Cincinnati Bengals' Offensive Trio Earns Top Spot in New Rankings

CBS Sports released its 2026 NFL offensive triplets rankings, and for the second straight year, the Cincinnati Bengals claimed the top spot. The list ranks each team's quarterback, running back and pass catcher combination, with the final rankings calculated using the average rating from nine analysts.

Joe Burrow, Chase Brown and Ja'Marr Chase led the way, beating out the Los Angeles Rams' trio of Matthew Stafford, Kyren Williams and Puka Nacua. The Detroit Lions, Baltimore Ravens and Dallas Cowboys rounded out the top five, while AFC North foes the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns finished 27th and 32nd, respectively.

Cincinnati earned an average ranking of 1.6, with its lowest placement coming at No. 4 on one analyst's ballot.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were the biggest fallers from a season ago after a down year from Baker Mayfield under a new offensive coordinator and an injury-riddled season from Bucky Irving. On the other end, the Super Bowl runner-up New England Patriots rose from 26th in 2025 to ninth in 2026 behind a stellar season from Drake Maye and the acquisition of A.J. Brown.

The connection between Burrow and Chase is obviously one of, if not the best, quarterback-to-receiver duos in the NFL, and it played a major role in the Bengals earning the No. 1 ranking. But Brown's emergence as a legitimate threat in both the running and passing games over the last two seasons should not be overlooked.

Brown surpassed 1,000 rushing yards in 2025 after finishing just 10 yards short of the mark in 2024, adding six rushing touchdowns. He also posted a career high in receiving yards last season, hauling in 69 receptions for 437 yards and five touchdowns. The fourth-year running back's production firmly placed the Bengals at the top alongside Burrow and Chase's dominance.

With the rankings taking into account only the quarterback, running back and one pass catcher, Tee Higgins went unmentioned. Higgins has shown year after year that he is one of the best second options in football and can be the go-to guy when his counterpart is on the sideline. If Andrei Iosivas can bounce back after a disappointing 2025 and young players like Colbie Young and Erick All Jr. can step up, there is no reason the Bengals can't make a push to be one of the most productive offenses in the NFL.

Much of that depends on the core of the offense staying healthy. If Burrow can make it through a full season behind center and his weapons stay on the field, the Bengals will give opposing defenses plenty of trouble all season long.