Cincinnati is looking to get back to being one of the most high-powered offenses in the NFL.
Cincinnati is looking to get back to being one of the most high-powered offenses in the NFL.
Ben BabyMay 29, 2026, 06:00 AM ETCloseBen Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the company in July 2019. Prior to ESPN, he worked for various newspapers in Texas, most recently at The Dallas Morning News where he covered college sports. He provides daily coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com, while making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN's NFL shows and ESPN Radio programs. A native of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor's degree in journalism. He is an adjunct journalism professor at Southern Methodist University and a member of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).
Ben BabyMay 29, 2026, 06:00 AM ET
CINCINNATI -- Health and defense.
Those are typically the two most important factors that will determine the Cincinnati Bengals' success -- with 2026 potentially being a make-or-break season for the franchise.
But there's another factor perhaps camouflaged by names and salaries: the offense.
Even when quarterback Joe Burrow -- who missed nine games -- was healthy last season, Cincinnati's offense did not look like one of the most high-powered and expensive groups in the NFL. And Burrow is as aware as anyone that becoming a playoff contender again starts with becoming a better offense, particularly on first downs.
"There's no secret that the last several years go the way we wanted to, and there's a lot of blame to go around for that -- myself included," Burrow said last week.
When Burrow has been an MVP finalist (2022 and 2024), he has been one of the league's most efficient and productive passers on first downs, when the down and distance isn't generally tilted toward the offense or defense.
But in those neutral situations last season, Burrow's numbers dipped significantly. Among quarterbacks who had at least 100 dropbacks in 2025, Burrow had a league-worst EPA of minus-11.4 on first downs, according to ESPN Research.
Averytin News NFL update.