With the Bills and Chiefs performing well this season, the Bengals have become the forgotten underdog in the AFC, but against the Falcons on Sunday, the defending AFC champions put the rest of the NFL on notice that they are still one of those. the best team in the league.
The Bengals are at their best when Joe Burrow brings his “A” game, and Burrow definitely brought his “A” game on Sunday. Joe Cool threw for 481 yards and three touchdowns during a dominating 35-17 home win over the Falcons.
Burrow’s passing total is the highest in the NFL this year, the second-highest total of his career and the third-highest total in franchise history (He set his team and career record 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 for a 60-yard touchdown on the third down of the game.
When it comes to scoring on the deep ball, no team is better than the Bengals. That catch marked the 12th time in the past two seasons that Burrow has thrown a TD pass of 50 yards or more. To put that into perspective, no other quarterback has even done that eight times. When it comes to touchdown catches of 50 yards or more over the past two seasons, no one is better at catching the long ball than Ja’Marr Chase (6) and Tyler Boyd (4 ), ranked first and second in the NFL. .
Chase didn’t add to his total on Sunday, but he did score two touchdowns, both of which went for more than 30 yards. On the first play of the second quarter, Burrow threw Chase a perfect dime that went for a 32-yard touchdown:
Chase also caught a 41-yard score in a day where he finished with eight catches for 130 yards. Not surprisingly, Boyd actually topped Chase’s receiving total with 155 yards on eight catches.
The Bengals came just seven yards short of having three different receivers finish with more than 100 yards. Tee Higgins caught five passes for 93 yards in the game. And here’s what makes the Bengals offense so dangerous: When all three receivers are healthy, this offense is impossible to stop. When you throw in Hayden Hurst (six catches for 48 yards), Joe Mixon (three catches for 33) and a slowly improving offensive line, the Bengals are looking better and better each week.
The Bengals have flown under-the-rader through the first seven weeks of the season, and to be honest, they might like it that way. The defending conference champion always has a target on their back next season, but somehow, that target ended up on the Bills and the Chiefs in a season where the Bengals were quietly on the sidelines.
After a slow start to the season, the Bengals offense has finally found its groove, and it makes Cincinnati one of the most dangerous teams in the NFL, and the horror is fitting for this team – their next game is on Halloween.
Well, let’s get to the grades for every game from Week 7. If you’re looking for a deeper dive on the Cardinals’ wild 42-34 win over the Saints on Wednesday, be sure to click here.
Chicago 33-14 New England
Bears-Patriots grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let us know on Twitter.)
Cincinnati beat Atlanta 35-17
Falcons-Bengals grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let us know on Twitter.)
Washington 23-21 over Green Bay
Packers-Commanders grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let us know on Twitter.)
Carolina beat Tampa Bay 21-3
Buccaneers-Panthers grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let us know on Twitter.)
Baltimore 23-20 off Cleveland
Browns-Ravens grades by John Breech (Love grades? Hate grades? Let us know on Twitter.)
Dallas beat Detroit 24-6
Lions-Cowboys grades by Jared Dubin (Love grades? Hate grades? Let us know on Twitter.)
Tennessee 19-10 over Indianapolis
Titans-Colts grades by Jordan Dajani (Love grades? Hate grades? Let us know on Twitter.)
NY Giants beat Jacksonville 23-17
Giants-Jaguars grades by Jeff Kerr (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let us know on Twitter.)
Las Vegas beat Houston 38-20
Texans-Raiders grades by John Breech (Love grades? Hate grades? Let us know on Twitter.)
Seattle beat the LA Chargers 37-23
Seahawks-Chargers grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let us know on Twitter.)
Kansas City beat San Francisco 44-23
Chiefs-49ers grades by Cody Benjamin (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let us know on Twitter.)
NY Jets 16-9 over Denver
Jets-Broncos grades by Shanna McCarriston (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let us know on Twitter.)
Miami beat Pittsburgh 16-10
Steelers-Dolphins grades by John Breech (Love grades? Hate grades? Let us know on Twitter.)
