The Bengals are heading into a rare kind of week in the Joe Burrow era: an international game, a shaky rushing attack, and a running back trying to hold off a trade deadline conversation that keeps getting louder.
Cincinnati will face the Atlanta Falcons in Madrid as the designated away team, marking the franchise’s third international game and its first since 2019. The Bengals lost their previous two overseas trips, falling to the Washington Redskins in 2016 and the Los Angeles Rams seven years ago. Burrow and company will try to flip that script and move to 6-2.
But the bigger storyline sitting underneath the trip is Chase Brown’s grip on the backfield. The Bengals’ offense has leaned heavily on the pass again this season, with Burrow putting up MVP-level numbers while the ground game has lagged far behind.
Brown has been a major reason why. He’s averaging just 3.6 yards per carry and hasn’t topped 60 rushing yards in any of the last four games.
That slump has fueled talk that Cincinnati could chase Colts running back Jonathan Taylor before next week’s deadline. The Bengals are understood to be one of several teams - along with the Giants, Broncos and Minnesota Vikings - that have “checked in” on Taylor in trade talks. It would be a very un-Bengals move to make, but they did it with Dexter Lawrence, so why not again?
That’s what gives Sunday such a sharp edge for Brown. With the deadline set for next Tuesday, the Falcons game is his last real shot to convince the Bengals he should remain the lead back before the front office has to make a decision. If Cincinnati is even entertaining the idea of bringing in Taylor, Brown needs a strong showing in Madrid.
The setup is there for him, too. The Bengals’ offensive line has been solid in both run blocking and pass protection, and defenses aren’t able to load up on Brown with Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins all demanding attention.
Atlanta’s run defense has also been vulnerable. The Falcons have allowed the fifth-most runs of 20-plus yards and the second-most runs of 40-plus yards this season. Last week against Tampa Bay, they gave up 170 rushing yards to Bucky Irving and 140 to Kenny Gainwell, a combined 310 on the ground.
That wasn’t a one-game blip. In Week 7, they allowed more than five yards per carry to both Christian McCaffrey and Kaelon Black, and those two finished with more than 100 rushing yards combined.
So Brown gets a favorable matchup, a capable line and plenty of help around him. If he still can’t deliver, the Bengals may start making calls.
In Other News...
Chase Brown Is Giving The Bengals Something This Offense Needs
The Bengals needed a steady hand out of the backfield in their overtime win over the Titans, and Chase Brown kept giving them exactly that. He was involved as both a runner and a receiver, finishing with eight catches for 46 yards and 12 carries for 55 yards, the kind of workload that shows how much the offense is leaning on him in key moments.
What has made Brown more than just a useful change-of-pace option is the growing trust around him in pass protection, which has become a real factor in how Cincinnati can deploy its offense. With the Bengals looking for stability behind the line and more balance in the backfield, Browns expanded role feels like one of the more important developments to watch as the season moves along. [Read more 🡒]
Dexter Lawrence Is Carrying A Bengals Defense Fans Still Can't Trust
Dexter Lawrence was all over the field in the Bengals overtime win against the Titans, the kind of disruptive night that can tilt a game even when the rest of the defense still feels shaky. He finished with 5 run stops, 2 pressures, a sack, a fumble recovery and 7 total tackles, and he kept drawing double teams while still finding ways to affect the pocket and the run game.
For Cincinnati, the encouraging part is obvious: one of its most important defensive pieces is playing at a high level and showing up in the biggest moments. The frustrating part is just as clear, because the Bengals still have enough issues around him that one standout performance does not erase the larger trust problem on that side of the ball. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Face Trade Deadline Pressure To Fix Two Key Weaknesses
With the trade deadline approaching, the Bengals are being pushed to look hard at two spots that have drawn attention all season: running back and outside linebacker. Cincinnati has reportedly been weighing roster upgrades, and the conversation has already turned to names that could help balance out the offense and give the defense a little more juice off the edge.
One league observer has pointed to Tampa Bay running back Kenneth Gainwell and Washington edge rusher K'Lavon Chaisson as possible fits, which at least shows the kind of profile Cincinnati may be chasing. Gainwell landed with the Buccaneers on a new deal after leaving Pittsburgh, while Chaisson has flashed pass-rushing ability on a short-term contract in Washington, leaving the Bengals with a familiar deadline question: whether the right move is available now, and how aggressive they want to be in fixing both problems. [Read more 🡒]