Joe Burrow and the Bengals kept the offense humming in Madrid, where Cincinnati beat the Atlanta Falcons 34-17 on Sunday to stretch its winning streak to four games.
Burrow was sharp throughout, finishing 24 of 29 for 271 yards with three touchdown passes and a rushing score. He had already piled up five touchdown passes and a rushing touchdown in overtime during last week’s 43-36 win over the Tennessee Titans, and he kept the momentum going inside Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
Ja’Marr Chase was the biggest playmaker early. He caught eight passes for 142 yards in the first half alone and ended the day with 10 receptions for 155 yards and a touchdown. Tee Higgins also found the end zone twice, giving Cincinnati the kind of balanced passing attack that has powered this run.
After Chase hauled in a 47-yard touchdown in the first quarter, he and Higgins celebrated in bullfighting fashion, with Higgins mimicking a bull by putting his hands on his head and Chase playing the matador with an imaginary cape.
The Bengals are now 6-2 and have scored at least 30 points in four straight games for the first time since 1997. Atlanta, meanwhile, dropped its second straight to fall to 3-6.
Michael Penix Jr. had a tougher assignment than he did in last week’s 16-0 loss to the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay, but he gave the Falcons more than they got in that rain-soaked game. Under the closed roof in Madrid, he opened the scoring with a touchdown pass to tight end Charlie Woerner and later threw a late interception. Penix finished 20 of 31 for 162 yards with a touchdown and interception, while also adding 50 rushing yards.
Bijan Robinson gave Atlanta a strong start on the ground and finished with 100 rushing yards and a touchdown on 19 carries, plus 47 receiving yards on six catches. He had 42 yards on just three carries on the Falcons’ first drive.
The game was the second NFL regular-season contest in Madrid, following the Miami Dolphins’ 16-13 overtime win over the Washington Commanders in last year’s first one there. It was also the seventh game in the NFL’s record nine-game international schedule this season, with the rest set for Munich, Germany, and Mexico City.
A crowd of 78,660 filled the Bernabeu, and Bengals fans appeared to outnumber Falcons supporters. The stadium lights briefly went out late in the game, just as Cincinnati was about to snap the ball inside the final two minutes, and the play had to be run again.
Cincinnati will host the Steelers on “Sunday Night Football” on Nov. 15.
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For Atlanta, it is a reminder that Robinsons appeal stretches well beyond the usual NFL audience. A player who can draw attention in a soccer-mad city like Madrid gives the Falcons a rare chance to connect with new fans in a setting built for that kind of exposure. The league wanted a showcase in Spain, and Robinson gave it one before the first snap even mattered. [Read more 🡒]