‘We just gotta go take of business’: Burrow tosses 3 TD passes (again) in 24-6 Bengals win

CINCINNATI (AP/WKRC) – Joe Burrow threw three touchdown passes, including one as he was falling to the turf, and the Cincinnati Bengals kept their slim playoff hopes alive with a 24-6 victory over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.

The Bengals (7-8) need to win their last two games and get some help to reach the postseason.

“It feels good to play in big games,” said Burrow. “That’s why we do what we do. That’s why we work so hard. Everything I do in the offseason is to put myself in the best position to play great at the end of the year in these big games coming up. So that’s exciting to still be in it.”

Burrow passed for three or more TDs for the seventh consecutive game and finished 23 of 30 for 252 yards.

“Putting us in a good position to win games,” he said. “You want to put points up on the board, you want to score touchdowns. The more I can do that the better off our team can be.”

Ja’Marr Chase had six catches for 97 yards and a garbage-time touchdown for Cincinnati to reach 1,510 yards this season and break his own franchise record of 1,455 yards set in 2021.

“It feels good. It’s something I wanted to do,” said Chase. “Me being competitive, I want to compete with myself. So it was a good thing I did that, it was a goal of mine.”

With Dorian Thompson-Robinson replacing Jameis Winston at quarterback, Cleveland (3-12) missed some chances in the red zone.

Jerome Ford had a 66-yard run on the first play from scrimmage. But D’Onta Foreman fumbled on first-and-goal and Vonn Bell recovered.

“That’s huge, especially the way (the Browns) like to play defense,” said Burrow. “Their rush is really good and if you get behind on them it could be a long day. And then we go down the field and score a touchdown. That was a big-time momentum swing.”

“It could have turned the game in a tough way for us early on and given them some life, some momentum,” said Bengals head coach Zac Taylor. “Got the ball out, recovered it, very appropriate that that was Vonn Bell.”

“There’s a good chance that you’re fighting uphill the rest of the way. It’s a 14-point swing.”

In the third quarter, a holding penalty negated a TD run by Thompson-Robinson, who also had a pass intercepted in the end zone by Jordan Battle.

The Bengals cashed in on Foreman’s fumble when Burrow, as he was falling, threw a 2-yard TD pass to Tee Higgins to cap an eight-play, 99-yard drive.

“That one was crazy, that one was crazy,” he said. “I was parallel. I don’t know how I threw it, but that one was pretty cool.”

“I saw (Higgins) as I was starting to move up in the pocket. As I was falling down, I was like, ‘Gotta try to get it to him any way I can.’ I thought my knee might be down because I’d never been in that position throwing the football before, but was able to keep it up.”

Cincinnati’s Cade York, a former Browns draft pick, tied a franchise record with a 59-yard field goal on the final play of the first half to make the score 17-0. Evan McPherson kicked a 59-yarder on Sept. 11, 2022.

Thompson-Robinson passed for 157 yards and two interceptions after being named the starter this week ahead of Winston, who was inactive with a shoulder injury. He had 49 yards rushing and was sacked five times.

Burrow threw a 32-yard touchdown pass to Chase with 1:44 left when the Bengals only needed to run out the clock.

“It’s been an awesome ride these last three weeks having fun with the guys and winning. As long as we find a way at the end and find a way to finish, that’s the biggest thing,” said Chase.

Injuries

Browns: Two key starters returned in TE David Njoku and CB Martin Emerson Jr.

Bengals: TE Tanner McLachlan was active for the first time this season with TE Tanner Hudson out with a knee injury.

Up next

Browns: Host the Dolphins on Dec. 29

Bengals: Host the Broncos on Dec. 28.

“Division wins are always big. This one just keeps us in the race,” said Burrow. “We just gotta go take of business, take care of what we can control and let’s see where we stand.”