Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase flex their muscles in Bengals' blowout win over the Falcons

After Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase raced into the end-zone and scored a 41-yard touchdown, he leapt into the crowd, folded his arms and flexed. As the Bengals took a 21-point lead in the second quarter against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd joined Chase in the stands, sitting next to him and pounding Chase on the chest.

When Chase scored a 60-yard game-winning touchdown in last week's win over the New Orleans Saints, he tried to punt the ball into the stands. Then he shanked the kick, botching the celebration. Chase’s teammates gave him a hard time about it all week.

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But the 2022 Bengals are a team ironing out wrinkles and getting better. They’re improving everything from their touchdown dances to their play calling and the performances they’re getting from the star players on offense.

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As the Bengals beat the Falcons, 35-17, at Paycor Stadium, they played at the level that got them to the Super Bowl last season. They showed they can be the team that the players believe the Bengals are, and displayed what their offense can look like when all systems are firing.

"It was a pretty complete game," Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow said. "We have great coaches that have put together great plans. The offensive line is playing great. We know what the receivers can do. We’re able to move the ball up and down the field."

Facing a banged-up Falcons secondary missing three starting defensive backs, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow had the third-best passing game in Bengals history. He finished the game with 481 passing yards on a day where the offense was nearly perfect.

"We just have really good players on the outside that teams are concerned about," Burrow said. "That's where we've made our money the last couple weeks."

Ja'Marr Chase, Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins all have big games

All offseason, players like Burrow and running back Joe Mixon spoke about why the Bengals should be “unguardable.” Against the Falcons, following six weeks of inconsistent performances by the Bengals offense, they finally showed how unguardable they can be. Chase and Boyd both had more than 100 receiving yards, and wide receiver Tee Higgins added 93.

When the Falcons blitzed, Burrow found Boyd, Mixon and Chase for quick completions. The Bengals continued to live in shotgun formations, spreading out the defense and giving Burrow a clearer way to see the field.

On the first drive of the game, following three quick completions and a six-yard run by Mixon, the Bengals called a deep shot. Boyd and wide receiver Tee Higgins were both open for the 60-yard touchdown, and Burrow connected with Boyd, who made his defender fall over as he ran a post route over the middle.

Tyler Boyd has career-high in receiving yards

Boyd, who finished the game with a career-high 155 receiving yards, celebrated by throwing the ball 20-plus rows into the stands, knowing he was going to get fined for it. But he couldn’t hold his excitement about the direction in which the Bengals offense was trending.

Following a quick stop by the Bengals defense, Burrow got the ball back and continued dicing up the Falcons offense. One play, he found Hurst for a quick strike over the middle. Then, Burrow scrambled out of the pocket and floated a pass over three defenders to Mixon for a 22-yard gain. Then, he perfectly placed a red-zone throw to Boyd, who cut to the left sideline and got himself open at the 1-yard line. Following a touchdown run by Mixon, the Bengals took a 14-0 lead.

"We've really got back to the basics of our pass game," Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said. "Our bread and butter stuff that allows the ball to be spread around... It just opens (the offense) up."

At that point, the offense still hadn’t even had its two best plays of the day yet.

On the Bengals’ third drive, Burrow took as much time as he could in the pocket before making a throw across his body to Boyd, who cut to the left sideline. Even though he faced tight coverage, Boyd reeled in a one-handed catch for a 20-yard grab.

Two plays later, the Falcons dared to use one-on-one coverage against Chase. He burned cornerback Cornell Armstrong down the right sideline and made a leaping touchdown catch on a 32-yard pickup.

With 14:55 left in the second quarter, the Bengals had a 21-0 lead. Burrow was 14-for-16 with 228 passing yards. Following Chase’s touchdown, the entire offense sprinted to the end-zone to celebrate, and they all joined together to execute a group dance in the end zone.

"Every single game we've had spots where we're really, really good," Burrow said. "It's just about sustaining it over a whole game and stringing together games. We've done that the last two weeks, and we'll continue to do it."

As the Bengals’ offensive starters shuffled their feet, they looked like a group that had put its slow start to the season behind them. They weren’t even done yet in the first half as Chase closed it out with a 41-yard touchdown as the Bengals took a 28-7 lead. Chase made the back shoulder catch on the left sideline just past the first down line, broke a tackle and sprinted past the entire Falcons’ secondary.

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Falcons close gap before halftime, then Bengals defense steps up

The Falcons made it a two-score game at halftime with a 75-yard touchdown and a field goal in the final minute of the second quarter. Then after halftime, the Bengals defense forced four straight stops on short drives to clinch the win for Cincinnati.

Early in the year, the Bengals didn’t trust their pass protection enough to call developing plays down the field. Taylor wasn’t distributing targets between his receivers, and Boyd fell through the cracks in the game plan. The Bengals couldn’t run the ball efficiently, and Burrow didn’t open the year with that same mojo that he had in 2021.

Now, all of those problems look like they’re in the Bengals’ past.

"We know what type of team we have," Taylor said, "I know the faith I have in these players and coaches. That's what they've done. This season is still in its infancy stages. Today gave us a chance to separate a bit."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Bengals get blowout win over Falcons behind Joe Burrow's big game