It has been a minute since the Cincinnati Bengals were playing dominant football. After winning the AFC championship in 2021 and earning a spot in the playoffs in 2022, the Bengals have been one of the most disappointing teams in the NFL.
They have failed to make the playoffs in each of the last three seasons. They finished with 9-8 records in 2023 and '24 before disaster hit last year with a 6-11 record. However, any team with Joe Burrow as its quarterback and a pair of game-changing receivers in Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins is capable of putting on an offensive show and then sustaining that success.
The Bengals had a game that could set a precedent for the rest of the season in Week 7, as they hit on all cylinders in the second half and turned a 13-0 deficit into a 35-13 victory over the Baltimore Ravens.
It's one thing to win on the road against a key division rival, but it's quite another for the offense to catch fire in the second half and destroy that opponent.
Burrow completed 22 of 30 passes for 292 yards with 4 TDs and no interceptions. Burrow, who may be the most talented passer in the sport when he is healthy, was at his best. The performance should be the start of a dominant run for head coach Zac Taylor's team.
The Bengals were ordinary the week before in their win over the Miami Dolphins, and that did not impress any of the observers or the players in the locker room. But after the scoreless first half, Chase had seen enough. He came in at halftime ranting and raving, saying that somebody had to make a play. It turned out that his teammates were listening.
There may be no stopping the Cincinnati offense from this point forward.
Bengals found their offensive groove without any warning
After being forced to punt on their first three possessions of the first half, the Bengals looked like a new team at the start of the third quarter.
Burrow directed a 9-play, 66-yard TD drive on the opening possession that culminated with 6-yard TD pass to TE Mike Gesicki. It was more of the same after three plays and a Baltimore punt. The Bengals quickly took the lead with an 8-play, 47-yard drive that finished with a 13-yard scoring pass to Higgins.
Suddenly the Bengals had the lead and their offensive rhythm. When the defense followed up by stopping the Ravens on a fourth-down play at the Bengals 12-yard line, it took all of 6 plays to go the length of the field and score another TD. Cincinnati took advantage of a defensive holding penalty and a pass interference call before Samaje Perine scored from a yard out.
Two more Bengals touchdowns followed, including a scoring pass to the demanding Chase. The Bengals left Baltimore with a convincing win.
The right arm of Burrow was golden, and his teammates noticed. “We know what we have in Joe,” Gesicki said after the game, per Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic. “I think the world knows what kind of quarterback Joe is. Best quarterback in the league, he proves it time and time again. Definitely the second half was who we want to be on offense. It’s who we want to be as a team. That’s who we want to be. That’s who we should be.”
Bengals have opportunity to go on major roll
Article Continues BelowThe victory over the Ravens allowed the Bengals to improve to 4-2 and they are one-half game behind the Browns and the Steelers in the AFC North. However, Cincinnati is far more explosive than those two rivals and they may be more explosive than any AFC team other than the Buffalo Bills.
The Bengals have four games coming up against the Titans, Falcons, Steelers and Commanders. The Steelers are the only team that is likely to extend the Bengals as long as Taylor keeps this team focused on its business and Burrow can stay healthy.
While the Steelers have a quarterback in Aaron Rodgers who has all the know-how in the world and plenty of accuracy, he is in the final year of his career and he doesn't compare with Burrow at this point in his career.
Burrow is having an MVP type of season at this point. He has completed 157 of 219 passes for 1,653 yards with 15 touchdowns and just 3 interceptions. He is completing 71.7 percent of his passes, and he has a 110.4 passer rating.
Jared Goff of the Detroit Lions has a 112.5 passer rating with a 14-0 TD-interception ratio, but his 67.3 completion percentage is slightly worse than Burrow's. Brock Purdy of the 49ers is right behind Burrow. Those are the three most effective quarterbacks in the league to this point in the season.
The Bengals have been triggered with their second-half explosion against the Ravens. This team has a chance to go on a long run and Cincinnati could end up as the AFC's representative in the Super Bowl.