Ja’Marr Chasing History, McPherson Elite From Deep and More — Cincinnati Bengals Stats To Know at the Bye

The Cincinnati Bengals have the weekend off, but there’s never a break from digging up stats, especially when there are so many unique ones attached to this year’s team.

First, let’s revisit wide receiver Andrei Iosivas becoming the first Bengals player since Andrew Whitworth in 2010 to catch a touchdown on his birthday.

From the current NFL standings to team depth charts to coverage of every game in the 18-week NFL schedule, we have all the news from around the league to keep you up to speed!

Cincinnati Bengals Stats To Know Heading Into the Bye Week

Iosivas not only scored on his birthday, it was his first career touchdown. Only six other players in the Super Bowl era have caught their first career touchdown pass on their birthday:

• Wayne Gallman, New York Giants, 2017
• Chris Conley, Washington, 2015
• Samkon Gado, Green Bay, 2005
• Quincy Morgan, Cleveland, 2001
• Bo Jackson, Los Angeles Raiders, 1987
• Tinker Owens, New Orleans, 1975

For Gado and Jackson, it was their first career touchdown reception, but both of them had scored their first career touchdown on the ground the week before. And both of them had two more rushing touchdowns in their birthday games when they caught their first career scoring pass.

Three-Set Button

The Bengals have won three of their last four games and are viewing their 3-3 record at the bye as a reset. But while there is some momentum building, 3-3 still puts the Bengals on the wrong side of the percentages for making the playoffs.

Since the current division alignment began in 2002, 166 teams have started 3-3, with only 56 (34%) reaching the playoffs. That still is a major upgrade from what they would have been looking at had they lost to Seattle. Of the 136 teams to start 2-4 since 2002, only 15 (11%) have made the playoffs.

MORE: NFL Offense Rankings 2023

The 2022 Bengals are among the 34% of teams that have rallied from 3-3 to reach the playoffs. They also are among a smaller subset, which is teams who started 3-3 and won at least one playoff game. That number is 22 of 166 (13%).

But at least one team has done it in 11 of the last 14 seasons.

As far as starting 3-3 and reaching the Super Bowl, only two of 166 teams have done so — the 2010 Packers, who won it all, and the 2014 Seahawks, who did not give the ball to Marshawn Lynch on the goal line.

On the latest episode of the PFN #Bengals Podcast, we look at the issues with the offense and possible solutions. Plus @DallasDRobinson and I hand out our bye week awards:https://t.co/FXD4UW3cWp

— Jay Morrison (@ByJayMorrison) October 19, 2023

McPherson’s marks

Bengals kicker Evan McPherson is 3-of-5 on field goals of at least 50 yards this season and 17-of-21 since he entered the league in 2021. Those 17 50+ field goals are one shy of the NFL lead during the span, a mark held by Pittsburgh’s Chris Boswell (18-of-23).

McPherson’s 81.0% success rate is fourth-best among kickers with at least 10 attempts. Boswell (85.7%) is tied for first with Philadelphia’s Jake Elliott (12-of-14) and Dallas’ Brett Maher (9-of-11, 81.8%).

Looking at all kickers since 1991, McPherson is on the cusp of being the most successful kicker from 50+. Boswell (27 of 33, 81.8%) is a fraction of a percentage point ahead of McPherson’s 81.0.

YPP Yikes

The Bengals are averaging 4.18 yards per play, which ranks 31^st in the league. They are 5.57, which ranks 25^th.

And the -1.39-yard differential ranks 31st.

MORE: Cincinnati Bengals Depth Chart

Last year’s 3-3 start, which turned into the longest winning streak in franchise history, was considerably different. Through six games last year, the Bengals averaged 5.03 yards per play, which was 26^th, and they allowed 5.24, which ranked 10^th. Their differential of -0.21 was 19^th.

In terms of Bengals history, the 4.18 yards per play rank as the 10^th fewest through the first six weeks of a season. The last Bengals team to average fewer was the 2008 team, which averaged 3.85. That team finished 4-11-1.

That’s right, the 2019 team that started 0-11 and finished 2-14 had a more productive offense than what the Bengals currently possess.

The 5.57 yards allowed this season are the 15^th most in Bengals history.

And the -1.39-yard differential ranks 53^rd out of 56 seasons. The only teams that were worse were 1979 (-1.46), 2002 (-1.53), and 2019 (-1.54).

Chasing history

Wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase has 50 catches for 556 yards, which projects to season totals of 142 receptions and 1,575 yards, both of which would be franchise records.

As far as six-game starts go, Chase’s 50 catches are second only to T.J. Houshmandzadeh’s 51 in 2007. And his 556 yards are ninth-most through six games in team history.

Chase is the 12^th player in NFL history to have at least 50 catches through his first six games. The record is 58, set by the Vikings’ Adam Thielen in 2018.

The Bengals offense to this point has been Chase — the gap between his numbers and the rest of the players on the team is historic. Chase has 352 more yards than the next leading receiver on the team, Tyler Boyd. Only one other time in franchise history has the gap been that large through six games. A.J. Green had 382 more yards than Giovani Bernard in 2017.

Chase’s 50 receptions are 20 more than Boyd’s 30. That’s the third-highest gap in team history. Boyd (40) had 21 more than Auden Tate through six games in 2019, and Carl Pickens (42) had 23 more than Darnay Scott in 1998.

#Bengals DE Sam Hubbard has recorded 21 tackles in 6 games this season.

He trails only #Raiders DE Maxx Crosby (22) for most tackles among #NFL defensive linemen.

PFN's Defense Rankings: https://t.co/TqZRBnh3Bk

Stats: @IE_NFL | #PFN365 pic.twitter.com/DML9Wbs207

— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) October 18, 2023

Pressure packed

The 13 quarterback hits Sunday against the Seahawks are tied for the most by a Bengals defense since 2006 when they had 14 in a 21-19 win at Jacksonville in Week 9.

The 13 pressures are tied for the most since they had 14 in a Week 13 loss to the Chargers in 2021.

The Bengals have 19 sacks, tied for the sixth-most in the league.

The 19 sacks are tied for the fifth-most through six games in franchise history. The 1992 team had 24, and the 1995 team had 22. The 1985 and 2012 teams each had 20.

It’s been 11 seasons since the Bengals finished in the top five in sacks. They were third with 51 in 2012, their highest ranking since sacks became a stat in 1982.

Out of the Bye

The Bengals have won their first game after the bye in the last two seasons, winning 37-30 at Pittsburgh last year and 32-13 at Las Vegas in 2021.

But the franchise has struggled coming off a bye historically. The Bengals are 11-22-1 after a week off. And they are 7-12 when the post-bye game is on the road.

On a positive note, the Bengals are 3-0 when traveling to the Pacific Time Zone the week after a bye. In addition to the win at Las Vegas in 2021, the Bengals won 17-10 at San Diego in 2013 and 34-12 at Seattle in 2011.