Joe Burrow left Madrid with a win, three touchdown passes and a rushing score, but he still wasn’t ready to call it a finished product.
The Bengals rolled past the Atlanta Falcons 34-17 on Sunday, stretching their winning streak to four games and moving to 6-2. Cincinnati’s offense was sharp from the start, scoring on each of its four first-half possessions and taking a 24-10 lead into halftime.
Burrow was efficient throughout, completing 24 of 29 passes for 271 yards while adding the extra touchdown on the ground. The Bengals found the end zone four times overall, with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins doing most of the heavy lifting in the passing game.
Chase caught 10 passes for 155 yards and a touchdown. Higgins added five receptions for 32 yards and two scores.
Still, Burrow wasn’t handing out gold stars after the final whistle. Asked whether this was Cincinnati’s best offensive game of the season, he pushed back just a bit.
"It was close. It was close. Still a lot of room to improve," Burrow said, according to CLNS Media’s Mike Petraglia.
Burrow pointed to the drives that didn’t end in touchdowns and said the offense can keep getting better from here. Even so, the numbers were strong: 388 total yards and six conversions on 10 third-down tries.
The Bengals have now scored at least 31 points in four straight games, and their next big test arrives in Week 10 against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football. Both teams are 6-2 and sitting atop the AFC North.
In Other News...
Falcons Get Caught In The NFLs Strangest Madrid Moment
Sundays trip to Madrid turned into more than just another international showcase for the Bengals, with a brief power outage at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium creating one of the stranger moments of the NFL season. The stadium went dark late in the fourth quarter during Cincinnatis game against the Falcons, interrupting the flow of a matchup that had already tilted the Bengals way.
When the lights came back on shortly after, the game resumed under unusual circumstances, and NFL officials had to sort out what happened during the blackout. Cincinnati kept control from there and held on to improve its season record, but the oddest part of the afternoon may be the play that vanished into the darkness and the confusion that followed. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Defensive Progress Could Decide Where Al Golden Ends Up
As the Bengals get ready for their game against the Falcons in Madrid, there is still a larger coaching subplot hanging over the trip. Al Golden, who has been Cincinnatis defensive coordinator since 2025, remains a familiar name in college circles because of his previous run at Notre Dame, and his future in the NFL is not exactly settled. The defense has shown some improvement, which is at least a step in the right direction for a unit that has spent much of the season fighting to find its footing.
Goldens progress in Cincinnati may end up mattering well beyond this season, because it could shape whether he keeps building here or becomes a candidate for other opportunities. His name still carries weight at Notre Dame, and with the Bengals trying to stabilize a defense that has been under plenty of scrutiny, every week seems to add another layer to the question of where he lands next. [Read more 🡒]
Joe Burrow Is Carrying The Bengals Into A Massive Steelers Test
Joe Burrow kept rolling in Week 9, and the Bengals kept pace in the AFC with a convincing win over Atlanta that pushed them to 6-2. Cincinnati looked sharp on offense throughout the afternoon, with Burrow once again steering the attack efficiently and reminding the league why the Bengals have stayed in the thick of the conference race.
Now the focus shifts to Pittsburgh, where a much bigger test awaits next week. Burrows recent form has him sitting atop the MVP conversation, and the Bengals will need that same level of command against a Steelers team that is always eager to turn these matchups into a grind. For Cincinnati, the question is no longer whether Burrow is playing at a high level. It is how far he can carry them when the stakes rise again. [Read more 🡒]