Bengals 34, Falcons 17: Burrow and Chase turn Madrid into a first-half showcase
Cincinnati answered a 10-point Atlanta start by scoring on every first-half possession in its first game outside the United States.
The Cincinnati Bengals beat the Atlanta Falcons 34-17 on Sunday, 8 November, at Madrid's Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, the first Bengals win in a game played outside the United States, according to Bengals.com.
The first half decided it
Atlanta started better, scoring 10 points on its first two drives, including an opening-drive touchdown, per Bengals.com. ESPN's recap lists the touchdown as a Michael Penix Jr. pass to Charlie Woerner.
From there Cincinnati scored on every possession before halftime. Joe Burrow found Ja'Marr Chase for a 47-yard touchdown on third down, then ran a one-yard sneak for the Bengals' first lead of the day and threw a four-yard touchdown to Tee Higgins. Evan McPherson kicked a 57-yard field goal before the break, and the Bengals led 24-10 at halftime. Higgins added an eight-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter to give Cincinnati a two-touchdown lead, according to Bengals.com. ESPN's quarter-by-quarter line has the Falcons scoring a touchdown in the third quarter and Cincinnati adding a field goal in the fourth. Linebacker Barrett Carter intercepted Penix at the Atlanta 43-yard line in the fourth quarter.
The individual numbers
Burrow was 24-of-29 for 271 yards, three passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown, with no turnovers and a 140.1 passer rating, per Bengals.com. Chase finished with 10 catches for 155 yards and a touchdown, 142 of those yards in the first half, which Bengals.com says is the most in any half of his career. Higgins had five catches for 32 yards and two touchdowns. McPherson's field goal was his 23rd consecutive make, according to Bengals.com.
For Atlanta, ESPN lists Penix at 20-of-31 for 162 yards, one touchdown and one interception, with 50 rushing yards. Bijan Robinson ran for 100 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries and added 47 receiving yards on six catches.
What it means
The Bengals are 6-2 with four straight wins, ESPN reports, and the offense has scored 30 or more points in four consecutive games, tying a franchise record, per Bengals.com. ESPN says that is their first such run since 1997.
The Falcons fall to 3-6 and have lost two straight, per ESPN. Their opening drives showed the offense could move the ball; the second quarter, when they did not score, is where the game got away from them.