenders near the line against the run.

Offense

The playbook

Pass rate over expected+9.0%100

Early-down pass rate63.6%100

Shotgun rate75.8%97

No-huddle rate4.4%36

Pre-snap motion50.6%13

Play action15.4%3

Screen rate6.9%26

RPO rate8.9%87

Deep shots8.9%13

Middle of the field21.2%48

Outside runs14.0%0

Tempo38.2s45

Defense

The defense

Blitz rate18.0%0

Five-plus rushers18.0%0

Men in the box6.4816

Stacked boxes8.8%55

Pass rate faced+3.9%97

Deep shots allowed10.9%45

Defensive twins: Seahawks (80%), Steelers (78%), Falcons (75%).

Twins

Offenses most like theirs

Solid shape: Bengals · outline: the twin

Bottom lineBengals and Steelers, 51% alike. Both use less play action and run more RPOs than most of the league; Bengals and Steelers differ most in screen rate (6.9% vs 13.2%) and tempo (38.2s vs 40.1s).

How to read this chart

Each card is one twin:: an offense that calls games like Bengals. The colored shape is Bengals's fingerprint, the white outline the twin's. Where the two match, the habits match.
The %: is how alike the two are across all offensive habits: 100% would be identical, 0% the most different pair in the league.

#1 twinSteelers51%Both use less play action and run more RPOs than most of the league; Bengals and Steelers differ most in screen rate (6.9% vs 13.2%) and tempo (38.2s vs 40.1s).

#2 twinPanthers49%Both pass more on early downs and throw more than the situation predicts than most of the league; Bengals and Panthers differ most in tempo (38.2s vs 35.9s) and play action (15.4% vs 25.2%).

#3 twinTexans49%Both line up in shotgun more and pass more on early downs than most of the league; Bengals and Texans differ most in deep shots (8.9% vs 15.1%) and pass rate over expected (+9.0% vs −0.3%).

Run game

Where they run

Arrow size = share of carries · color = EPA per carry

Bottom lineTheir favorite lane: middle, 37% of runs, -0.09 EPA per carry.

How to read this chart

Seen from behind the offense:: the line at the bottom is the line of scrimmage, with seven running lanes from the left end to the right end.
Arrow size: and the % above it = share of the team's runs that go there.
Arrow color: = how well those runs work, in EPA per carry (expected points added: above zero helps the offense). Green works, grey is average, red hurts.

Pass game

Where they throw

Share of targets · EPA per throw

Bottom lineMost targeted zone: short right, 37% of throws, +0.09 EPA per throw.

How to read this chart

The field from the quarterback's eyes:: left, middle and right; the bottom row is short throws, the top row deep throws.
Each box: shows the share of throws that go there (more solid = more throws) and its color the EPA per throw: green helps the offense, grey is average, red hurts.

Formation Tell

What the formation gives away

How to read this chart

Two dots on one line from 0% to 100%:: how often they throw when the quarterback is under center, and how often from shotgun, on neutral downs.
The gap between them: is what a defense learns from the formation alone: a wide gap means the alignment tips run or pass.

Under center34%pass rate, neutral downs

Shotgun81%pass rate, neutral downs

A 47-point gap: one of the most readable offenses in the league (6 of 32). See all 32 →