Joe Burrow’s day against the Titans was loaded with the kind of throws that usually get replayed for weeks. The touchdowns and the big numbers will get the headlines, but Sunday’s 43-36 overtime win also featured three plays that said a lot about where this Bengals passing game is right now: deep, trusted, and dangerous with more than just Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
Seven different Bengals caught at least one pass from Burrow in the win, and that group included some names that have become increasingly important as the season has gone on. Samaje Perine and Jack Endries each saw just one target, but both made it count. Perine grabbed a nine-yard catch on the second play of overtime, while Endries scored on a one-yard touchdown just before halftime to push Cincinnati ahead 14-13.
That kind of distribution has become part of the story. Mike Gesicki has scored in five straight games and six of seven overall this season, while Dohnte Meyers has gone from a training camp and preseason standout to a real piece of the receiver room and special teams. Burrow is clearly trusting a lot of bodies right now, and that showed up in the biggest moments Sunday.
The first throw that stood out came at 10:07 of the fourth quarter, with Cincinnati trailing 28-23 and facing 3rd-and-3 from its own 34. The Bengals had just given the ball away on the previous series, their fourth turnover of the day, and Tennessee had turned that into a touchdown.
After a Chase Brown run on second down picked up only one yard, the crowd at Paycor Stadium was letting the Bengals hear it. Burrow answered by finding Gesicki on the right side for 18 yards and a first down.
That catch was only Gesicki’s second of the game, but it kicked off a huge finish for him. He would add two more receptions in the fourth quarter, finishing that stretch with 48 yards, and then four plays after that third-down conversion, he caught a 25-yard touchdown to put the Bengals in front 29-28. It was his sixth touchdown of the season, tying the most he has ever scored in a year, matching the six he had in 2020 with the Dolphins.
Gesicki’s production has been as efficient as it has been timely. He now has 17 catches for 241 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 14.2 yards per reception.
Fourteen of those 17 grabs have gone for either first downs or scores. He opened the season by catching five passes for 78 yards and a touchdown in Week 1, including three catches for 52 yards on the Bengals’ final first-half drive that ended in a field goal.
And now he’s riding a touchdown streak of five straight games, the longest ever by a Bengals tight end.
The second throw that deserves more attention came at 8:03 of the fourth quarter, with Cincinnati still trailing 28-23 and facing 3rd-and-10 from the Titans’ 48. That play started with Chase Brown’s 10-yard catch on second-and-20 after Burrow had been sacked on first down, so the Bengals had already done the hard part by getting back into manageable territory. Then Burrow had to make a tough one under pressure.
Tennessee sent a stunt, and defensive end Jacob Martin looped around the left side of the Bengals’ line for a free run at Burrow. Martin hit him hard, but Burrow got the ball out in time and dropped a throw around multiple Titans defenders to Chase on the far side of the field. The play gained 23 yards and set up Gesicki’s touchdown on the very next snap.
Chase finished with 11 catches for 141 yards and a touchdown, giving him his first 100-yard receiving game and his first game with 10 or more receptions this season. Even with “only” 492 receiving yards through seven games, he still has six touchdowns, scores in three straight games, and five touchdowns in his last six outings.
If he gets to 10 receptions in a game again, he’ll tie Michael Thomas for the most such games by a player in his first six seasons all-time with 18. He’s also on pace for 148 targets, 104 receptions, 1,195 receiving yards, and 15 touchdowns.
The third throw was the one that felt like it changed the feel of the whole night. At 3:01 of the fourth quarter, Tennessee had just scored to go up 36-29, and the Bengals were staring at 2nd-and-3 from their own 26.
Burrow was under duress again, escaped to his left, and found Dohnte Meyers instead of one of the usual stars. Meyers made a diving 18-yard catch to move the chains and keep the drive alive.
That was the kind of play that can steady a team. It also fit the arc of Meyers’ season.
The former training camp and preseason standout, who recently made noise in the CFL, has become a useful part of the offense and special teams. Through seven games, he has 16 receptions for 175 yards, with 10 of those catches going for first downs.
He also has one 10-yard rush that moved the chains against Tampa Bay. On special teams, he has 11 punt returns for 103 yards and a 9.4 average, plus 25 kick returns for 660 yards and a 26.4 average.
Against Tennessee, he added three catches for 34 yards, including two receptions in the fourth quarter for 27 yards.
Five plays after Meyers’ grab, Tee Higgins tied the game with his second touchdown. And that’s the point of the whole afternoon: Burrow isn’t just feeding Chase and Higgins. He’s spreading the ball around, and the Bengals are getting production from all over the field.
Burrow is averaging 302.1 passing yards per game, and Chase and Higgins both lead the team with 43 receptions. But Sunday made the bigger picture impossible to miss.
The Bengals don’t just have the NFL’s best wide receiver duo. They also have one of the league’s most overlooked and deepest groups of pass catchers.
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