Postgame Observations: Joe Burrow's Four TDs Help Bengals Cruise Past Falcons 35-17

Cincinnati improves to 4-3 on the season.

Author:
James Rapien
Publish date:
Oct 23, 2022 3:51 PM EDT

In this story:

Cincinnati Bengals

CINCINNATI — The Bengals beat the Falcons 35-17 on Sunday at Paycor Stadium.

Cincinnati never trailed in the game, scoring on their first four possessions.

The Bengals improve to 4-3 on the year. They've won four of their last five games.

Here are some of our postgame observations:

Fast Start

The Bengals scored touchdowns on each of their first four offensive possessions of the game.

Burrow completed 19 of his first 21 passes and the offense moved the ball up and down the field. He threw for 344 yards and three touchdowns in the first half and had a perfect 158.3 passer rating.

Things cooled down some in the second half, but Burrow still finished 34-of-42 for 481 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for a score.

Burrow's 481 passing yards are the third-most in team history. He set the record when he threw for 525 yards against the Ravens last season. Boomer Esiason threw for 490 yards against the Rams in 1990.

Tyler Boyd Career-High

Tyler Boyd was dominant all game long. He caught a 60-yard touchdown on the Bengals' first possession and never looked back.

Boyd finished with eight receptions for a career-high 155 yards and one touchdown. He also had an impressive one-handed catch in the first half.

Chase in Space

Ja'Marr Chase is one of the most explosive football players in Bengals' history. Not many guys can looking like they're casually jogging and run past an entire defense.

That's exactly what Chase did in the first half. He caught a pass on the far sideline and ran past every defender for a 41-yard score.

Chase finished with eight receptions for 130 yards and two touchdowns.

Shorthanded Defense Line Steps Up

The Bengals were without some of their best players on defense, including DJ Reader, Logan Wilson and Josh Tupou.

Despite being shorthanded, they kept the Falcons' rushing attack in check for most of the game.

B.J. Hill and Jay Tufele combined for nine tackles. Tufele also had a tackle for loss.

Trey Hendrickson, Joseph Ossai and Sam Hubbard also made big plays. All three guys had a sack and made an impact on key third downs. This was the type of effort Lou Anarumo's crew needed to take care of business against a Falcons team that has exceeded expectations this season.

Hendrickson suffered a neck injury in the fourth quarter and didn't return.

Cincinnati's defense didn't give up any points in the second half. They haven't allowed a touchdown in the second half this season. The 7-game streak is the longest since the Chiefs did it in 1997.

Up Next

The Bengals hit the road to play the Browns on Monday Night Football in Cleveland on Oct. 31 at 8:15 p.m. ET.

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