They were coming off a 45-21 victory at Miami last week and now have a chance to close on a three-game winning streak to carry some positivity into the offseason. The Bengals (6-10) host the Cleveland Browns next weekend in the finale.
Here are three takeaways from the win:
1. Offense clicked early, often
Cincinnati put together back-to-back wins by 20-plus points for just the second time in the last 10 years.
The Bengals got off to a good start with Ja’Marr Chase catching a short pass from Joe Burrow and turning it into a 13-yard touchdown on the opening drive. That set the tone, as they jumped out to a 13-0 lead through two series.
Arizona responded to make it a six-point game, but Evan McPherson nailed a 56-yard field goal, and Chase found the end zone again to make it a 23-7 advantage going into halftime. The Bengals then got a pair of touchdowns from Chase Brown in the third quarter, and that ended Burrow’s day with a 30-point lead.
Although it came against a struggling Cardinals team, the production of the offense was significant on an individual level and yet another reminder of what it was supposed to look like all year.
“The biggest takeaway from this season is it didn’t really go the way we wanted it to but with this energy we’re starting to find at the end of the season, it’s really motivating and we want to carry that into next year,” Brown said. “I think it could have been a lot better. We just started off the season slow, so it’s more to chase and more to go for. We’ll come back better next year.”
Brown said when the offense is “connecting and in a flow” it’s hard to stop.
The Bengals are 5-2 in games Burrow started this season, and he threw for more than 300 yards in a second-straight week, completing 77.4 percent of his passes for 305 yards and two touchdowns.
2. Individual achievements
Players still have individual achievements to play for while trying to help the team finish strong, and Sunday was a good day for that.
Brown continues to prove he is who the Bengals thought he was, despite a slow start this season. He has five touchdowns over the last two games and topped 100 yards rushing for the third time this season, now needing just 53 yards to reach 1,000.
It’s a milestone he missed by just 10 yards last year and would be meaningful in his third season, especially after failing to reach 50 yards rushing in any of the first six games and recording just one touchdown in that stretch.
Brown joked that Fantasy Football enthusiasts were sending him death threats early in the season and now are praising his production.
“I just want to keep showing them what I can do on a weekly basis,” Brown said. “… It’s been really fun finding a flow here, making guys miss in space. I’ve been having a lot of fun the last 10 weeks.”
Credit: JEREMY MILLER
Credit: JEREMY MILLER
Ja’Marr Chase’s two touchdowns in the first half also were significant in ending a stunning eight-game scoreless streak for himself. His last touchdown came in the Oct. 16 win against Pittsburgh with Joe Flacco at quarterback. Recording two on Sunday also put him in a class all by himself – the first receiver in league history to record at least 80 catches, 1,000 yards and seven touchdowns in each of his first five NFL seasons.
Cody Ford also had a memorable moment, catching a pass from Burrow and breaking tackles for a 21-yard gain, setting up Brown’s second touchdown.
3. Defense does its part
The Bengals defense started to turn a corner after the bye and now is playing a role in big wins. On Sunday, Arizona managed just 233 yards and a throw-away touchdown at the end made the score look a little less lopsided than it actually was.
After Geno Stone and Barrett Carter missed tackles to give up a 38-yard touchdown to Michael Wilson, off Jacoby Brissett’s pass in the second quarter, Cincinnati shut down the Cardinals until their last drive. The Bengals forced six punts, including five three-and-outs, and a turnover on downs, and they were especially solid on third down as Arizona converted on just 3 of 13 third-down plays.
“Our defense as a whole has been really fun for me to see, and it should be for everybody,“ Taylor said. ”Just their confidence continues to increase, and they understand what we’re asking them to do and they’re starting to do it at a high level. Just really proud of those guys sticking together through everything that’s happened this season.”
Dax Hill and DJ Turner had some big pass breakups against the league’s top receiving tight end, as Trey McBride registered just 31 yards receiving until the fourth quarter. He caught an 18-yard touchdown in the final two minutes when the game was already decided.
Playing with a lead, Cincinnati could dial up the pressure on Brissett more, too, and the Bengals finished with four sacks, including a memorable first career sack for rookie Shemar Stewart. After missing two different stretches due to injuries, Stewart still had something to prove to the naysayers who thought the Bengals wasted a first-round pick on a player who was disruptive to opposing quarterbacks in college but lacked the finishing skills to produce sacks.
“It was very important,” Stewart said of getting a sack before the end of his rookie season. “It was just a very up and down year for me, being hurt twice. Being out for a lot of games. And to get that, it just made my heart full.”
NEXT GAME
Who: Browns at Bengals
When: 1 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 4
TV: CBS
Radio: 104.7-FM, 700-AM
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