It took four tries, but the Cincinnati Bengals finally got their first win of the season with Sunday’s 34-24 triumph over the Carolina Panthers.
There, Joe Burrow’s offense was once again sharp and ran out to a lead that the Panthers couldn’t match. Good thing, too, because the Bengals still had plenty of defensive struggles.
Here’s a look at some quick notes and numbers to know.
Quick Thoughts
- Cam Taylor-Britt appeared to be roasted over a fire on the first drive of the game, allowing gains of 39 and 12 yards. It was a continuation of his terrible play from the week prior and frankly, is now a major concern.
- That continued into the second drive, with the Panthers going at CTB — rather than avoiding the defense’s top corner. Luckily for them, a Trey Hendrickson pressure let Vonn Bell pick off his former team.
- DJ Turner replaced CTB on Carolina’s third drive. Turner played well, too, but poor angles against the run led to a Panthers score that made it 7-7.
- Burrow found Chase, who went for one of the best touchdowns fans will see all year.
- Huge miscues for the Bengals defensively included even consistent veteran Vonn Bell missing a key tackle en route to a Panthers touchdown.
- Key moment — Burrow led a huge drive down the field before the end of the half, hitting Tee Higgins and Andrei Iosivas for critical gains on the way to a score.
- That key moment meant the Bengals could sit on the ball and run to start the second half, with Chase Brown eventually finding the endzone for the second time.
- CTB gave up a touchdown on a drive the Bengals defense had no business struggling with, considering Carolina was down big and would obviously be driving the ball through the air.
- Weird (and rare) interception by Burrow in the fourth quarter. Looked like Chase took the wrong option in the tree while Burrow rolled out of the pocket.
- Trey Hendrickson suffered an injury and was quickly ruled out.
Key Stat
7 of 13: Cincinnati’s conversion rate on third downs. This was 5-of-7 at one point. It’s hard for a team to lose when it plays so well in key situations like that. And this could have been almost any offensive stat put up on the day for an offense that is close to firing on all cylinders.
Game Balls
WR Ja’Marr Chase: That touchdown was wild and the threat of Chase scoring from anywhere on the field seemed to change the complexion of the entire game.
WR Tee Higgins: Huge day for Higgins, who inhaled six of his 10 targets for 60 yards.
RB Chase Brown: The increase in snaps and breakout was a matter of time. Brown scored twice and is clearly a perfect complement to Zack Moss.
Top Takeaway
Still a longshot: The Bengals are still an extreme longshot to make the playoffs. But perhaps this was the hump they needed to get over to really get rolling. The weird state of the AFC North, at least, gives them some hope. But the defense has to wake up.
