Bengals progress report: Grading special teams

The Cincinnati Bengals are 3-2 coming out of their bye week, and depending on which side of the bed you wake up on, there's plenty of reason for optimism or pessimism.

The offense has had its moments. The defense has had its moments. Unfortunately, so have the special teams, and not necessarily in a good way.

Outside of Evan McPherson, who apparently decided missing field goals is for lesser mortals, Darrin Simmons' special teams units have been a frustrating combination of mediocrity and outright disaster.

Let's start with the one guy who's been keeping the lights on.

With 11 guys on the field working together, every play has a lot of moving pieces, but the field-goal unit is fairly simple. As long as the long snapper, holder, and kicker do their jobs, everyone else just needs to keep the defense out of the way for a second or two.

Outside of a penalty that pushed the Bengals out of field-goal range, Evan McPherson and the rest of the field-goal unit have been perfect.

McPherson now owns the franchise record for most consecutive field goals made with 22, a streak that stretches back to the 2025 season. In 2026, McPherson is a perfect 10-for-10. What's most impressive, though, is that five of those kicks have come from 50 or more yards, with a long of 58.

Obviously, the offense wants to walk away from every drive with seven points, but that's not always possible. The Bengals are extremely fortunate to have a kicker who is so accurate from beyond 50 yards. Nobody really cares about the kicker until a field goal can win or lose the game in the final minutes.

On the defensive side of things, the only major issue so far this season came in Week 5. Dexter Lawrence was flagged for roughing the snapper against the Dolphins, giving Miami a fresh set of downs after a successful field goal. The Dolphins eventually scored a touchdown, turning three points into seven.

The Bengals won that game, but those four additional points helped keep Miami within striking distance late in the fourth quarter.

Field Goal Unit: 98% (A+) Field Goal Block Unit: 85% (B) Overall Field Goal Unit: 92% (A-)

As far as punt coverage goes, the first major mistake came in Week 3 against the Steelers. The Bengals' defense stopped Pittsburgh in the third quarter and forced a punt, but Cedric Johnson was called for an obvious roughing-the-kicker penalty. That gave the Steelers a fresh set of downs, and what should have been a defensive stop turned into a Pittsburgh touchdown a few plays later.

In the same game, former punt returner Ke'Shawn Williams muffed a punt that Pittsburgh recovered at the Bengals' 14-yard line. The defense managed to hold the Steelers to a field goal, but instead of Cincinnati getting the ball back with an opportunity to score, Pittsburgh walked away with three points.

Those two mistakes handed the Steelers possessions that resulted in 10 points in a game the Bengals lost by three.

Ryan Rehkow's punting, meanwhile, has been unspectacular. His 44.9 yards-per-punt average ranks among the lowest in the NFL. Nine of his 16 punts have been downed inside the 20-yard line, and he hasn't recorded a touchback.

There haven't been any major mistakes on Rehkow's part, but his overall production has been below average.

The real issue with this unit isn't necessarily the punter. It's the mistakes being made around him. A roughing penalty and a muffed punt aren't just bad plays. They're the kinds of mistakes that can cost a team a game, and against Pittsburgh, they helped do exactly that.

Punting Unit: 74% (C) Punt Return Unit: 49% (F) Overall Punting grade: 61 (D-)

Kickoffs are so different now than they used to be. With touchbacks generally bringing the ball out to the 35-yard line, teams have more incentive to kick short of the end zone and force a return. That means more opportunities for explosive plays, but it also means more opportunities for mistakes.

For the Bengals, the most glaring mistake came in Week 5 against the Dolphins.

Rookie wide receiver Dohnte Meyers fielded a kickoff at the four-yard line, but his momentum carried him out of bounds almost immediately, setting Joe Burrow and the offense up in the shadow of their own goalposts.

The offense managed to move the ball out near midfield, but the drive ultimately ended with a punt. While the mistake didn't directly cost Cincinnati points, it put the offense in a difficult position and eliminated any chance of starting that possession with favorable field position.

To be fair, Meyers also started that game with an 81-yard kickoff return that set the Bengals up at Miami's 10-yard line. Burrow and the offense took advantage, scoring a touchdown just three plays later.

That's the frustrating thing about the kickoff return unit. There's clearly potential for big plays, but the execution hasn't always been consistent.

On the coverage side, the Bengals haven't suffered any major breakdowns comparable to what we've seen from the punt units. They've generally done a respectable job of limiting opposing returners and avoiding the kind of disastrous plays that can completely flip field position.

Kickoff Unit Grade: 82% (B-) Kickoff Return Unit Grade: 79% (C+) Overall Kickoff/Return Grade: 80% (B -)

Darrin Simmons has been the Bengals' special teams coordinator since 2003. He was named assistant head coach in 2020 and has held both positions ever since. Special teams typically haven't been a major problem for the Bengals under Simmons, but this season has been different. Outside of McPherson, the unit has made several costly mistakes, and some have had a direct impact on the outcome of games.

The Bengals lost that game by three points, and two special teams mistakes gave the Steelers possessions that resulted in 10 points. It's impossible to say with certainty how the game would have unfolded without those errors, but it's hard not to wonder what Cincinnati's record would look like if those mistakes hadn't happened.

It's not all on Simmons. Players have to execute, and there are only so many things a coach can control once the ball is snapped. However, Simmons is responsible for preparing his units, and right now, those units aren't consistently getting the job done.

A 4-1 record, including a 1-0 start in the division, would sound a hell of a lot better than 3-2.

Hopefully, the Bengals got things straightened out during the bye week. Because without McPherson's excellence, Cincinnati's special teams would be earning a solid D.