With the Bills and Chiefs playing so well this season, the Bengals have slowly become a forgotten contender in the AFC, but against the Falcons on Sunday, the defending AFC champions made it clear to the rest of the NFL that they’re still one of the best are the best teams in the league.
The Bengals are at their best when Joe Burrow has his “A” game, and Burrow definitely had his “A” game on Sunday. Joe Cool threw for 481 yards and three touchdowns during a dominant 35-17 home win over the Falcons.
Burrow’s passing total was the highest in the NFL that year, the second-highest career total, and the third-highest total in franchise history (He set his team and career records in 2021 when he threw for 525 yards against the Ravens) .
What makes the Bengals’ offense so dangerous is that they can score from anywhere on the field, and Burrow proved that when he hit Tyler Boyd with his third pass of the game for a 60-yard touchdown.
When it comes to scoring with deep balls, no team beats the Bengals. That throw marked the 12th time in the past two seasons that Burrow has thrown a TD pass of 50 yards or more. To put that in perspective, no other quarterback has done it eight times. When it comes to touchdown CATCHES of 50 yards or more over the past two seasons, nobody is better at scoring with long balls than Ja’Marr Chase (6) and Tyler Boyd (4), ranked number one in the NFL and two stand .
Chase didn’t add anything to his total on Sunday, but he did have two touchdowns, both of which were for more than 30 yards. On the first play of the second quarter, Burrow threw Chase an absolute dime that made for a 32-yard touchdown:
Chase also had a 41-yard in-game score on a day in which he finished with eight catches for 130 yards. Not to be outdone, Boyd surpassed Chase for 155 yards on eight catches.
The Bengals were just seven yards short of finishing THREE different receivers with 100+ yards. Tee Higgins caught five passes for 93 yards in the game. And that’s what makes the Bengals offensive so dangerous: If all three receivers are healthy, this offensive can hardly be stopped. Throw in Hayden Hurst (six catches for 48 yards), Joe Mixon (three catches for 33), and a slowly improving offensive line, and the Bengals look better and better every week.
The Bengals have been flying under the wheel for the first seven weeks of the season and, to be honest, they probably like it that way. The defending conference champion usually has a goal on his back the following season, but somehow that goal ended up with the Bills and the Chiefs in a season where the Bengals were just rolling along.
After a slow start to the season, the Bengals offense has finally found its groove, and that makes Cincinnati one of the scariest teams in the NFL, and it suits this team to be scary — their next game is on Halloween.
Alright, let’s get to the grades for each game from Week 7. If you’re looking for a deeper dive into the Cardinals’ wild 42-34 win over the Saints on Thursday, be sure to click here.
Cincinnati 35-17 over Atlanta
Falcons Bengals Sheet Music by John Breech (Love the Sheet Music? Hate the Sheet Music? Let him know on Twitter.)
Washington 23-21 over Green Bay
Packers-Commanders Sheet Music by John Breech (Love the sheet music? Hate the sheet music? Let him know on Twitter.)
Carolina 21-3 over Tampa Bay
Buccaneers Panthers Sheet Music by John Breech (Love the Sheet Music? Hate the Sheet Music? Let him know on Twitter.)
Baltimore 23-20 over Cleveland
Browns Ravens Sheet Music by John Breech (Love the Sheet Music? Hate the Sheet Music? Let him know on Twitter.)
Dallas 24-6 over Detroit
Lions Cowboys Sheet Music by Jared Dubin (Love the Sheet Music? Hate the Sheet Music? Let him know on Twitter.)
Tennessee 19-10 over Indianapolis
Titans-Colts Sheet Music by Jordan Dajani (Love the sheet music? Hate the sheet music? Let him know on Twitter.)
NY Giants 23-17 over Jacksonville
Giants-Jaguars Sheet Music by Jeff Kerr (Love the Sheet Music? Hate the Sheet Music? Let him know on Twitter.)
Las Vegas 38-20 over Houston
Texans Raiders Sheet Music by John Breech (Love the Sheet Music? Hate the Sheet Music? Let him know on Twitter.)
Seattle 37-23 over LA Chargers
Seahawks Chargers Sheet Music by John Breech (Love the Sheet Music? Hate the Sheet Music? Let him know on Twitter.)
Kansas City 44-23 via San Francisco
Chiefs 49ers Sheet Music by Cody Benjamin (Love the Sheet Music? Hate the Sheet Music? Let him know on Twitter.)
NY Jets 16-9 over Denver
Jets Broncos Sheet Music by Shanna McCariston (Love the Sheet Music? Hate the Sheet Music? Let them know on Twitter.)
Miami 16-10 over Pittsburgh
Steelers Dolphins Sheet Music by John Breech (Love the sheet music? Hate the sheet music? Let him know on Twitter.)
