Bengals Stars Projected to Lead NFL in Multiple Major Statistical Categories Across 2026 Season

The Bengals are primed for a big season on offense, and NFL.com's Bobby Kownack agrees. He picked the Bengals' stars to lead the league in multiple categories ahead of the season.

He chose Joe Burrow to lead the league in passing yards and touchdowns, while also picking Ja'Marr Chase to record the most receptions in the NFL.

Lofty Projections

Dec 21, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) talks to his teammates Cincinnati Bengals tight end Mike Gesicki (88), Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Mitchell Tinsley (82) and Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase (1) after a play during the second quarter against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Burrow led the league in yards and touchdowns in 2024.

Dak Prescott is projected to push him for the passing-yardage crown.

"One of the surest paths to quarterbacks racking up passing yards is commanding a top-end offense that must frequently compensate for a subpar defense," Kownack wrote. "Last year, Burrow’s Bengals and Prescott’s Cowboys threw the ball the second- and third-most, respectively, while fielding defenses in the bottom three in points allowed. Both teams took measures to improve their defenses over the offseason, but Cincinnati and Dallas will still lean heavily on the pass, given their signal-callers and pass-catching duos. Burrow projects above Prescott as the better QB overall, plus his defense didn't undergo nearly as much transformation as the Cowboys' unit."

Burrow has hit a high of 43 single-season touchdowns in his career and is 48 scores away from setting the new Bengals' record.

He has 157 to Andy Dalton's 204 touchdown passes.

"Giving Burrow the league lead in passing yards and passing touchdowns comes pretty close to predicting he will win AP NFL Most Valuable Player," Kownack wrote. "Let’s call it manifesting. His lack of scrambling ability likely prevents him from being the fantasy MVP, but he’ll be up there. Burrow has so much firepower at his disposal, and the Bengals don’t have a goal-line back who necessitates that they go away from Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins in close. Prescott is similarly stacked at receiver with CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens. In 2025, Dak was second in inside-the-20 passing attempts (99) and third when inside the 10 (48), per Pro Football Reference."

Chase should be a big recipient of all those touchdowns. He's 232 catches away from breaking Chad Johnson's franchise reception record and should smash through that across two more healthy seasons.

Kownack also picked him to finish second in receiving yards this coming season along with a third-place projection in touchdowns.

"Chase sat a game in 2025 and still paced the NFL with 185 targets," the article noted. "He had to deal with the arduous journey from Jake Browning to Joe Flacco amid Joe Burrow’s injury and still trailed (Puka) Nacua, the receptions leader with 129, by just four catches. The Bengals throw a ton, and Burrow targets Chase a ton, which, after a little rudimentary math, equates to a ton of catches for Chase (assuming both sides of the QB-WR tandem stay healthy).

"Nacua could just as easily lead the league in receptions, but it’s tough to repeat. Michael Thomas was the last to do it, back in 2018 and '19. That said, if Nacua continues to be targeted at a rate anywhere close to 36.4% of his routes -- his league-best figure from last year, per Next Gen Stats -- he obviously has a chance."

Check out the full numbers here as Cincinnati hopes all these manifestations come true across a huge fall in the Queen City.

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