By Paul Dehner Jr., Joe Individual and RJ Kraft
NFL Week 4 reside updates: Inactives, schedule, kickoff occasions, matchups, odds and predictions
Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase guided the Cincinnati Bengals to their first win of the 2024 NFL season with a 34-24 win on the highway over the Carolina Panthers.
Sunday’s sport formed up as a must-win for the Bengals following three straight losses out of the gate to the New England Patriots, Kansas Metropolis Chiefs and Washington Commanders by a mixed 12 factors and a Week 5 date at residence with the Baltimore Ravens looming.
For the Panthers, former long-time Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton made his second begin following the benching of Bryce Younger. Dalton had one other robust sport underneath middle, but it surely was not sufficient to deliver the Panthers again to .500. As a substitute, Carolina will enter its Week 5 highway matchup with the Chicago Bears at 1-3.
Bengals could also be flawed, however have a ferocious offense
Related points that dogged them by means of an 0-3 have been nonetheless obvious in Carolina, however Burrow and the offense did greater than sufficient to dictate the tempo and eventually seize the primary win of the season. The chips of the season would have been too far stacked in opposition to them at 0-4 for it to really feel salvageable.
This win reliefs strain from a staff that was feeling it main into this week in opposition to Carolina. They’ll now cool down on the similar document that they had final 12 months at the moment and welcome AFC North play with the Ravens coming to Paycor Stadium subsequent week. — Paul Dehner Jr., Bengals beat author
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Dalton one other strong exhibiting
The Panthers quarterback wasn’t as sharp as he was final week at Las Vegas and the Purple Rifle did not beat his former Bengals staff. However the offense nonetheless appeared higher than it did throughout the two weeks through which Younger was working it.
Dalton accomplished 25 of 40 for 220 yards and two touchdowns, with one interception. Dalton’s interception got here within the first half when Trey Hendrickson hit his arm as he threw, leading to a floater that former Panthers security Vonn Bell picked off. Dalton might have helped himself by stepping up within the pocket on the play. Dalton at the very least stored the Panthers aggressive. — Joseph Individual, Panthers beat author
The Bengals protection continues to seek for solutions.
Regardless that the win serves as desperately wanted reduction, protection coordinator Lou Anarumo wants to determine how you can develop any tooth on his facet of the ball. One week after Washington didn’t punt or commit a turnover, Dalton was capable of transfer the Panthers up and down the sphere with relative ease.
A turnover and goal-line stand salvaged the rating, however there was nonetheless no move rush outdoors of Hendrickson (who left a neck damage within the fourth quarter), missed tackles and receivers working free down the sphere. He began a rotation with DJ Turner II subbing in for each Dax Hill and Cam Taylor-Britt periodically. Taylor-Britt was an issue getting beat deep, on third down and for a landing.
The Bengals protection thought they might be a greater model than the one which completed close to the underside of the league in most classes final 12 months, however appear to be regressing because the season goes.— Dehner
Missed tackles killed the Panthers
Carolina defenders placed on a shoddy show of tackling on the Bengals’ final two touchdowns of the primary half. Chase took his first move of the sport and was a 63-yard rating after forcing three missed tackles — by security Xavier Woods, outdoors linebacker Charles Harris and nickel nook Troy Hill.
A sequence later, the Bengals have been out of timeouts and dealing with a third-and-goal on the 1 with 5 seconds left. Burrow swung a move to Chase Brown, who burst by means of the sort out try of security Nick Scott to seek out the top zone. Had Scott introduced Brown down, the half would have run out with the rating tied at 14. — Individual
A number of contributors with massive performs for Bengals’ offense
What’s most encouraging concerning the state of the Bengals offense is what number of totally different gamers are producing explosive performs. After all, Chase will at all times be able to the 63-yard catch and run.
This marks the Tenth-career TD reception of fifty+ yards by @Real10jayy__. He turns into the 4th participant underneath the age of 25 with 10 TD receptions of fifty+ yards in @NFL historical past.
He joins @ProFootballHOF Randy Moss (14), Harlon Hill (12) and Odell Beckham Jr. (10). https://t.co/szvR0um0G2
— NFL345 (@NFL345) September 29, 2024
Tee Higgins is ready to reside getting open within the intermediate ranges, however getting massive runs and receptions from Brown and important damaged tackles from Zack Moss, a stunning catch up the seam in opposition to middle-field open by Andrei Iosivas and Erick All Jr. made tacklers miss for first downs. All of it added dimensions to what Burrow might do.
Even Burrow himself made performs sneaking out of the pocket to create offense and, outdoors of a poor choice on a fourth-quarter interception, performed at a excessive degree all day. — Dehner
Required studying
(Photograph: Grant Halverson/Getty Photographs)
