The Cincinnati Bengals have a supremely talented NFL passing attack, but they are an outlier in how rarely they use play action.
Per Sharp Football Analysis, Cincinnati has used play action on just 12.2% of its offensive snaps this season. That ranks 31st among 32 teams, ahead of only the Philadelphia Eagles at 10.4%.
% of snaps with play action this season (lowest first):
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) October 13, 2026
10.4% - Philadelphia Eagles
12.2% - Cincinnati Bengals
12.3% - New Orleans Saints
12.9% - Arizona Cardinals
12.9% - Atlanta Falcons
12.9% - New York Jets
13.3% - Cleveland Browns
13.3% - Pittsburgh Steelers
13.7% -…
The New Orleans Saints are next at 12.3%, while no other team sits below 12.9%.
It continues a trend from last season. Pro Football Focus noted that Cincinnati used
play action at a 17.1% rate in 2025, well below the NFL average of 25.65%.
Despite that tendency, Joe Burrow and the Bengals offense have produced. Cincinnati comes into its Week 6 bye at 3-2 while averaging 25.6 points per game. Burrow threw four touchdown passes in a 31-24 win over the Miami Dolphins in Week 5.
Regardless, the play-action number is an evident offensive tendency to evaluate during the bye before an AFC North matchup with the Baltimore Ravens in Week 7.
This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals rank near NFL's bottom in play-action usage through Week 5
