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

Week 9 · Sunday 9:30 AM ET · Bernabeu

CINvsATL

Bengals offensevsFalcons defense

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

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

Wideouts feast

Falcons give up 150 yards a game to wide receivers (20th), against a league average of 147. Bengals' wide receivers produce 211 (1st).

02
Opportunity

Deep left is open

Falcons are worst against deep left throws, allowing +0.17 EPA per attempt. Bengals send 3% of their throws there. That is a small part of their offense so far.

03
Watch out

Nowhere to run

Bengals' run game is 22nd in EPA per carry (-0.13). Falcons allow -0.08 (15th).

04
Wash

EPA per play

Call this one even. Bengals average +0.12 EPA per play (5th). Falcons allow -0.04 (11th). League average is +0.00.

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

ATL Falcons

9Michael Penix Jr.QB · 104/168 · 1282 yds · 9 TD · 5 INTEPA per dropback +0.02 · 21st7Bijan RobinsonRB · 150 car · 780 yds · 5 TD · 25 recEPA per touch -0.075Drake LondonWR · 39 rec · 624 yds · 1 TD · 62 tgtEPA per target +0.408Kyle PittsTE · 22 rec · 197 yds · 4 TD · 32 tgtEPA per target +0.0653Kendal DanielsLeft Inside Linebacker · 52 tackles · 1 sack · 1 INT · 2 PD1 INT26C.J. HendersonRight Cornerback · 39 tackles · 8 PD8 passes defended · T-7th in the NFL
The series · Bengals and Falcons since 1999, and this season's records6 meetings

The series is even at 3–3 since 1999 (they first met in 2002). The Bengals have won the last 3. Oct 23, 2022, at Paycor Stadium: the Bengals won 35–17. Joe Burrow started at quarterback for the Bengals and Marcus Mariota for the Falcons; Zac Taylor and Arthur Smith coached.

Bengals at home2–1the Bengals' record
In Atlanta1–2the Bengals' record
Most pointsBengals 37 · Falcons 392018 · 2010
Biggest winBengals by 18 · Falcons by 272022 · 2002

The last 5

2022 · Wk 7ATL 17 at CIN 35
2018 · Wk 4CIN 37 at ATL 36
2014 · Wk 2ATL 10 at CIN 24
2010 · Wk 7CIN 32 at ATL 39
2006 · Wk 8ATL 29 at CIN 27

2026 records

BengalsFalcons
Overall5–23–5
Division1–11–2
Conference4–23–3
Other conference1–00–2
Home2–11–3
Away3–12–2
Last 5LLWWWWLLWL
StreakWon 3Lost 1
Points a game29.4 – 22.621.4 – 23.6

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 Falcons defenseDepth charts
Falcons defense · 3-4 DBengals offense · 3WR 1TE75Brown63Fairchild64Karras66Risner71Mims88Gesicki9Burrow30Brown1Chase81Meyers5Higgins54Dorlus95Dexter92Smith99Thomas27Pearce0Deablo53Daniels26Henderson24Terrell33Bowman3Bates31Watts

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

Falcons defense · Base 3-4 D

  • RDEBrandon Dorlus#54 · 13 tackles · 1 sack · 1 PD
  • NTGervon Dexter Sr.#95 · 21 tackles · 1.5 sacks · 1 PD
  • LDEMaason Smith#92 · 15 tackles · 1 sack · 1 PD
  • WLBCameron Thomas#99 · 21 tackles · 2 sacks · 1 PD
  • SLBJames Pearce Jr.#27 · 0 tackles
  • RILBDivine Deablo#0 · 29 tackles · 1 PD
  • LILBKendal Daniels#53 · 52 tackles · 1 sack · 1 INT · 2 PD
  • RCBC.J. Henderson#26 · 39 tackles · 8 PD
  • LCBA.J. Terrell Jr.#24 · 13 tackles · 3 PD
  • NBBilly Bowman Jr.#33 · 6 tackles · 2 PD
  • SSJessie Bates III#3 · 45 tackles · 1 INT · 4 PD
  • FSXavier Watts#31 · 53 tackles · 0.5 sacks · 1 INT · 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 ATL defense
StatCIN CIN offFavors CIN · Favors ATLATL ATL def allowsNFL avg
Overall
EPA per play
+0.12#5
-0.04#11+0.00
Success rate
50%#2
44%#1844%
Yards per play
6.0#6
5.3#135.4
Explosive play rate
9%#21
9%#139%
Passing
Pass EPA per dropback
+0.23#5
+0.00#15+0.03
Sack rate
5%#8
6%#207%
Running
Run EPA per carry
-0.13#22
-0.08#15-0.08
Yards per carry
3.7#26
4.6#264.1
Money downs
3rd down conversion
55%#1
42%#1841%
Red zone TD rate
68%#9
63%#1861%
Targets by position
WR yards per game
211#1
150#20147
TE yards per game
54#17
55#1855
TE targets per game
7.0#21
7.6#167.6
RB receiving yards per game
37#10
33#1732
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

Falcons: EPA allowed per throw

Left
Middle
Right
Deep
+0.1727 throws
+1.598 throws
-0.0521 throws
Short
+0.1293 throws
-0.1533 throws
+0.06106 throws

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