Jeremy Bergman’s takeaways:
- Cincy stars sizzle in Spain. Few teams have had better 10-quarter stretches than the Bengals over the past three weeks. Since its first-half shutout against Baltimore in Week 7, Cincinnati has responded with 112 points in two and a half games. Joe Burrow leads the way, with a strong claim in the MVP race. Burrow was deadly again Sunday in the first half, leading Cincy’s offense to four scoring drives on 9.3 yards per play and completing 82 percent of his passes for 239 yards. Eight of those completions went to Ja’Marr Chase, who set a career-high with 142 yards in the first half (finishing with 155 and a score on 10 catches), demonstrating his dynamic ability on the international stage for the first time. Tee Higgins boxed CJ Henderson and the Atlanta defensive backs for two touchdowns. Even Chase Brown (season-high 6.3 YPC) and Cincinnati’s anemic running game (season-high 123 yards) showed some explosion. After Sunday’s loss, Cincinnati has now won four straight games with at least 30 points scored for the first time in franchise history. If the Bengals are capable of this type of production every week, do they even need to compete for a piece, possibly at running back, at the trade deadline? That’s a question for Tuesday. Perhaps then Atlanta will have an answer to Cincy’s offensive onslaught.
- Another great Bijan day undone by Atlanta’s mistakes. A week after losing to a Tampa team that didn’t complete a pass, the Falcons found a more traditional way to go down Sunday morning: play leaky defense, commit penalties, repeat. In pristine, air-conditioned conditions at Madrid’s Bernabéu, there was no excuse for Atlanta’s performance. First, the positives. Michael Penix Jr. threw three fewer interceptions than he did the week before and had a career-high 50 yards, looking lean and agile on the Spanish field. Window-exclusive Bijan Robinson rushed for 100 again, totaling 147 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown on the day. The elusive dynamo was at home at the home of the Real Madrid galácticos. But Jeff Ulbrich’s defense was a sieve against the NFL’s hottest offense, allowing 7.1 yards per play and forcing just two punts on the day. Atlanta also committed 12 accepted penalties for 88 yards, setting the offense back several times. The Falcons O-line committed two fouls in the red zone on their second drive, leading to the opening field goal of a touchdown. His most critical mistake, however, came early in the fourth quarter, when, losing two touchdowns at the Bengals’ 10-yard line, Atlanta was called for an offensive hold on a third-and-2 incompletion. Cincy took the penalty and forced a fourth-and-12. Content to cut a two-point lead to a two-point lead, Nick Folk instead kicked a 38-yard field goal, and the Bengals’ lead remained at 14. The Falcons never got closer.
- A tale of two divisions. Despite the result, Cincinnati and Atlanta could both return to the United States tied in the win column for the leads in their respective divisions. The Bengals’ victory moved them to a 6-2 tie atop the AFC North with the Steelers, setting up a critical “Sunday Night Football” showdown on the banks of the Ohio River in Week 10. Having already lost this season to Pittsburgh, the Bengals need a home win against Aaron Rodgers and Co. to improve their division record and guarantee no favors in the head-to-head tiebreaker. In the cursed NFC South, the Falcons, at 3-6, are far from coming out of it but risk falling behind hotter clubs. Moving into the rest of Sunday’s slate, Atlanta is two games behind Carolina in the loss column and one behind Tampa Bay. Last place New Orleans is also still alive. A needed time off awaits the Falcons after a Week 10 matchup with Patrick Mahomes’ Chiefs.
Next-Gen Stats Preview for Bengals-Falcons (via NFL Pro): Joe Burrow was pressured on nine of 32 dropbacks (28.1%) against the Falcons, completing 20 of 23 passes for 237 yards and two touchdowns when he stayed clean. His pressure time of 3.26 seconds was the longest of his career, and the Falcons defense had just one quick pressure in the game.
NFL Research: Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase connected for their 19th touchdown of at least 40 yards in Sunday’s win, tied with Joe Montana and Jerry Rice for third among all QB receiver duos since 1980. The only duos with more are Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison (21 touchdowns) and Steve Young and Jerry Rice (20 touchdowns). Their first-quarter touchdown was the duo’s 58th score overall (including the playoffs), which passed Daunte Culpepper and Randy Moss for second among all QB receiver duos before age 30, behind Dan Marino and Mark Clayton (68 touchdowns).
Gn headline
