Instant Observations From the Cincinnati Bengals’ Season-Saving Win vs. Arizona

The Cincinnati Bengals, and specifically quarterback Joe Burrow, returned to form this afternoon in the desert with their best offensive performance of the season and the win they deemed to be a must.

Scoring their first offensive touchdown in the first half all season on their way to a season-high in points, the Bengals beat the Arizona Cardinals 34-20 at State Farm Stadium.

And suddenly, they are just one game out of first place after the Baltimore Ravens melted down in Pittsburgh and lost 17-10.

Baltimore and the Pittsburgh Steelers are 3-2. Cleveland is 2-2. And Cincinnati is lurking at 2-3.

Here are three observations from the Bengals’ season-saving victory.

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Instant Takeaways From the Bengals Week 5 Win

Remember When?

The stat line aside, there were so many instances today that looked like old times where Burrow is concerned. Regardless of how close his injured calf is to 100%, the fact that he’s playing as if it is means everything to the Bengals and their hopes for digging out of the 1-3 hole to start the season.

Much of the “turn back the clock” focus will be on Burrow’s 63-yard re-connection bomb to wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase on the third play of the second half, but it was clear from the outset that Burrow was feeling better. Not only was he 7-of-7 passing for 56 yards and a touchdown on the team’s first drive, but the way he was moving in the pocket and buying time were welcome signs for the struggling offense.

The best example came on his two-yard touchdown pass to Chase, when Burrow escaped pressure, rolled to the right, planted hard, reset, and threw back across the field to find Chase in the end zone.

Burrow’s final play of the second drive may have been even more impressive, even though it ended in a sack. He made a couple of moves in the pocket, including a leap to avoid a defender, but ultimately ran out of time. Evan McPherson came in to hit a 40-yard field goal and put the Bengals up 10-0.

There were several other instances in the first half, but the real déjà vu moment came on the third play of the second half when Burrow took a rare deep drop and uncorked a 63-yard bomb to Ja’Marr Chase to give the Bengals their largest lead of the season (to that point).

THERE IT IS FOLKS#CINatAZ | 📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/F6UefyyIlt

— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) October 8, 2023

Burrow reacted with an emphatic fist pump and a yell of “Boom!”

But he wasn’t done turning back the clock.

On the last play of the third quarter, with 1st-and-10 at the 28, Burrow couldn’t find a receiver, so he tucked the ball and ran for 10 yards and a first down before sliding down.

On the second play last week at Tennessee, he had a chance for a similar gain but elected to slide down after getting the one yard needed for a first down. One play later, he avoided a pass rusher and took off for another gain, this time of four yards to set up 2nd-and-6 instead of 2nd-and-14.

Later in that drive, on second-and-goal from three yards out, Burrow again bought time by moving out of the pocket and waited for Chase to come free across the end line for their third touchdown connection of the day. It also was Chase’s 14th catch of the day, setting a new franchise record.

MORE: NFL Offense Rankings 2023

Chase finished with 15 catches for 192 yards and a career-high tying three touchdowns.

Burrow completed 36 of 46 passes for 317 yards and the three TDs to Chase with one interception.

Trenton Irwin Steps Up

Wide receiver Trenton Irwin stepped up in Tee Higgins’ absence with a rib injury. Burrow got Irwin involved early with three catches on the opening drive. Those three catches tied Irwin’s career high. By the time the game ended, he had eight catches for a career-high 60 yards, even with Chase having his own huge day.

And it was nearly a whole lot more for Irwin as the Bengals drew up a flea flicker for him that they called early in the fourth quarter when Burrow handed off to Joe Mixon, who pitched the ball back, and Burrow unleashed a deep shot down the middle of the field. It fell just out of the reach of Irwin near the goal line.

In addition to what he did as a receiver, Irwin came up big in his second game as the punt returner after rookie Charlie Jones broke his thumb in the Week 3 win vs. the Los Angeles Rams.

Irwin had punt returns of 28 and 21 yards. The 28-yarder set up an Evan McPherson field goal. The 21-yarder should have led to points, but that was a drive when the Bengals got stopped four times inside the five-yard line.

Sweet and Sour

The Bengals’ defense evoked thoughts of the Sour Patch Kids commercials — first they’re sour, then they’re sweet.

After Chase’s third touchdown, Trey Hendrickson had a strip sack against Joshua Dobbs, and Sam Hubbard recovered it for the team’s second turnover of the game. The first was a pick-six by cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt after the Bengals’ run game was stoned four times in a row inside the five-yard line just before halftime.

CAM'S GOT THE JUICE (AND THE BALL)#CINatAZ | 📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/wGIKV1NODg

— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) October 8, 2023

There was a whole lot more sour than sweet as missed tackles and explosive plays continued to plague Lou Anarumo’s group.

Arizona had three plays of at least 35 yards, one of which was a 41-yard run on a fake double reverse in the third quarter on the first play after a Burrow interception that was the result of Irwin falling down after getting tangled with an Arizona defender beyond the allowed five yards.

Following the big gain, the Bengals defense held the Cardinals on the next three plays, setting up 4th-and-1 at the Cincinnati 16. Arizona went for it, and Anarumo dialed up a blitz, with safety Nick Scott shooting the gap and forcing Dobbs outside, where Germaine Pratt was waiting for him with a sure tackle.

Somewhere between the sweet and sour was the fact that the Bengals nearly had three other picks. Pass breakups are good; dropped interceptions are not. Hendrickson got his hands on a ball that would have been a pick-six. Logan Wilson had one just after the Taylor-Britt pick-six. And rookie second-round pick DJ Turner II nearly nabbed his first-career pick with a pass defense in the end zone.

With 4:53 left and Arizona in desperation mode on fourth down, Scott tipped a pass that Pratt drove and caught for an interception to all but seal the game.