2026
2026 season · Weeks 1 to 8 · 5-2
Bengals defense
Every snap the Bengals defended, what it cost them and how they got there: the league ranks the player pages quote, where offenses find room, how this defense plays, and who plays in it.
- How good-0.01 EPA a play allowed, 15th of 32, and 0.00 above what the offenses they faced usually manage (16th).
- How they playThey blitz on 17% of dropbacks, the 32nd-most in the league, and get pressure on 23%.
- Where offenses find roomOn the ground: 4.4 a carry, 23rd, and runs outside left gain 6.4 a carry.
- Who hurt themDalton Schultz (HOU): 140 yards and +7.5 EPA on 14 touches, the most anyone has managed against them.
- Next upWeek 9 against the Falcons, whose offense ranks 29th in EPA a play.
How good is itthe defense against the league, and game by game
| Stat | Value | Rank | League | Pctl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EPA per playevery snap | -0.01 | 15th of 32 | 55th | |
| Pass EPAper dropback | +0.02 | 14th of 32 | 58th | |
| Rush EPAper designed run | -0.08 | 18th of 32 | 47th | |
| Success rateplays that gain enough | 44% | 17th of 32 | 48th | |
| Explosive rate20+ pass, 10+ run | 11% | 29th of 32 | 11th | |
| Yards per play | 5.8 | 25th of 32 | 23rd | |
| Yards per carry | 4.4 | 23rd of 32 | 30th | |
| Third downsconverted against them | 48% | 29th of 32 | 11th |
| Stat | Value | Rank | League | Pctl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sack rateper dropback | 8.2% | 3rd of 32 | 92nd | |
| Pressure rateper dropback, PFR | 23% | 11th of 32 | 67th | |
| QB hit rateper dropback | 16% | 12th of 32 | 64th | |
| INT rateper dropback | 1.4% | 21st of 32 | 36th | |
| Red-zone TD ratetrips ending in a touchdown | 42% | 5th of 32 | 86th | |
| Points per drivetouchdown 7, field goal 3 | 1.97 | 15th of 32 | 55th | |
| Takeawaysper game | 1.7 | 4th of 32 | 88th | |
| EPA against expectationallowed minus the offenses' usual | +0.00 | 16th of 32 | 52nd |
Each bar is the league's 32 defenses; the marker is the Bengals. Right is better for the defense, so a low EPA allowed sits right. The pressure rate is PFR's pressures (hurries, hits and sacks) per dropback. EPA against expectation compares each game with what that offense averaged in its other games, so a strong schedule is not held against them.
They held 4 of 7 offenses below their usual EPA a play. The biggest stop: Week 2 against the Texans, 0.33 a play under their norm. The offenses they have faced average -0.01 a play elsewhere, the 21st-toughest schedule of offenses.
vs TBW 33-27-0.19usual -0.08
at HOUW 20-6-0.25usual +0.08
at PITL 27-30+0.20usual -0.06
vs JAXL 17-22+0.21usual +0.16
at MIAW 31-24-0.05usual -0.05
at BALW 35-13-0.09usual +0.04
vs TENW 43-36+0.13usual -0.14Where offenses find roomthe field, the run lanes, the positions and the situations
The soft spot is behind the line left: +0.28 EPA a throw against a league -0.18. The lockdown zone is deep right, -0.33 a throw (league +0.33). Completions against them run 0.1 points over expected, 18th-best in the league.
Every pass they faced with a charted air distance and side, sacks excluded. Green is a zone where they allow less than the league, red more. How often shows the share of throws against them there.
Offenses run for 4.4 yards a carry against them, 23rd of 32. The leak is outside left: 6.4 a carry and +0.23 EPA (league 5.0, -0.01).
| Position | Targets a game | Yards a game | EPA per target | Fantasy points allowed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wide receivers | 18.618th | 142.415th | +0.2618th-toughest | 21.713th-most27.214th-most32.814th-most |
| Tight ends | 9.630th | 88.731st | +0.3627th-toughest | 9.510th-most13.08th-most16.58th-most |
| Backs, receiving | 4.76th | 29.912th | +0.0619th-toughest | 15.612th-fewest17.511th-fewest19.47th-fewest |
| Quarterbacks | – | – | – | 17.816th-most17.816th-most17.816th-most |
Who hurt them most
| Player | Team | Touches | Yards | TD | EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dalton Schultz | HOU | 14 | 140 | +7.5 | |
| Brenton Strange | JAX | 8 | 95 | +6.0 | |
| Zay Flowers | BAL | 11 | 137 | 1 | +5.9 |
| Jaylen Warren | PIT | 21 | 176 | +5.5 | |
| Emeka Egbuka | TB | 6 | 63 | +4.8 | |
| Darnell Washington | PIT | 4 | 67 | +4.0 |
Targets, yards and EPA per target by the receiver's position, ranked 1st for the toughest defense: the same numbers a receiver's This week panel quotes against this defense. Fantasy points allowed follow the scoring switch. Who hurt them ranks every opposing player by EPA on his targets and carries against this defense.
Third downs go the offense's way: even third-and-7+ converts at 30% (league 27%). They are stingiest in the red zone (-0.32 a play, league +0.03) and weakest in 3rd down (+0.21, league -0.04).
| Situation | Plays | Allowed | League | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st down | 193 | +0.04 | +0.01 | +0.02 |
| 2nd down | 140 | -0.11 | +0.01 | -0.11 |
| 3rd down | 91 | +0.21 | -0.04 | +0.24 |
| 3rd and 1 to 3 | 27 | 74% | 61% | +14 pts |
| 3rd and 4 to 6 | 24 | 50% | 44% | +6 pts |
| 3rd and 7+ | 40 | 30% | 27% | +3 pts |
| Red zone | 71 | -0.32 | +0.03 | -0.36 |
| Two-minute drill | 57 | +0.04 | +0.00 | +0.04 |
| When they lead | 220 | -0.11 | +0.01 | -0.12 |
| One-score game | 294 | 0.00 | -0.01 | +0.00 |
| When they trail by 9+ | 22 | +0.25 | +0.03 | +0.22 |
EPA a play allowed, or for third downs the share converted (a first down or a touchdown). Green is better than the league for the defense. Score states are from the defense's side.
How they playpressure, the box, what offenses try, discipline
One of the least aggressive defenses in football. They send extra rushers on 17% of dropbacks and average 4.1 rushers; 83% of dropbacks see four or fewer. They allow -0.25 EPA when they blitz and +0.05 when they do not.
They put 6.6 defenders in the box on runs, eight or more on 10%. Into a light box (six or fewer) runs gain 4.5 a carry; into eight or more, 1.9.
Offenses throw more than usual against them: 4 points over their expected pass rate on early downs in a neutral game. Play action gains -0.01 EPA against them on 24% of throws; screens +0.43.
25 defensive penalties for 214 yards, 16 of them first downs, the 22nd-fewest. They miss 10% of tackle attempts by PFR's count, 25th-best.
The defenderswho plays, and what each one has done
Jonathan Allen leads the pass rush with 12 pressures and 3 sacks on 63% of the snaps.
| Player | Snaps | Pressures | Sacks | QB hits | TFL | Tackles | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 53Boye MafeDE | 75% | 10 | 5.5 | 8 | 7 | 18 | 2 |
| 97Dexter LawrenceDT | 69% | 10 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 23 | |
| 99Myles MurphyDE | 66% | 7 | 1.5 | 5 | 1 | 14 | 1 |
| 93Jonathan AllenDT | 63% | 12 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 17 | 1 |
| 55Cashius HowellDE | 39% | 9 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 7 | |
| 98Tedarrell SlatonDT | 33% | 1 | 1 | 11 | |||
| 92B.J. HillDT | 26% | 1 | 1 | 13 | |||
| 52Cedric JohnsonDE | 22% | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 12 | |
| 90Kris JenkinsDT | 22% | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | |
| 94Shemar StewartDE | 5% | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
Barrett Carter plays 99% of the snaps with 57 tackles and 1.5 sacks.
| Player | Snaps | Tackles | TFL | Sacks | Pressures | Targets | Rating allowed | Missed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49Barrett CarterLB | 99% | 57 | 5 | 1.5 | 3 | 32 | 83.8 | 7 |
| 44Demetrius Knight Jr.LB | 83% | 54 | 4 | 3 | 26 | 90.6 | 3 | |
| 42Oren BurksILB | 10% | 13 | 3 | 106.2 | ||||
| 43Joe Giles-HarrisLB | 1% | 8 | ||||||
| 45Jack KiserLB | 1% | 4 | ||||||
| 47Swayze BozemanLB | 0% | 4 |
Jordan Battle is the hardest to complete a pass against: a 74.0 passer rating on 27 targets.
| Player | Snaps | Targets | Catches allowed | Yards | TD | Rating allowed | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27Jordan BattleSAF | 98% | 27 | 14 of 27 | 230 | 1 | 74.0 | 3 | 6 |
| 23Daxton HillDB | 97% | 30 | 15 of 30 | 236 | 1 | 76.8 | 5 | |
| 0DJ Turner IICB | 95% | 24 | 13 of 24 | 143 | 1 | 79.4 | 5 | |
| 6Bryan CookSAF | 75% | 9 | 4 of 9 | 89 | 81.9 | |||
| 38D.J. IveyCB | 40% | 21 | 11 of 21 | 126 | 1 | 88.2 | 3 | |
| 35Jalen DavisCB | 26% | 15 | 8 of 15 | 126 | 1 | 92.1 | 2 | |
| 20Tacario DavisCB | 16% | 10 | 6 of 10 | 57 | 72.9 | 1 | ||
| 28Josh NewtonCB | 13% | 1 | ||||||
| 37PJ JulesSAF | 11% | 2 | 2 of 2 | 34 | 118.7 |
Tackles, sacks, QB hits, TFL, interceptions, passes defended and forced fumbles are nflverse's weekly stats; pressures, targets, catches and yards allowed, passer rating allowed and missed tackles are PFR's charting. Snap share is the season average of defensive snaps.