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DOWN X DOWN › week 12 › Saints at Bengals
Updated Nov 2, 5:48 PM ET
2026
2026this season2025final

Week 12 · Sunday 1:00 PM ET · Paycor Stadium

NOvsCIN

Saints offensevsBengals defense

Season numbers through Week 8: 7 games for Saints, 7 for Bengals. Ranks are out of 32; #1 is the best offense or the stingiest defense.

NO offenseCIN offense
Keys to the game · where this matchup tilts, from the season numbers4 reads
01
Biggest edge

Tight ends feast

Bengals give up 9.6 targets a game to tight ends (30th), against a league average of 7.6. Saints' tight ends produce 8.3 (10th).

02
Opportunity

Deep middle is open

Bengals are worst against deep middle throws, allowing +0.84 EPA per attempt. Saints send 3% of their throws there. That is a small part of their offense so far.

03
Watch out

Ground game stalls

Saints average 3.2 yards per carry (31st). Bengals allow 4.4 (23rd).

04
Wash

Explosive play rate

Call this one even. Saints create explosive plays on 7% of snaps (30th). Bengals give them up at 11% (29th).

Players to watch

NO Saints

6Tyler ShoughQB · 183/273 · 1721 yds · 13 TD · 6 INTEPA per dropback +0.02 · 20th41Alvin KamaraRB · 41 car · 125 yds · 3 TD · 22 recEPA per touch -0.1012Chris OlaveWR · 49 rec · 636 yds · 2 TD · 71 tgtEPA per target +0.53 · 18th14Devaughn VeleWR · 33 rec · 348 yds · 3 TD · 48 tgtEPA per target +0.46 · 25th99Chase YoungStrongside Linebacker · 14 tackles · 7 sacks · 3 PD7 sacks · T-3rd in the NFL96Carl GrandersonWeakside Linebacker · 25 tackles · 5.5 sacks5.5 sacks · T-9th in the NFL

CIN Bengals

9Joe BurrowQB · 195/267 · 2115 yds · 20 TD · 6 INTEPA per dropback +0.24 · 7th30Chase BrownRB · 94 car · 340 yds · 1 TD · 36 recEPA per touch -0.211Ja'Marr ChaseWR · 43 rec · 492 yds · 6 TD · 61 tgtEPA per target +0.46 · 24th5Tee HigginsWR · 43 rec · 726 yds · 4 TD · 61 tgtEPA per target +0.85 · 3rd53Boye MafeLeft Defensive End · 18 tackles · 5.5 sacks · 1 PD5.5 sacks · T-9th in the NFL27Jordan BattleStrong Safety · 49 tackles · 3 INT · 6 PD3 INT · T-2nd in the NFL
The series · Saints and Bengals since 1999, and this season's records6 meetings

The Bengals lead the series 4–2 since 1999 (they first met in 2002). Oct 16, 2022, at Mercedes-Benz Superdome: the Bengals won 30–26. Andy Dalton started at quarterback for the Saints and Joe Burrow for the Bengals; Dennis Allen and Zac Taylor coached.

Saints at home0–3the Saints' record
In Cincinnati2–1the Saints' record
Most pointsSaints 51 · Bengals 312018 · 2006
Biggest winSaints by 37 · Bengals by 172018 · 2014

The last 5

2022 · Wk 6CIN 30 at NO 26
2018 · Wk 10NO 51 at CIN 14
2014 · Wk 11CIN 27 at NO 10
2010 · Wk 13NO 34 at CIN 30
2006 · Wk 11CIN 31 at NO 16

2026 records

SaintsBengals
Overall2–55–2
Division0–11–1
Conference1–34–2
Other conference1–21–0
Home0–42–1
Away2–13–1
Last 5LLLWLLLWWW
StreakLost 1Won 3
Points a game23.1 – 27.729.4 – 22.6

Every meeting since 1999, regular season and playoffs, from nflverse's game list, which starts in 1999; the all-time series goes back further. Franchises that moved count as one team (the Raiders, Chargers and Rams). Home and away are from the Saints' side. Records are this regular season.

The lineups · Saints offense against the Bengals defenseDepth charts
Bengals defense · 4-3 DSaints offense · 3WR 1TE72Richards76Edwards78McCoy51Ruiz75Fuaga83Johnson6Shough41Kamara12Olave18Lance14Vele99Murphy93Allen97Lawrence53Mafe44Knight49Carter42Burks0Turner20Davis23Hill27Battle6Cook

Saints offense · 3WR 1TE

  • QBTyler Shough#6 · 183/273 · 1721 yds · 13 TD · 6 INT
  • RBAlvin Kamara#41 · 41 car · 125 yds · 3 TD · 22 rec
  • WRChris Olave#12 · 49 rec · 636 yds · 2 TD · 71 tgt
  • WRDevaughn Vele#14 · 33 rec · 348 yds · 3 TD · 48 tgt
  • WRBryce Lance#18 · 9 rec · 78 yds · 1 TD · 22 tgt
  • TEJuwan Johnson#83 · 26 rec · 255 yds · 3 TD · 37 tgt
  • LTAsim Richards#72
  • LGDavid Edwards#76
  • CErik McCoy#78
  • RGCesar Ruiz#51
  • RTTaliese Fuaga#75

Bengals defense · Base 4-3 D

  • RDEMyles Murphy#99 · 14 tackles · 1.5 sacks
  • RDTJonathan Allen#93 · 17 tackles · 3 sacks · 1 PD
  • LDTDexter Lawrence II#97 · 23 tackles · 5 sacks · 1 PD
  • LDEBoye Mafe#53 · 18 tackles · 5.5 sacks · 1 PD
  • WLBDemetrius Knight Jr.#44 · 54 tackles · 1 INT · 1 PD
  • MLBBarrett Carter#49 · 57 tackles · 1.5 sacks · 3 PD
  • SLBOren Burks#42 · 13 tackles
  • RCBDJ Turner II#0 · 17 tackles · 5 PD
  • LCBTacario Davis#20 · 13 tackles · 1 PD
  • NBDax Hill#23 · 35 tackles · 5 PD
  • SSJordan Battle#27 · 49 tackles · 3 INT · 6 PD
  • FSBryan Cook#6 · 31 tackles · 0.5 sacks

Starters from each team's current depth chart (nflverse, from ESPN), drawn in the offense's base three-receiver set against the defense's base front. The nickel back, the extra defensive back most teams use against three receivers, is drawn lighter. Left and right are as the offense sees the field. The toggle at the top flips which offense is drawn.

Head to head · NO offense against CIN defense
StatNO NO offFavors NO · Favors CINCIN CIN def allowsNFL avg
Overall
EPA per play
-0.04#22
-0.01#14+0.00
Success rate
42%#23
44%#1744%
Yards per play
4.9#29
5.8#255.4
Explosive play rate
7%#30
11%#299%
Passing
Pass EPA per dropback
+0.01#19
-0.01#11+0.03
Sack rate
5%#10
9%#37%
Running
Run EPA per carry
-0.16#26
-0.08#18-0.08
Yards per carry
3.2#31
4.4#234.1
Money downs
3rd down conversion
43%#10
48%#2941%
Red zone TD rate
74%#2
42%#361%
Targets by position
WR yards per game
162#9
142#15147
TE yards per game
51#20
89#3155
TE targets per game
8.3#10
9.6#307.6
RB receiving yards per game
33#13
30#1232
Where the ball goes · EPA per throwDeep is 15+ air yds

Saints: EPA per throw

Left
Middle
Right
Deep
-0.137% of throws
+0.893% of throws
+1.026% of throws
Short
+0.1935% of throws
+0.0510% of throws
-0.0340% of throws

Bengals: EPA allowed per throw

Left
Middle
Right
Deep
-0.0114 throws
+0.8411 throws
-0.3018 throws
Short
+0.3262 throws
+0.2951 throws
+0.1582 throws

Green gains more than expected, red loses value. Cells with fewer than 5 throws are grayed out.