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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Chris Roling

Instant analysis after Bengals smash Raiders, keep season alive

The Cincinnati Bengals needed a huge day to keep the season alive on Sunday with the Las Vegas Raiders in town.

Joe Burrow provided it.

Burrow put the Bengals on his back in the 41-24 win, throwing five touchdown passes to move the team to 4-5 in the messy AFC.

Before the spotlight fully shines on the NFL trade deadline in a few days, here are some quick thoughts and takeaways.

 

Quick Thoughts

  • No nice way to put it — this is a bad, bad defense. The Raiders, the worst rushing team in the league, marched 70 yards down the field on the first drive to go up 7-0.
  • Incredible opening drive from Joe Burrow led to seven points. He navigated the pocket, third downs and a fourth down with ease. His MVP-level year continues.
  • Great showing from Chase Brown, who bested career-highs like yardage on a day the offense lost Zack Moss to an injury just days prior. He’s the workhorse now and clearly ready.
  • Brutal injury setback for the rookie tight end Erick All, who only fell in the draft due to medical concerns.
  • The cornerback position is a mess, with everyone from Cam Taylor-Britt to DJ Turner giving up huge gains. Safety Jordan Battle, finally getting some more work, was erratic too.
  • Funny to see Burrow mad on the sidelines after his fifth touchdown pass. Mad about the poor execution on the pick-six, sure, but also mad about the team’s overall record. The locker room notices stuff like that.
  • The last Raiders touchdown in the waning moments wasn’t a big deal — except that it showed how bad the pass rush is without Trey Hendrickson.

 

Key Stat

8-15: We could go with a lot of numbers here, but this conversion rate on third down makes it really hard for a team to lose. It is also additional proof of Burrow’s massive day.

 

Game Balls

QB Joe Burrow: If the Bengals had a better record, he might be leading the MVP race. It’s not just the numbers — most of his five touchdown passes were off-script while he created from messy pockets.

DE Trey Hendrickson: A stunning four-sack day for the superstar edge. He had some help this time, finally, but still took over the game.

 

Top Takeaway

Time to buy: That report that the Bengals want to be buyers at this week’s NFL trade deadline is so much more important now. They should be — 4-5 is not a death sentence in this AFC. Burrow is playing too well to not get him some help. They need to do whatever it takes to upgrade his defense.

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