Falcons’ skid continues as Burrow, Bengals roll to victory in Madrid
MADRID — The Falcons started the week with an abundance of self-proclaimed hard discussions, then left the United States with hopes a clean slate in a new country could solve their issues.
It didn’t.
The Falcons (3-6) suffered their fourth loss in the past five games, a 34-17 defeat to the Bengals (6-2) on Sunday afternoon at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid.
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, who commanded a media crowd this week that underlined the nature of his global fame, tore apart Atlanta’s defense in the first half. Burrow went 18-for-22 passing for 239 yards and two touchdowns before halftime while Cincinnati scored on all four of its possessions to carry a 24-10 lead into intermission.
Aided by Burrow’s brilliance, Bengals receiver Ja’Marr Chase caught 10 passes for 155 yards in the game, the most the Falcons have allowed to any player this season, to go along with one touchdown. Tee Higgins, the league’s second-leading receiver coming in, notched five receptions for 32 yards and two touchdowns.
The Falcons held the Bengals to 10 points in the second half, but the damage was already done. Burrow finished with 271 passing yards, and the Bengals’ run game — which entered as the third-worst in the NFL — rumbled to an efficient and productive 123 yards on the ground.
Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. struggled to match Burrow. With hopes of bouncing back from a four-interception performance last week against the Buccaneers in Tampa, Penix completed 20 of 31 passes for 162 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He added a career-high 50 rushing yards on three scrambles.
Atlanta rushed for over 100 yards for the first time since Week 4. Running back Bijan Robinson totaled 147 all-purpose yards, 100 of which came on the ground. With help from Penix and Khalil Herbert, the Falcons finished with 157 rushing yards while averaging 6.5 yards across 24 attempts.
Penalties were a particularly significant issue for the Falcons, who were flagged 12 times for 88 yards. Of their penalties, three came in the red zone, two negated would-be first downs and one defensive holding penalty took away a sack on a Bengals drive that ended with a touchdown two plays later.
The Falcons didn’t make enough stops defensively, and they didn’t have enough offensive firepower to match. Their special teams faltered too, as Nick Folk missed a 38-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, his fifth miss in nine games this season.
The Bengals outgained the Falcons 388-319.
Now three games below .500, the Falcons return home to face the Chiefs, who enter Week 9 with a 5-2 record. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. Nov. 15 in Mercedes-Benz Stadium.