The Cincinnati Bengals needed a huge day to keep the season alive on Sunday with the Las Vegas Raiders in town.
Joe Burrow provided it.
Burrow put the Bengals on his back in the 41-24 win, throwing five touchdown passes to move the team to 4-5 in the messy AFC.
Before the spotlight fully shines on the NFL trade deadline in a few days, here are some quick thoughts and takeaways.
Quick Thoughts
- No nice way to put it — this is a bad, bad defense. The Raiders, the worst rushing team in the league, marched 70 yards down the field on the first drive to go up 7-0.
- Incredible opening drive from Joe Burrow led to seven points. He navigated the pocket, third downs and a fourth down with ease. His MVP-level year continues.
- Great showing from Chase Brown, who bested career-highs like yardage on a day the offense lost Zack Moss to an injury just days prior. He’s the workhorse now and clearly ready.
- Brutal injury setback for the rookie tight end Erick All, who only fell in the draft due to medical concerns.
- The cornerback position is a mess, with everyone from Cam Taylor-Britt to DJ Turner giving up huge gains. Safety Jordan Battle, finally getting some more work, was erratic too.
- Funny to see Burrow mad on the sidelines after his fifth touchdown pass. Mad about the poor execution on the pick-six, sure, but also mad about the team’s overall record. The locker room notices stuff like that.
- The last Raiders touchdown in the waning moments wasn’t a big deal — except that it showed how bad the pass rush is without Trey Hendrickson.
Key Stat
8-15: We could go with a lot of numbers here, but this conversion rate on third down makes it really hard for a team to lose. It is also additional proof of Burrow’s massive day.
Game Balls
QB Joe Burrow: If the Bengals had a better record, he might be leading the MVP race. It’s not just the numbers — most of his five touchdown passes were off-script while he created from messy pockets.
DE Trey Hendrickson: A stunning four-sack day for the superstar edge. He had some help this time, finally, but still took over the game.
Top Takeaway
Time to buy: That report that the Bengals want to be buyers at this week’s NFL trade deadline is so much more important now. They should be — 4-5 is not a death sentence in this AFC. Burrow is playing too well to not get him some help. They need to do whatever it takes to upgrade his defense.
