Burrow connects with Chase for 3 TDs; Bengals roll past the Cardinals 34-20

[Arkansas Bengal]

 

 

 

 

 

Burrow and Chase connect on their first TD of season

Joe Burrow floats a nice pass to Ja'Marr Chase in the back of the end zone for a Bengals touchdown.

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ByAP

 

Updated: Oct 8, 2023, 07:27 pm

 

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- — Zac Taylor said he spent much of Sunday's game on the headset with his fellow Cincinnati Bengals coaches, hollering at quarterback Joe Burrow to quit scrambling for a few extra yards and throw the ball away on plays that looked dead.

Burrow didn't listen. The Bengals won a football game.

 

Just like old times.

 

Burrow threw for 317 yards and three touchdown passes to Ja'Marr Chase, who finished with a season-high 192 yards receiving, and the Bengals beat the Arizona Cardinals 34-20.

 

“The great quarterbacks, you can’t just keep them in the pocket,” Taylor said. "They're going to extend plays, sometimes when you think they shouldn't. They're going to hang onto the ball for a second longer than people feel comfortable with. And usually great things happen.

“That's the special magic he's got.”

 

It was a much-needed offensive performance for Burrow, who signed the NFL's richest contract during the offseason but was slowed through his first four games of the season by a calf injury. The 26-year-old looked plenty healthy against the Cardinals, completing 36 of 46 passes and buying time on a handful of plays with his athleticism in the pocket.

 

“It's something I haven't been able to do for the last couple weeks,” Burrow said. “When the quarterback can't do that, can't steal first downs, can't extend plays to find guys, it's tough to move the ball. It felt good today.”

 

Chase set a single-game franchise record with 15 receptions and made tough catches in traffic by repeatedly finding seams in the Cardinals defense. 

 

“Ja'Marr — nothing really surprises you,” Taylor said. “You just keep finding ways to get him the ball. It can come in so many different ways because of how flexible he is as a football player, his football IQ."

 

Cincinnati scored a touchdown in the first half for the first time this season and had three offensive touchdowns overall on Sunday, matching the unit's total from the first four games combined.

 

The Bengals got the ball to start the second half and wasted little time scoring. Burrow unleashed a 63-yard touchdown pass to Chase on the third play of the third quarter, pushing Cincinnati's advantage to 24-14.

 

“We're just taking a step closer to who we really are,” Chase said. 

The Cardinals cut that lead to 24-20 later in the third on Emari Demercado's 11-yard touchdown run, which was the first of his pro career.

 

Burrow then had his one big miscue of the game — though it wasn't completely his fault. The Bengals were driving and deep in Cardinals territory when receiver Trenton Irwin fell while running a route, leading to an easy interception for K'Von Wallace.

 

Cincinnati's defense responded with a fourth down stop and Burrow led a 15-play, 83-yard drive that was capped by Chase's third touchdown catch of the game and a 31-20 lead. This one was a 3-yard dart caught by Chase as he was dashing across the back of the end zone.

 

Cincinnati took a 17-14 lead just before halftime, seizing the momentum when Cam Taylor-Britt picked off Joshua Dobbs' pass and ran it back 11 yards for the touchdown. It was Dobbs' first interception of the season on his 138th pass attempt.

 

The Bengals (2-3) jumped out to a 7-0 lead on their first offensive drive, boosted by Burrow's 7-of-7 passing performance through the air. He hit Chase in the back of the end zone — squeezing the ball between two defenders — for a 2-yard touchdown.

 

Burrow completed his first 10 passes. The Bengals pushed ahead 10-0 late in the first quarter on Evan McPherson's 40-yard field goal.

The Cardinals (1-4) responded early in the second, cutting the margin to 10-7 on a perfectly placed pass from Dobbs to Marquise Brown, who caught the ball on the run and over his shoulder for a 25-yard touchdown.

 

Arizona went ahead 14-10 with 8:28 left in the first half when Dobbs found veteran tight end Zach Ertz for a 4-yard touchdown. It was the only lead the Cardinals would have all day.

 

TOUGH FINISH FOR DOBBS

Dobbs completed 15 of 32 passes for 166 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He also lost a fumble. The quarterback was disappointed that the game slipped away in the fourth quarter, when two offensive possessions ended in turnovers.

 

“Games come down to fourth-quarter execution,” Dobbs said. “Obviously, first, second and third quarter execution is important but fourth-quarter execution is critical.”

 

INJURIES

Bengals: The team's second-leading receiver WR Tee Higgins (ribs) was on the inactive list. He was listed as questionable on Friday. ... CB Chidobe Awuzie (back) was also inactive.

 

Cardinals: QB Kyler Murray has missed all five games this season while recovering from a knee injury suffered last season. He's eligible to come off the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, but it's unclear when the Cardinals might activate him. ...

 

https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

 

[Duluoz]

So great to see Ja'Marr and Joe doing their thing again....just about unstoppable once they get into a rhythm.

[-GoBengals-]

jake browning would have done better. they just want to run joe into the ground so they have an excuse for something (i forgot what he said)

[Arkansas Bengal]

Nick Shook's takeaways:

 

1. Joe Burrow is nearly back. The vibe around the Bengals changed rapidly on Sunday thanks to Burrow. It was the healthiest he’s looked all season. He was able to navigate the pocket and even scrambled for positive gains. While it was a surprise to see Burrow improve so much coming off last week’s dreadful loss, it wasn't surprising to see how much his improved health benefitted Cincinnati's offense. The Bengals moved the ball with relative ease against the Cardinals, gaining a season-high 380 yards. While Burrow’s accuracy wasn't perfect, he was day-and-night better than he appeared in the first month of the season. Suddenly, this season doesn't seem as doomed as some might have thought.
2. Also back: Ja'Marr Chase. The primary beneficiary of Burrow's improved health is, of course, his favorite target. But this wasn't just some seven-catch, one-touchdown game for Chase. No, the star receiver returned to form in a fashion exclusive to the stars, setting a new Bengals record for single-game receptions. He torched the Cardinals, finishing with 15 catches for 192 yards and three touchdowns, including a 63-yard score to push the Bengals' lead to 10 early in the second half. He did so without Tee Higgins (cracked rib), who did not play in this game. Count Week 5 as a return to prominence party for Burrow and Chase.
3. Cardinals' margin for error is slim. As they've done in almost every game this season, the Cardinals hung tough for a good portion of the contest. They even snagged an interception that gave them a chance to take the lead late in the third quarter. But because they're not uber talented, the Cardinals have to get almost everything right in all three phases of the game to have a chance of victory against a team that is playing quality football, and turnovers doomed them on Sunday. Joshua Dobbs threw two interceptions (both off deflections, which could both be at least partially blamed on Dobbs), Arizona lost the turnover battle 3-1, and the Cardinals were absolutely dominated in time of possession (38:10 to 21:50). They also lost the engine of their running game, James Conner, to injury before the end of the first half, forcing OC Drew Petzing to dial up some creative reverses (and a fake reverse) to move the ball on the ground. It kept things interesting, but ultimately, it just wasn't enough -- even if they fought just as hard as they have throughout 2023.

 

Next Gen Stat of the game: Joe Burrow's 63-yard touchdown pass to Ja'Marr Chase was the longest completion of his career based on air distance (58.1 yards).

 

NFL Research: Ja'Marr Chase joined Jerry Rice as the only players since 1950 with multiple games of 10-plus receptions, 190-plus receiving yards, and three-plus receiving touchdowns.

 

https://www.nfl.com/news/2023-nfl-season-week-5-what-we-learned-from-sunday-s-games

[Arkansas Bengal]

Chaos conference: Examining the crowded field of a muddied AFC through five weeks

Published: Oct 08, 2023 at 09:04 PM

Judy Battista

Senior National Columnist

 

Did you expect the Indianapolis Colts to be this competitive? Or the New England Patriots to not be at all? Or the Kansas City Chiefs to have a receiving problem?

 

The AFC is supposed to be top heavy with excellence -- and we still have three months for that to sort itself out -- but right now it is glorious jumble, a conference best exemplified by the Pittsburgh Stealers' wild 17-10 victory over the Baltimore Ravens. Games between these rivals often resemble rolling balls of knives, but this one was especially brutish, including Stealers fans booing their ineffective offense, the Ravens' revamped receiving corps dropping at least five passes, two Lamar Jackson turnovers, a blocked punt by the Stealers, a fumble on a punt return forced by the Ravens, seven sacks between the two defenses and a where-did-that-come-from 41-yard touchdown pass from Kenny Pickett to George Pickens late in the fourth quarter.

 

"We don't expect our guys to drop passes," Jackson said after the game.

 

Five weeks into the season, the NFC has a clearly delineated top tier -- the San Francisco 49ers and the Philadelphia Eagles entered Sunday as the league's only undefeated teams -- and the league's only winless team, in the Carolina Panthers. The AFC, though, is replete with agents of chaos in addition to the Ravens and Stealers that have crowded the field and revealed real issues among even the leading contenders.

Here are the teams and groups that have muddied the view after five weeks:

 

Buffalo Bills

Their 25-20 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in London was devastating, not because of the offense's sluggish start -- they have enough talent there that we will chalk that up to jet lag -- but because of two more injuries to the starting defense. Already without Tre'Davious White, who is out for the rest of the season with an Achilles injury, linebacker Matt Milano, the best player on the defense, and defensive tackle DaQuan Jones, might both be lost for the season, Milano with a serious leg injury and Jones with a pectoral injury. Getting Von Miller back will help, but that defense was playing so well it was the only one that has slowed the Miami Dolphins this season when they held Mike McDaniel's squad to 20 points in Week 4. The only good news is that the rematch comes in the regular-season finale, giving the Bills plenty of time to figure out how to make do in a two-team race for the AFC East title.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jaguars vs. Bills highlights | Week 5

 

 

 

 

The entire AFC South

Rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson got hurt again (right shoulder), but the Colts beat the Titans. C.J. Stroud was poised again, but the Texans lost to the Falcons. The Jaguars dominated time of possession and yardage, and they made a statement against the Bills, winning their second straight in London after a slow start to the season. The unexpected competitiveness of the Colts and Texans indicates this likely won't be a Jaguars runaway for the division, and the return of Jonathan Taylor to the Colts figures to give them a boost, especially as Richardson struggles to stay on the field. Last year, the Jaguars took off in the second half of the season en route to the playoffs. With the rapidly developing connection between Trevor Lawrence and Calvin Ridley, the Jaguars can start a run much earlier if they can extend their streak with a win over the Colts next week in their return to Jacksonville. That tiebreaker over the Bills could come in handy for playoff seeding, too.

Kansas City Chiefs receivers

This is what's known as a Champagne problem, but through the first month, the Chiefs mostly young corps of receivers were often invisible and when they weren't, they were dropping the ball. It was a problem in the opening loss to the Lions and in the near-miss victory over the Jets last week. Teams tend to find their level eventually in the NFL, and the one that won a Super Bowl right after shipping Tyreek Hill out of town was always likely to figure it out. On Sunday, Patrick Mahomes completed 16 of his 31 passes to six different receivers, including one touchdown to rookie Rashee Rice. (Travis Kelce led the Chiefs with 10 receptions despite suffering an ankle injury that briefly sidelined him.) Mahomes said after the game he thought the offense was better this week. Good teams win while they work out their issues and that is what the Chiefs are doing while they smooth out the wrinkles of their pass catchers. They beat the Minnesota Vikings, 27-20, on Sunday, and the Denver Broncos defense on a short week should provide another chance to get the youngsters and Kadarius Toney going again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chiefs' top plays vs. Vikings | Week 5

 

 

 

 

Miami Dolphins

In Sunday's 31-16 victory over the New York Giants, the Dolphins were both thrillingly explosive and maddeningly mistake-riddled. So much so that had they been playing a better equipped team -- and not one with a quarterback in Daniel Jones who was running for his life and eventually forced out of the game behind an injury-decimated offensive line -- the Dolphins might have been in trouble. Tua Tagovailoa's two interceptions kept the Giants in the game much longer than they should have been, especially the pass he forced to Jaylen Waddle that was intercepted in the end zone by Jason Pinnock and returned 102 yards for a pick-six. Good teams overcome mistakes, and the Dolphins, who rolled up 524 yards of offense, did that, but this game should be a reminder for Miami to clean up its mistakes before it faces an opponent better able to capitalize on them. Like, for instance, the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles, who the Dolphins face in two weeks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Joe Burrow's best plays from 3-TD game vs. Cardinals | Week 5

 

 

 

 

 

Cincinnati Bengals

In the wide-open AFC North, the most important development might be the improvement in Joe Burrow's calf injury. That allowed the Bengals offense to get back to normal, with Burrow hitting Ja’Marr Chase for three touchdowns in a 34-20 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. Burrow (36 of 46, 317 yards) looked comfortable and nimble in and out of the pocket. He even had a 10-yard scramble at the end of the third quarter. With a home game against the Seahawks next week and then their bye, the Bengals, at 2-3, have joined the fray. Just as the Ravens let a game -- and a chance at a more commanding division lead -- slip away.

 

https://www.nfl.com/news/chaos-conference-examining-the-crowded-field-of-a-muddied-afc-through-five-weeks

[Arkansas Bengal]

NFL Week 5 grades

Cincinnati 34-20 over Arizona

 

 

A-	Bengals
It took five weeks, but Joe Burrow finally looks like Joe Burrow. The Bengals QB showed off his long ball (he threw a 63-yard TD to Ja'Marr Chase), he was finally able to scramble (he had a key 10-yard run at one point) and he was even able to dance around the pocket. Burrow, who threw for 317 yards and three touchdowns, had the offense humming and the biggest benefactor of that was Chase, who set a new franchise record for receptions with 15. Defensively, the Bengals came up with several big plays, including a pick-six by Cam Taylor-Britt just before halftime. As bad as things looked for the Bengals during the first four weeks of the season, the fact of the matter is that this team is only one game out of first place and with Burrow now looking much healthier, it feels like the Bengals are back.
C	Cardinals
After playing impressive football through the first four weeks, Joshua Dobbs finally came crashing back to earth. The Cardinals QB turned the ball over three times, including a pick-six in the second quarter that came after the Arizona defense had just pulled off a goal-line stand. It felt like a momentum-shifting stop, but the Bengals ended up getting a TD anyway due to the interception. This was a one-score game going into the fourth quarter, but the Cardinals just couldn't come up with any big plays on either side of the ball.

Bengals-Cardinals grades by John Breech

 

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-week-5-grades-49ers-earn-an-a-for-destroying-cowboys-patriots-get-an-f-after-blowout-loss-to-saints/

[Jamie_B]