The disparity between the recent play of the Atlanta Falcons and Cincinnati Bengals couldn’t be much wider ahead of their matchup in the NFL’s return to Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid on Sunday.
Cincinnati (5-2) is averaging 36.3 points across a three-game winning streak, while Atlanta (3-5) is coming off a historically bizarre loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Bengals make the long flight riding a wave of momentum thanks to quarterback Joe Burrow’s league-leading 20 passing touchdowns and 302.1 yards per game. Burrow has thrown 13 touchdowns in the team’s last three games, helping pull Cincinnati within a half-game of the AFC North-leading Pittsburgh Steelers.
For head coach Zac Taylor, the high-octane offense’s success starts with the offensive line protecting Burrow.
“Our protection has been really good,” Taylor said. “We spend a lot of time on our protection plan and making sure we give our guys the tools to be able to give Joe a clean pocket. I think the linemen, the tight ends and the backs have done a really good job providing us with that opportunity.”
Not lost on Taylor is the privilege of boasting a three-time Pro Bowler in Burrow and two of the sport’s best weapons in wide receivers Tee Higgins (726 receiving yards, four touchdowns) and Ja’Marr Chase (492 yards, six scores).
“I think we have the most accurate and process-driven quarterback that exists,” Taylor said. “And we have the best receiving corps — and that’s receivers, tight ends and running backs — that there is in the league. With all of that, we feel like we can really distribute and Joe’s going to do a good job of being the bus driver and put us in really good spots.”
Atlanta quarterback Michael Penix Jr., meanwhile, is coming off the worst performance of his career, including the lowest passer rating by an NFL starter this season.
Penix, who was the reigning NFC Offensive Player of the Week, completed 8 of 24 passes for 125 yards and four interceptions in Sunday’s rain-soaked 16-0 loss at Tampa Bay. His 12.0 passer rating was the lowest by any starter this year.
The 26-year-old still has the confidence of his first-year head coach Kevin Stefanski.
“We’re (six) games into Mike this season and he’s done a very nice job taking care of the football,” Stefanski said. “Can Mike play better? Of course. And he knows that, and he will play better. But he’ll learn from it. We all can be better from that outing.”
The Falcons also became the first team since 1974 to lose a game while holding the opposing quarterback to zero completions. Tampa Bay’s Baker Mayfield went 0-for-3 in the game.
Atlanta’s defense will face an entirely different obstacle on Sunday.
“Having two wide receiver playmakers like they have, I don’t know if anybody in the league has guys like that,” Stefanski said of Chase and Higgins. “They challenge you in a bunch of different ways, both schematically and just the players. These are outstanding skilled players that they have. Just look across the board: I think they can run the ball. They can throw it if you play into an eight-man box. It’s quite the challenge.”
Sunday marks the league’s second game in Spain, following last year’s debut visit between the Miami Dolphins and Washington Commanders.
With a chance to gain a half-game on the idle Steelers, Taylor has his team solely focused on the task at hand.
“We’ve got to go win this game and put ourselves in position to do all those things we talked about at the beginning of the season,” Taylor said. “Shame on us if something on this trip derails that mindset and that focus. Everyone’s professional. They know how to enjoy themselves in the right way, but put themselves in the best position possible to go win on Sunday.”
Bengals safety Kyle Dugger (quad), defensive end Cedric Johnson (ankle/foot) and cornerback DJ Turner II (heel) didn’t practice Wednesday, while Atlanta’s rookie wide receiver Zachariah Branch (hamstring) also didn’t participate.