The Bengals took longer to get to their fourth victory this time, collecting it Thursday at Baltimore with a 32-14 win in Joe Burrow’s return from turf toe surgery, so they’ll need to make it a six-game winning streak to have a chance. The AFC North title could still be in reach if that happens – and they get a little help.
Carrying that momentum into another tough road game in Week 14 at Buffalo will be crucial.
“We have been in this exact same situation,” Taylor said Friday. “It’s not something we really plan to play into. We just truly have to take it one game at a time. But I think our guys understand. I’ve never felt like I have to pick them up, like guys are straggling and not giving their best. I haven’t felt that for one second. And I think the proof is in the pudding right there when you travel on a short week and get the result that the guys put on the field, I think that shows what these guys are made of. And we have high expectations moving forward. And you just have to take one game at a time.”
The Bengals finally played the complimentary football they’ve been talking about needing for weeks now, making Burrow’s return a success, although the offense struggled in the low redzone.
Evan McPherson made six field goals, the defense produced five turnovers, and Burrow did what he needed between the 20s and with two touchdown passes in the third quarter to produce the win.
Bengals safety Jordan Battle said the defense had been making strides, and Burrow’s return just added to the confidence level of the team.
“We knew coming in, everything was still in front of us,” Battle said. “We are still in the division; we are now 3-1, so we’ve just got to win out. We can’t worry about what place we are in or the chances of making the playoffs. Take every game serious and like it is your last. We must treat every game in November, December and January as playoff football. We have some great games coming down the stretch. We have the Bills next week and then Ravens again. Those are two huge games we have to win. We know where we have to get to. We just keep playing with energy we played with tonight and keep motivating each other to go play football.”
Burrow wanted to come back and try to help the team, even though the record makes it an uphill battle. The Bengals didn’t know what to expect in his first game back, outside of seeing positive signs in practice that he was ready for it.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Taylor is hopeful that Burrow can keep building momentum after his first test. He took one sack, climbed the pocket, scrambled and even had a sneak to convert on fourth down.
“I just thought he played football,” Taylor said when asked what stood out most in Burrow’s game on film. “That was just good to see. And you could feel him get into a rhythm there, especially, you know, some moments the first half of the second half. You just felt like he was really, really on it. And just some moments we saw him, you know, kind of break contain. So, I just think, you know, he found a really good rhythm, and it’s good to check the box and play the game and now get back to business.”
Taylor said the win was good for the entire team’s mentality. Road teams in AFC North divisional games played on Thursday nights had lost 10 straight and were 2-18 all-time going into this matchup.
That was no small task for the Bengals to break that trend, especially after more than a five-hour travel delay Wednesday, which led to a 1 a.m. arrival at the team hotel the night before the game. Taylor said players handled that situation well and joked maybe the Bengals need to arrive late before all road night games.
“I just think winning does something mentally for us,” Taylor said. “You’re putting your heart and soul into this thing every single week and not getting the results you want, and so to be able to wake up the morning after a game with a good feeling does a lot for you. It creates great energy when you walk in the door. And I commend our guys, our staff, they’ve been positive throughout this whole process. It’s been frustrating. It’s been difficult. It’s challenging, trust me, I mean, there’s frustration all around from anyone who follows our team. But for us, you’ve got to wake up the next day and go back to work and pick up the pieces and find a way to come back. And these guys have just kept fighting.”
NEXT GAME
Who: Cincinnati at Buffalo
When: 1 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 7
TV: FOX
Radio: 104.7-FM, 700-AM
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