DOWN X DOWN › week 15 › Bengals at Panthers
Updated Nov 3, 9:16 AM ET
2026
2026this season2025final

Week 15 · Sunday 1:00 PM ET · Bank of America Stadium

CINvsCAR

Bengals offensevsPanthers defense

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

CIN offenseCAR offense
Keys to the game · where this matchup tilts, from the season numbers4 reads
01
Biggest edge

Third downs favor Bengals

Bengals convert 55% of third downs (1st). Panthers allow 47% (28th).

02
Opportunity

Short middle is open

Panthers are worst against short middle throws, allowing +0.29 EPA per attempt. Bengals send 18% of their throws there.

03
Watch out

Tight ends go quiet

Panthers give up 7.6 targets a game to tight ends (15th), against a league average of 7.6. Bengals' tight ends produce 7.0 (21st).

04
Wash

Yards per play

Call this one even. Bengals gain 6.0 yards per play (6th). Panthers give up 5.4 (19th), with the league at 5.4.

Players to watch

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

CAR Panthers

9Bryce YoungQB · 158/269 · 1921 yds · 13 TD · 5 INTEPA per dropback +0.06 · 17th30Chuba HubbardRB · 118 car · 540 yds · 7 TD · 22 recEPA per touch +0.14 · 4th4Tetairoa McMillanWR · 42 rec · 569 yds · 2 TD · 65 tgtEPA per target +0.3518Jalen CokerWR · 27 rec · 364 yds · 3 TD · 44 tgtEPA per target +0.1955Devin LloydLeft Inside Linebacker · 45 tackles · 2 sacks · 2 INT · 3 PD2 INT · T-11th in the NFL58Bobby OkerekeRight Inside Linebacker · 48 tackles · 1 sack · 1 INT · 5 PD1 INT
The series · Bengals and Panthers since 1999, and this season's records8 meetings

The Bengals lead the series 4–3–1 since 1999. They have won the last 2. Sep 29, 2024, at Bank of America Stadium: the Bengals won 34–24. Andy Dalton started at quarterback for the Panthers and Joe Burrow for the Bengals; Dave Canales and Zac Taylor coached.

Bengals at home2–0–1the Bengals' record
In Carolina2–3the Bengals' record
Most pointsBengals 42 · Panthers 522022 · 2002
Biggest winBengals by 21 · Panthers by 242022 · 1999

The last 5

2024 · Wk 4CIN 34 at CAR 24
2022 · Wk 9CAR 21 at CIN 42
2018 · Wk 3CIN 21 at CAR 31
2014 · Wk 6 · OTCAR 37 at CIN 37
2010 · Wk 3CIN 20 at CAR 7

2026 records

BengalsPanthers
Overall5–23–4
Division1–11–1
Conference4–23–3
Other conference1–00–1
Home2–11–2
Away3–12–2
Last 5LLWWWLWWLL
StreakWon 3Lost 2
Points a game29.4 – 22.625.4 – 27.6

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 Bengals' side. Records are this regular season.

The lineups · Bengals offense against the Panthers defenseDepth charts
Panthers defense · 3-4 DBengals offense · 3WR 1TE75Brown63Fairchild64Karras66Risner71Mims88Gesicki9Burrow30Brown1Chase81Meyers5Higgins98Wharton92Hunter95Brown91Jones5Phillips58Okereke55Lloyd24Lee36DeWalt26Smith-Wade7Moehrig21Scott

Bengals offense · 3WR 1TE

  • QBJoe Burrow#9 · 195/267 · 2115 yds · 20 TD · 6 INT
  • RBChase Brown#30 · 94 car · 340 yds · 1 TD · 36 rec
  • WRJa'Marr Chase#1 · 43 rec · 492 yds · 6 TD · 61 tgt
  • WRTee Higgins#5 · 43 rec · 726 yds · 4 TD · 61 tgt
  • WRDohnte Meyers#81 · 16 rec · 175 yds · 0 TD · 23 tgt
  • TEMike Gesicki#88 · 17 rec · 241 yds · 6 TD · 24 tgt
  • LTOrlando Brown Jr.#75
  • LGDylan Fairchild#63
  • CTed Karras#64
  • RGDalton Risner#66
  • RTAmarius Mims#71

Panthers defense · Base 3-4 D

  • RDETershawn Wharton#98 · 7 tackles
  • NTLee Hunter#92 · 16 tackles
  • LDEDerrick Brown#95 · 21 tackles · 5 PD
  • WLBPatrick Jones II#91 · 11 tackles
  • SLBJaelan Phillips#5 · 10 tackles · 2.5 sacks
  • RILBBobby Okereke#58 · 48 tackles · 1 sack · 1 INT · 5 PD
  • LILBDevin Lloyd#55 · 45 tackles · 2 sacks · 2 INT · 3 PD
  • RCBWill Lee III#24 · 33 tackles · 7 PD
  • LCBMalcolm DeWalt IV#36 · 1 tackles
  • NBChau Smith-Wade#26 · 6 tackles
  • SSTre'von Moehrig#7 · 29 tackles · 0.5 sacks
  • FSNick Scott#21 · 29 tackles · 2 PD

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 · CIN offense against CAR defense
StatCIN CIN offFavors CIN · Favors CARCAR CAR def allowsNFL avg
Overall
EPA per play
+0.12#5
+0.03#20+0.00
Success rate
50%#2
44%#2244%
Yards per play
6.0#6
5.4#195.4
Explosive play rate
9%#21
8%#59%
Passing
Pass EPA per dropback
+0.23#5
+0.02#16+0.03
Sack rate
5%#8
4%#297%
Running
Run EPA per carry
-0.13#22
-0.01#28-0.08
Yards per carry
3.7#26
4.6#274.1
Money downs
3rd down conversion
55%#1
47%#2841%
Red zone TD rate
68%#9
80%#3061%
Targets by position
WR yards per game
211#1
146#17147
TE yards per game
54#17
47#1255
TE targets per game
7.0#21
7.6#157.6
RB receiving yards per game
37#10
27#932
Where the ball goes · EPA per throwDeep is 15+ air yds

Bengals: EPA per throw

Left
Middle
Right
Deep
+1.003% of throws
+2.373% of throws
+0.8111% of throws
Short
+0.2429% of throws
+0.1418% of throws
+0.0836% of throws

Panthers: EPA allowed per throw

Left
Middle
Right
Deep
+1.608 throws
+0.038 throws
-0.0522 throws
Short
+0.0168 throws
+0.2946 throws
0.0089 throws

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