Cincinnati Bengals: Takeaways from Week 4 win vs. Falcons

Let’s look back at the Cincinnati Bengals win in Week 4 over the Atlanta Falcons and observe some notable takeaways from the game.

What. A. Game! In a contest where the Cincinnati Bengals went on the road, faced one of the NFL’s best offenses this season and saw their own offense go through some notable stretches of struggling, who would have thought that these Bengals would not only keep things close, but eventually come away with a close victory in the final minutes?

I must admit, I was not on that list, but am glad to be wrong.

Here are some observations to remember from the 37-36 instant classic victory for the Bengals.

Resilience Is Key

There were plenty of opportunities for this team to give up along their eventual path to victory.

Players were falling out of the lineup in droves; some would return, others may never make it back on the field in a Bengals uniform. Tyler Eifert had yet another devastating injury strike him down (this one a gruesome destruction of his ankle). John Ross got free for a touchdown reception, but had to finish it off with a limp, bringing a Madden meme to life.

Mark Walton (who not only surprisingly got snaps here, but also had a big 24-yard reception) had to be taken out and evaluated for a concussion at one point. This is after the team already was missing their starting running back (Joe Mixon) and center (Billy Price) due to injuries as well.

Add in the game situations to the mix as well. An offense which went from scoring touchdowns on every first-half drive started the second half by ending three straight without any points in a shootout where the Bengals would desperately need them.

A blocked punt deep in their own territory basically gifted three points to the Falcons. A tip drill interception gave Atlanta the ball with great field position, which they would use to put the Bengals behind despite all their first-half success.

Somehow, these Bengals pushed through it all.

Down 33-28 with 14:15 left in the fourth quarter and having done very little in the second half to that point, the Bengals would do everything necessary to win. Alex Erickson started it with a clutch kick return, putting Cincinnati right around midfield to start their second-to-last drive.

A slow and steady drive would commence, with Cincinnati having to live through a nullified touchdown (due to a Cordy Glenn penalty) and an overturned fumble before settling for a 36-yard field goal to make it 33-31 while salting away over six minutes of clock time.

For Atlanta, three 15+ yard plays and a Cincinnati penalty to overturn a blocked field goal let them go back up 36-31, but this is where that Cincinnati offense shined.

With 4:15 left, the Bengals would go on for a 16-play, 75-yard drive. Taking their time and fighting through multiple missteps (penalties by the offensive line, near-turnovers by Dalton), they faced three third downs and two fourth downs, but survive through those to keep the drive moving.

With no timeouts remaining and just 0:06 left on the clock, Dalton found A.J. Green streaking across the endzone and lofted in the perfect pass to his man for the game-deciding score. The heart and determination of this squad is something to build upon, and breathes legitimate life into the hopes for a return to the playoffs.