DE Trey Hendrickson had a career-high four sacks in the big win over the Raiders on Sunday in Paycor Stadium (Photo Credit: Erik Schelkun/Bengals.com).
By Dr. John Huang
(CINCINNATI, Oh.) – Poop or get off the pot.
That was the general sentiment before Cincinnati defeated Las Vegas 41 – 24 on yet another gorgeous Sunday afternoon at Paycor Stadium. And hey, if the 65,962 fans in attendance came looking for Cincinnati’s first home win of the season, they sure got a show. Both teams were backsliding—Cincinnati winless at home, and the Raiders dropping their last four. Something, as they say, had to give.
What seemed to give early on was the Bengals’ defense. Starting out, they looked softer than over-cooked Skyline chili noodles. Thanks to a fortuitous pass interference call, the Raiders took the opening kickoff and marched down the field, racking up 70 yards in 11 plays. Just like that, Las Vegas was up 7 – 0 with 9:36 left in the opening quarter, capped off by a Zamir White plunge over the goal line. Bengals’ fans started squirming, but Joe Burrow was already revving his engine.
In his usual cool-under-pressure fashion, Burrow responded with a 13-play, 70-yard drive of his own that chewed up nearly eight minutes of clock. He found Chase Brown for a tidy 2-yard touchdown, tying it up with 1:39 left in the first quarter. For Joey Franchise, that was just the beginning of a very productive afternoon.
Burrow, clearly locked in, then hit an impressive streak, completing his first 15 passes before Maxx Crosby put a stop to that insanity with a timely deflection. But no matter, after the teams traded field goals, Burrow dialed up another quick, five-play, 70-yard march downfield and connected with Andrei Iosivas for a 10-yard touchdown, giving the Bengals a 17 – 10 lead as they headed to the locker room.
When the Bengals took the second-half kickoff and drove down for another score, a 2-yard touchdown from Burrow to Drew Sample, stretching the lead to 24 – 10, the fans in Paycor began breathing easily for the first time all year.
“When you can play with the lead, you’re able to keep hammering that and get some runs like we got,” explained head coach Zac Taylor. “We haven’t given ourselves enough of those opportunities lately. This is a game where, when you finally get a two or three-score lead, you can lean on that and wear them down and get some bigger runs. We afforded ourselves those opportunities today.”
A game-changing moment came with 9:42 left in the third quarter. The Raiders, facing third and three from the Cincinnati 45, saw Gardner Minshew fumble the ball off of an awkward pitch. Logan Wilson, always one to seize an opportunity, scooped it up and returned it to the Raiders’ 31. Moments later, Burrow found Mike Gesicki for an 11-yard touchdown, ballooning the lead to 31 – 10. Even a pick-six by Jack Jones—off a generous Burrow pass, which he ran back 29 yards—couldn’t change the course of this game.
On the day, Burrow was an absolute maestro, completing 27 of his 39 passes for 251 yards and tying his career high with five touchdowns. You wouldn’t have known it, however, from his postgame comments.
“One win isn’t going to make or break our season,” he said, measuring his words carefully. “So, I’m going to strive for perfection every — every day and every game. So, until that happens, what’s there to be happy about?”
With running back Zack Moss out, Chase Brown was quite happy taking on the bell cow duties, carrying the ball 27 times for 120 yards and catching five passes for 37 yards and a touchdown. Tight end Mike Gesicki also had a big smile on his face after hauling in five passes for 100 yards and two touchdowns, including a beautiful 47-yard fourth-quarter reception serving as the nail in the Raiders’ coffin.
On the other side of the ball, defensive end Trey Hendrickson took it upon himself to terrorize the Raiders’ offensive line, racking up a career-high four sacks.
“You don’t let the highs get too high and the lows get too low,” Hendrickson cautioned reporters when they asked him if this was the best performance he had ever had. “That’s the National Football League, and I give credit to my Lord and Savior for being my foundation. In Christ, you never let it get too much, and you never let it get too bad. I’m blessed to do what I love.”
Somewhere, Bengals fans were rubbing their eyes, wondering if they’d stumbled into a holy city in a new universe where their team actually plays like the true juggernaut everybody thought they would be at the beginning of the season.
As the dust settled, a bold message flashed in the stadium’s upper deck: “Let’s see what we’re made of.” For this week, at least, Cincinnati was made of grit and determination, showing a toughness that’s often been hard to find this season. If the Bengals (4 – 5) can bottle that steely resolve, they might just need it next week when they travel to Baltimore for a monster Thursday night clash with the 6 – 3 Ravens. Buckle up, Bengals fans—this ride might just be getting started.
Dr. John Huang is a retired orthodontist, military veteran, and award-winning author. He covers the Bengals for Sports View America. Follow him on social media @KYHuangs and check out his debut novel, “Name, Image, and Murder,” and all his books at Amazon.
