Bengals Head Into Bye at 3-2

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PRESENTED BY VISIT CINCY & MEETNKY

The Bengals (and fans!) can relax with a bye this week, which means it’s the perfect time to plan your next football getaway to Cincinnati. Explore the city and Northern Kentucky at your own pace, from riverfront views and local breweries to world-class restaurants, public art and neighborhoods worth wandering. And before you know it, the Bengals will be back on the field!

Ja'Marr Chase now has 7,126 career receiving yards, surpassing Ring of Honor member Isaac Curtis (7,101) for third place on the Bengals' all-time list.

He got there on a one-armed, falling-into-the-end-zone, 45-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter. His fourth touchdown of the season, his 58th since entering the league in 2021, the most by any player in that span. Burrow on Chase: "You see what number one can do whenever the ball's in the air. Obviously, unbelievable play, but we're used to it at this point."

He threw for only 190 yards against Miami, his fewest in a finished start since the 2025 opener in Cleveland. But he completed 72% of his passes, tossed four touchdowns, and kept his NFL-leading completion percentage at 71.4% for the season. Per PFF, Burrow is the highest-graded passer on plays without play-action, a ranking he has held in 2021, 2022, 2024, 2025, and now 2026. He leads the NFL with five 20-plus yard touchdown passes and a 137.9 passer rating on deep balls. His 95.7 PFF grade on intermediate passes (10-19 yards) leads all quarterbacks, on a 74.4% completion rate in that range. He has 11 touchdown passes through five games. The Bengals were 1-4 through five games in 2024. They're 3-2 now.

Samaje Perine led the team with 14 carries for 68 yards (4.9 per attempt) and caught a 6-yard touchdown on third-and-goal that put us ahead for good. Chase Brown had 13 carries for 39 yards and fumbled in the red zone. Before the fumble, Brown had more than double Perine's snaps. After it, Perine got five more the rest of the way.

OC Dan Pitcher this week: "I think we'll continually assess how that touch share between [Perine] and Chase Brown should play out. Obviously, what we ran more of yesterday leans into what Samaje does well, which is get downhill and run through contact." Burrow: "He's just Mr. Reliable. You can count on him to fall forward and get us an extra two."

The Bengals are 31st in the NFL in average rush yards after contact at 2.03, and the only team this season without a run of 14 or more yards. Chase Brown's yards after contact dropped from 3.4 per carry last year to 2.1 this year. Amarius Mims ranks fourth-lowest among offensive tackles in PFF run blocking, and Drew Sample and Erick All grade 37th and 44th respectively among tight ends in the same category.

The RPO-heavy scheme is part of it structurally: when your receivers are running routes instead of blocking safeties, you're not getting explosive runs. Pitcher acknowledged it: the staff will keep adapting scheme to opponent rather than chasing a theoretical ideal. Since 2021, the Bengals are the best offense in the NFL by EPA per play in weeks 6 through 12.

Jordan Battle is the first Bengals player with interceptions on consecutive opponent drives since Dre Kirkpatrick in Week 16 of 2014 against Denver.

Battle had flagged during the week that Willis has "a slight little tap before every throw." Mafe deflected the first one at the line, and Battle caught it. Then on the very next possession, Willis threw across his body into the middle of the field and Battle was already there. Both happened in the second quarter, both killed Dolphins drives, and Cincinnati went into halftime up 21-7.

Five weeks in, both marquee defensive signings are earning their money. PFF grades Lawrence as the second-best defensive tackle in the NFL, on pace for 65 pressures and 10 sacks, with an 82.4 pass-rush grade (fourth-best at the position). The Bengals lead the NFL with a 30% defensive stuff rate. Mafe has three sacks, five tackles for loss, four quarterback hits, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and a pass defensed. His 88.0 PFF grade against Miami was the highest of his career.

His 25 pressures rank sixth among all NFL players, on pace for 85 on the season. For context: 83 is the most Trey Hendrickson ever had with the Bengals in a single year. Mafe is doing it at a 17.3% blitz rate, the lowest in the NFL. Taylor on Mafe: "He's willing to do anything. Stop the run. Drop. Rush. Rush inside." BJ Hill: "He's a different cat. That's all I can say." Orlando Brown Jr., who has faced Mafe dating back to 2023: "He figures out a way to finish. That's a sign of a great defensive end."

Hudson tore his pectoral against Miami and is headed to injured reserve. He caught three passes for 14 yards and a touchdown in the win. Hudson is in a contract year after catching 84 passes for 707 yards and five touchdowns over four seasons in Cincinnati. The Bengals now have Mike Gesicki, Erick All, Drew Sample, and seventh-round rookie Jack Endries at tight end. Endries made the 53-man roster on the strength of a solid preseason but has been a game-day inactive most of the year. He's going to get his shot now. The Bengals have no tight ends on the practice squad, so a corresponding move is coming.

Evan McPherson's 26-yard field goal in the fourth quarter extended his consecutive made field goal streak to 22, surpassing Shayne Graham's 21 in 2007 for the most in franchise history.

Sun Oct 25, 1 PM ET, at Baltimore Ravens (CBS)

First Ever Portland Watch Party

First ever watch party in Portland, Oregon!

Bengals vs. Ravens Watch Party!

📍 Buffalo Wild Wings, Cascade Station (near the Portland airport)

Our friends at BW3's have reserved an ENTIRE AREA just for us! Room for 60 people!

🏈 ALL TVs tuned to Bengals vs. Ravens!

🍺 Doors open at 9 AM!

🙌 Dedicated servers ready to take care of our group!

🚗 Centrally located with PLENTY of parking!

We're expecting 50+ fans, so BRING YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY! Let's pack the place with orange and black!

No better way to spend a Sunday than watching Bengals football with fellow WHO DEY fans!

Kenny for Canton

The time has come to get Ken Anderson where he belongs, in the Pro Football Hall of Fame!

NFL LEGENDS from across the league are stepping up and making their voices heard in support of Kenny!

Different teams. Different eras. One common message.

KEN ANDERSON BELONGS IN CANTON!

This is about recognizing one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game!

Help spread the word across the NFL at kennyforcanton.com!

Weekend in Miami

EVERYTHING we do starts with this tailgate. And YOU are the ones who make it ALL happen!

This weekend, you set an ALL-TIME RECORD for charity fundraising at a Bengal Jim & Friends away tailgate!

$6,050.73 RAISED for the American Cancer Society / Men Wear Pink, with Bengals legend @FoRock33 leading the charge!

Almost $2,000 of that total came from sales of our Bengal Jim & Friends playing cards, thanks to our amazing friends at Bicycle Cards!

This was BY FAR the most money we've EVER raised for charity at an away tailgate in our 33-year history!

WE HAVE THE MOST GENEROUS, MOST GIVING FANS IN THE LAND!

From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU! You continue to amaze us.