The Cincinnati Bengals came out of their bye week and picked up an impressive victory over their AFC North rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers, on the road. That is two wins in a row for the Bengals, who have bounced back nicely following an embarrassing defeat at the hands of the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football in Week 8.
After struggling mightily in that game without Ja’Marr Chase in the lineup, the Bengals’ offense has found its stride without their star wide receiver. Cincinnati scored 41 points against the Carolina Panthers in Week 9 and followed it up with a 37-point performance against the Steelers, who were at full strength for the first time all season.
With their running game stumbling against Pittsburgh, a lot of pressure was put on Joe Burrow to lead the team to victory. The Bengals managed only 62 rushing yards on 24 attempts, but Burrow more than made up for it with his arm.
The Steelers had no answer for Burrow and the Bengals’ offense through the air. Their pass defense has struggled all season long as they have failed to generate a consistent pass rush as T.J. Watt missed a majority of the season, which has exposed their underwhelming secondary.
On Sunday afternoon, Burrow picked them apart. He played so well that he was actually the highest-graded quarterback in Week 11. Burrow finished the game with a grade of 90.8.
The grade was well deserved as Burrow completed 24-of-39 pass attempts for 355 yards and four touchdowns. He threw two interceptions and was sacked twice, but he played so well that the rest of his afternoon outweighed that and led to the impressive grade.
Burrow and the Bengals will face a stiff test in Week 12 as they will head back on the road to face the Tennessee Titans in a rematch of last season’s Divisional Round, which Cincinnati won 19-16. The Titans will be coming for revenge, but Burrow and the offense could receive a huge boost as there is a chance that Chase makes his return to the lineup this weekend.