Burrow Throws for 271 Yards and Three Touchdowns as Bengals Beat Falcons 34-17 in Madrid

MADRID — Joe Burrow completed 24 of 29 passes for 271 yards and three touchdowns on Sunday as the Cincinnati Bengals beat the Atlanta Falcons 34-17 at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid.

Ja’Marr Chase caught 10 passes for 155 yards and a touchdown, and Tee Higgins caught five passes for 32 yards and two touchdowns. Burrow finished with a 140.1 passer rating in front of an announced crowd of 78,660.

The win moved Cincinnati to 6-2 and gave the Bengals their first win in an NFL game played outside the United States. The game was the league’s Week 9 international game, played at the home of Spanish soccer club Real Madrid and billed by the NFL as a “mini Super Bowl.” Colombian singer Manuel Turizo performed at halftime, and Real Madrid president Florentino Perez attended.

Atlanta scored first, then Cincinnati took over

Atlanta scored the first touchdown of the game and led 7-0, but Cincinnati answered and led 24-10 at halftime. Kicker Evan McPherson made a 57-yard field goal in the second half, and his second field goal of the game made it 34-17 with 4:36 left to play. A late interception by Barrett Carter ended Atlanta’s last drive.

Cincinnati’s defense allowed a touchdown on the opening drive for the third straight game, and the unit has allowed more than 300 yards of offense in each of the last three games. The Bengals’ offense made up for it in Madrid, moving the ball with ease for most of the afternoon.

Next up: Pittsburgh

Cincinnati returns home to face the Pittsburgh Steelers on Nov. 15 at Paycor Stadium. Pittsburgh is 6-2 and sits atop the AFC North after beating Cincinnati in Week 3.

Atlanta fell to 3-6 with the loss. The Falcons were playing overseas for the second straight year.

Reporting based on coverage by the Cincinnati Enquirer and USA Today.