Joe Burrow throws 3 TDs, Bengals keep playoff hopes alive
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CINCINNATI — Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase keep putting up extraordinary numbers, but the Cincinnati Bengals still need help to reach the playoffs.
Burrow threw three touchdown passes, including one as he was falling to the turf, and the Bengals kept their slim postseason hopes alive with a 24-6 victory over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
“This one just keeps us in the race,” Burrow said. “It feels good to play in big games. It’s exciting to still be in it.”
The Bengals (7-8) have won three straight. They need to win their last two games and get some help to earn a playoff spot.
Burrow passed for at least three TDs for the seventh consecutive game and finished 23 of 30 for 252 yards. Chase had six catches for 97 yards and a garbage-time touchdown for Cincinnati to reach 1,510 yards this season and break his franchise record of 1,455 yards set in 2021.
“It feels good, something I wanted to do,” said Chase, who leads the NFL in receptions (108), receiving yards and TD catches (16).
“Me being competitive, I wanted to compete with myself.”
Burrow leads the league with 4,229 yards passing and 39 touchdowns.
With Dorian Thompson-Robinson replacing Jameis Winston at quarterback, Cleveland (3-12) missed some chances in the red zone.
Jerome Ford had a 66-yard run on the first play from scrimmage, but D’Onta Foreman fumbled on first-and-goal and Vonn Bell recovered.
“It’s a 14-point swing,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said. “Not only did it take the life out of them a little bit, getting the stop on the 1-yard line then going 99 (yards) gave us a lot of confidence and set the tone.”
In the third quarter, a holding penalty negated a TD run by Thompson-Robinson, who also had a pass intercepted in the end zone by Jordan Battle.
“Obviously, you turn the ball over in the red zone, especially the first one, you’re not going to put yourself in position to get a win on the road,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said. “Not a lack of effort. It’s a lack of protecting the ball.”
The Bengals cashed in on Foreman’s fumble when Burrow, as he was falling, threw a 2-yard TD pass to Tee Higgins to cap an eight-play, 99-yard drive.
The Bengals defense, which has struggled for most of the season, has forced nine turnovers in the past two games.
“The guys have done a great job on that side of the ball getting us extra possessions on offense,” Taylor said
Thompson-Robinson passed for 157 yards and two interceptions after being named the starter this week ahead of Winston, who was inactive with a shoulder injury. He had 49 yards rushing and was sacked five times.
Ford rushed for 93 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries.
Burrow threw a 32-yard touchdown pass to Chase with 1:44 left when the Bengals only needed to run out the clock.