Karras said he just liked the name of the play, and he knew the offense had executed that one well in practices. He was the first in the weekly quarterback meetings this season to correctly predict the first touchdown – and it was a big one. Cincinnati (4-3) used the momentum to build as much as a 21-point lead in the first half and cruised to a 35-17 win over the Falcons on Sunday at Paycor Stadium, as the Bengals moved above .500 for the first time this season.
Here are five takeways from the win:
1. Fast start for offense
The Bengals knew a fast start would be important because of Atlanta’s ability to control the clock with its running game, so it was no surprise they elected to receive the opening kick when they won the pre-game coin toss.
The aggressive approach paid off, as Cincinnati enjoyed its best start of the season. The Bengals scored on their first four drives, while forcing Atlanta to punt on its first two possessions, and after taking a 21-0 lead on the first play of the second quarter, they maintained a double-digit cushion the rest of the game.
“We just had a great plan and wen out and executed it,” Boyd said. “Everything we thought that was going to work throughout the week, it happened to work in our favor, and we just took advantage of it.”
Joe Burrow completed 19 of 21 passes for 325 yards and three touchdowns and a perfect passer rating in the first half. He finished with 481 yards and three touchdowns – the fifth time he’s topped 400 yards in his three years – and added a rushing touchdown for the final score as part of his 501 total yards of offense.
Burrow is the first player in NFL history to throw for 450 yards and three touchdowns while completing 80 percent of his passes and rushing for a touchdown in the same game.
Credit: Jeff Dean
Credit: Jeff Dean
2. Defense bounces back
The defense had a couple of letdowns that allowed the Falcons to make things interesting in the final minute before halftime, but Cincinnati shut them down in the second half. An Atlanta offense that led the league in fewest three-and-outs couldn’t get a first down on the first two possessions of the third quarter and ended up punting all four drives.
Atlanta had gotten on the board on an 11-play, 74-yard drive that ate up more than 10 minutes of clock in the second quarter, and after the Bengals regained a 21-point cushion on Ja’Marr Chase’s 41-yard touchdown catch with 49 seconds left, somehow the Falcons still had time to put up 10 points before intermission.
They responded to Chase’s second touchdown of the day with a 75-yard touchdown pass from Marcus Mariota to Damien Byrd on the next play from scrimmage, and after the Bengals punted for the first time, a 56-yard return for Avery Williams set Atlanta up for a last-second field goal.
That made it a 28-17 game going into halftime, instead of the 28-7 lead Cincinnati could have had, but Cincinnati recalibrated during the break and got back to the defense that still has not allowed a touchdown in the second half of a game this season.
“We were fine,” cornerback Mike Hilton said. “No one in here was stressing at halftime. We knew we blew our coverage, and it happens every once in a while, but no one overreacted. We settled down, played our game, and shut them out in the second half.”
THIS. TEAM.
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) October 23, 2022
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3. Shutting down the run
Atlanta brought a top 10 scoring offense to Paycor Stadium, thanks to its strong running game, but the Bengals held the Falcons under its averages of 24.3 points per game and 165.3 rushing yards per game.
The Falcons managed just 107 yards rushing, including 50 yards on 16 carries for Tyler Allgeier and 31 yards on six carries for quarterback Marcus Mariota. With the Bengals offense flying, eventually Atlanta had to turn to the passing game to try to mount a comeback, and while it worked on the long touchdown pass to Byrd at the end of the first half, it wasn’t successful in the second half. Mariota finished with 124 yards passing on eight completions – just 51 yards outside of the touchdown play.
“We came in here knowing that we had to put our hard hats on and stop the run, so we could get them to pass,” cornerback Chidobe Awuzie said. “We wish we could walk out of here with a couple of picks and stuff like that, but those things come. The win is always so much better than any stats.”
4. Spreading the ball around
Bengals coach Zac Taylor said last week the Bengals are at their best when all of the receivers are getting catches, and that proved to be the case Sunday.
Boyd surpassed his single-game best of 138 yards (Week 8 of the 2018 season against Tampa Bay), leading the receivers with 155 yards and one 60-yard touchdown catch, and Ja’Marr Chase added 130 yards and two touchdowns. Tee Higgins finished with 93 yards, though Burrow said he was trying to get him those seven more yards so all three would be at 100 yards – something that hasn’t been done in Cincinnati since 1990.
“That’s what’s so great about those guys – they’re just as excited to see Tee score as they are Ja’Marr or Tyler as much as Tee. They celebrate each other’s success. That’s what makes us so unique; we have three No. 1 receivers without any ego. They trust me to do my job and throw the ball where it’s supposed to go. They’re really a pleasure to be around every week.”
5. Offensive line up to task
Burrow credited his offensive line for giving him so much time in the pocket to throw as well as he did Sunday. The group has continued to show progress every week, even with the two tackles playing through injuries.
Jonah Williams came back from a knee dislocation in a loss at Baltimore to finish the game and has not missed any time outside of some practices last week. On Sunday, right tackle La’el Collins left with an ankle injury in the second quarter but after getting X-rays and testing it out, he returned for the second half.
The Bengals allowed three sacks on Burrow but racked up 537 yards of net offense, including 10 plays of 20 yards or more – three touchdowns of 32 yards or more.
“We know one thing about it is we protect (No.) 9,” Collins said. “We’ve got all the weapons on the outside so it’s up to the defense to figure out what they want. As long as we’re on the same page and executing at a high level, I think we’re hard to beat.”
GAME BALL
Joe Burrow: The Bengals’ signal-caller became the first player in NFL history to pass for 450 yards and three TDs while completing 80 percent of his passes and rushing for a TD in the same game.
STAT OF THE GAME
8.1: The Bengals’ average yards per play
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