The Cincinnati Bengals are sitting at 3-2, and the early picture isn’t nearly as grim as the mistakes they’ve made might suggest. Even with those self-inflicted problems, ESPN’s Football Power Index still gives Cincinnati a 76 percent chance to make the playoffs. The same model has the Bengals at just 33 percent to win the AFC North, but the postseason path is still very much alive.
Part of that optimism comes from what’s left on the schedule. Cincinnati has only played one AFC North opponent so far, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Baltimore Ravens are still ahead after the bye. Beyond that, there are still plenty of teams on the slate with losing records.
That doesn’t guarantee anything, of course. The Bengals still have to handle those games, and that’s been a recurring issue. But this group has at least shown more ability to take care of weaker opponents than it did last year, when it somehow made Justin Fields look like Patrick Mahomes in a loss to the pitiful New York Jets.
What happens next still depends on whether Cincinnati can clean up the details during the break. If the mistakes keep piling up, the softer schedule won’t matter much.
There are also some encouraging defensive numbers behind the record. Through the first five weeks of 2026, the Bengals have pressured opposing quarterbacks on 40.4% of dropbacks, according to NGS, which ranks eighth in the NFL. Just as important, they’ve gotten there without relying heavily on the blitz, sending five or more rushers on only 18.2% of snaps.
That’s a major shift from what fans have been used to seeing. In recent seasons, it often felt like Trey Hendrickson or nobody when it came to getting after the quarterback.
Too often, opposing passers had time to stand in the pocket, sort out the coverage, or slip away and turn broken plays into huge gains. That has not been nearly as much of an issue lately.
Another Bengals story worth watching centers on wide receiver Dohnte Meyers, whose path to the NFL has already been well documented, including the detail about paying to try out for a CFL team while delivering food. A deeper look at his background only adds to that story and underscores how much work it took for him to get here.
Across the league, there was a bizarre Broncos game in which Denver punted the entire second half before running three plays in overtime and then kicking the game-winning field goal. Just an absolutely unhinged game.
There was also a separate story that pushed beyond football, one that doesn’t sound life threatening but still leaves people feeling a little more mortal when news like that surfaces.
And the NFL is already floating the idea of being “selective” about scheduling games on Wednesdays. Whether that actually means anything remains to be seen for a league that loves to squeeze every bit of money it can out of the calendar.
From a competitive standpoint, it’s hard to imagine teams being thrilled about it. At this point, the simplest answer might be to give every team two bye weeks a year.
In Other News...
Dexter Lawrence Is Already Creating A Bengals Problem Opponents Hate
Dexter Lawrence has wasted no time turning himself into one of the biggest weekly headaches the Bengals have to manage. Through four games, opposing lines have leaned on double teams to try to slow him down, but Lawrence keeps showing up around the ball and disrupting plays anyway, giving Cincinnati a rare interior force who changes the way offenses have to protect.
He already has three sacks and five tackles for loss, a pace that points toward a career-best season if he keeps this going. The next step for the Bengals is figuring out how to turn all that attention into even more pressure elsewhere, and the bye week should give the coaching staff a chance to build new ways to maximize what Lawrence is creating in the middle. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Bye Week Put Zac Taylor's Offense Under Pressure
Through five games, Cincinnatis passing game has been productive enough to keep the offense on schedule, but it has not looked as sharp as the continuity on paper suggested. The Bengals brought back all 11 starters, and still the attack sits 12th in total yards per game while searching for a little more punch when the field tightens in scoring range.
The bye week gives Zac Taylor and his staff a chance to look hard at the details that have held the unit back, especially the red-zone inefficiency and the way the offense has leaned away from under-center looks. There is also a running back decision hovering over the conversation, with the author making the case for a different starter, and the next stretch will say plenty about whether Cincinnati can turn those concerns into fixes before the season gets away from it. [Read more 🡒]
Joe Burrow Just Showed Why Bengals Fans Should Feel Better
After a rough stretch, Joe Burrow and the Bengals got the kind of response game that can settle a fan base down for at least a week. Cincinnati beat Miami 31-24 in Week 5, and Burrow kept the offense moving by completing 23 of 32 passes for 190 yards while working the ball to nine different receivers. The run game did its part, too, with 117 rushing yards helping give the offense a more complete look than it had shown earlier.
The bigger takeaway for Cincinnati was the way the passing attack started to feel less dependent on any one target. JaMarr Chase was back after his concussion, and his return added another layer to an offense that needed it. The Bengals still have plenty to clean up, but a balanced day and a win over a playoff-caliber opponent gave them something they had been missing: a little confidence that this can look like a real attack again. [Read more 🡒]