Stats tell a story, but in the Queen City, they usually tell a drama. If you just look at a box score from the last season, you're seeing a filtered version of reality. You see Joe Burrow’s passing yards or Ja’Marr Chase’s highlight-reel catches, but you miss the grit. Honestly, the Cincinnati Bengals player stats from this past year reveal a team that is fundamentally changing how it plays football.
It wasn't just about the "Big Three" anymore.
People love to talk about the Burrow-to-Chase connection like it's the only thing keeping the lights on at Paycor Stadium. While that duo remains the heartbeat, the 2025 season showed us some weird, unexpected ripples in the data. We saw a running back take over the receiving game. We saw a secondary led by a second-year breakout.
Basically, if you aren't looking at the efficiency metrics, you're missing why this team is actually dangerous.
The Burrow Factor and the Air Raid Reality
Joe Burrow is Joe Burrow. He finished the 2025 campaign with 1,809 passing yards and 17 touchdowns in his first eight games before things got messy with the roster rotation. His completion percentage sat at a crisp 66.8%. But here’s the kicker: his sack rate. He was taken down 17 times in those eight starts.
That’s a problem.
When we talk about Cincinnati Bengals player stats, the "Sacks Allowed" column is arguably as important as the "Passing Yards" column. You can't throw 40-yard bombs to Tee Higgins if you're on your back. Speaking of Higgins, he was a touchdown machine this year. He hauled in 11 scores on just 59 receptions. That’s an absurd efficiency rate. He’s quietly moving past Bengals legends like Eddie Brown and T.J. Houshmandzadeh on the all-time list.
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Wide Receiver Production (By the Numbers)
- Ja’Marr Chase: 125 catches, 1,412 yards, 8 touchdowns.
- Tee Higgins: 59 catches, 846 yards, 11 touchdowns.
- Andrei Iosivas: 33 catches, 435 yards, 2 touchdowns.
Chase is the volume king. He paced the league in receptions for a huge chunk of the year. But Higgins? He was the closer. If the Bengals were inside the 20, the ball was going to number 5. It’s a "pick your poison" scenario that makes defensive coordinators lose sleep.
The Chase Brown Breakout Nobody Saw Coming
If you told me two years ago that a running back would be the Bengals' second-most reliable receiver, I’d have laughed. Yet, here we are. Chase Brown didn't just run the ball; he lived in the flat.
He finished with 1,019 rushing yards and 6 touchdowns on the ground. Fine. Solid. But look at the receiving stats: 69 catches for 437 yards and another 5 scores. That’s 1,456 all-purpose yards. He basically became the safety valve Burrow never had during the early Super Bowl run years.
Zack Moss played his part early on, but Brown’s explosive 4.4 yards per carry average eventually turned this into a one-man show in the backfield. He even hit a top speed of 21.78 mph on a kick return. That’s faster than most of the cornerbacks trying to catch him.
A Defense in Transition: Beyond Trey Hendrickson
Trey Hendrickson is a freak. We know this. He logged 17.5 sacks in back-to-back seasons (2023 and 2024), and while his 2025 total was lower at 4 sacks through his first seven games, his pressure rate remained elite. But the real story is in the tackles.
Jordan Battle is the new sheriff in town.
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125 total tackles. 4 interceptions. He was everywhere.
For years, the Bengals relied on veteran presence in the safety room. Now, it's the Battle and Geno Stone show. Stone racked up 104 tackles himself. When your safeties are making that many tackles, it usually means your defensive line is letting too many guys through to the second level, but it also shows that these guys aren't missing.
Defensive Leaders in 2025
- Jordan Battle (Safety): 125 tackles, 4 INTs.
- Demetrius Knight Jr. (Linebacker): 106 tackles, 3 sacks.
- Barrett Carter (Linebacker): 106 tackles, 1 sack.
- Myles Murphy (Edge): 5.5 sacks (team lead for the season).
Myles Murphy finally started looking like the first-round pick he was. 5.5 sacks doesn't sound like a Hall of Fame season, but his win rate against left tackles skyrocketed in the second half of the year.
The Kicking Game and Special Teams
Evan McPherson remains "Money." He crossed the 500-point threshold this year, becoming the third-fastest Bengal ever to do it. He was perfect on extra points (23-for-23) and didn't miss a single field goal inside 50 yards. In a season where the Bengals had a -4 turnover ratio, having a kicker who doesn't blink is the only reason some of those games stayed close.
Ryan Rehkow also deserves a shoutout. 52.8 yards per punt. That’s leading the league territory. Field position is boring until you don't have it, and Rehkow was consistently pinning teams inside their own 20-yard line.
Why These Stats Matter for the Future
The 2025 Cincinnati Bengals player stats reflect a team that is getting younger and faster, but also a bit more fragile. The offensive line surrendered 36 sacks. That’s better than the 50+ they used to give up, but it’s still too high for a franchise invested in a $200 million quarterback.
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We’re seeing a shift where the offense is becoming more "positionless." Chase Brown’s 69 catches prove that the Bengals are moving away from a traditional "hand it to the big guy" run game and into a more modern, versatile attack.
If you're looking to use this data—whether for fantasy, betting, or just winning an argument at the bar—keep an eye on the targets. Ja'Marr Chase is going to get his 10+ targets a game. That’s a given. But the real "alpha" move is watching how they use the tight ends. Noah Fant and Mike Gesicki combined for 5 scores. They are the "dirty work" guys that keep the chains moving on 3rd and 4.
Actionable Insights for Bengals Fans
- Watch the Sack-to-Attempt Ratio: If Burrow is being sacked more than 3 times per game, the Bengals' win probability drops by nearly 40% regardless of his passing yards.
- The Chase Brown Evolution: Expect his receiving targets to increase. He is no longer just a "change of pace" back; he is a primary engine of the offense.
- Red Zone Efficiency: Tee Higgins is the target to watch. His 11 touchdowns on relatively low yardage suggest he is the go-to guy when the field shrinks.
- Secondary Volatility: With young guys like Jordan Battle and DJ Turner II (who had a 78.1 PFF grade) leading the way, expect more big plays but also a few more "rookie" mistakes in deep coverage.
The numbers are promising, but they're also a warning. The Bengals have the talent to lead every statistical category in the AFC North, provided they can keep their core healthy and the pocket clean.
Focus on the defensive tackle rotation next season. If B.J. Hill and Kris Jenkins can’t bump those sack numbers up from the interior, the safeties will continue to have to make 100+ tackles just to keep the score respectable. That's a recipe for burnout in a 17-game season.
Keep an eye on the "Yards After Catch" (YAC). That is where the Bengals' true potential lies. If Chase and Brown continue to turn 5-yard slants into 20-yard gains, the raw yardage stats will continue to rank among the best in the NFL.