Bengals deal Tom Brady the type of loss he almost never has and look very ready for another Super Bowl run
The Cincinnati Bengals were record-breakers in their 34-23 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Prior to Sunday’s game, Tom Brady-led teams were 159-3 overall, and 89-0 at home, when they led by 17 points at any moment in the game. That particular record has a new blemish, and it comes after it looked like the Buccaneers were going to be the story early on.
Their defense was lights-out in the first half of the game, with Carlton Davis in particular giving Ja’Marr Chase the blues, and looked like it might be strong enough to actually win the Bucs a playoff game or two in January.
That’s not the story, though. Cincinnati roared back and scored 34 unanswered points on the back of a strong defensive performance with Joe Burrow continually capitalizing on the opportunities the Bengals' defense gave him. Burrow only averaged 5.1 yards per attempt on his passes, but that’s because the offense didn’t have to go too far to score. He threw four touchdown passes and only one interception as the Bengals poured it on the Buccaneers in the second half.
In some ways, what the Bengals are doing this December is even more impressive than the late-season run that got them to the playoffs and ultimately the Super Bowl last season. Burrow and his receivers aren’t dropping 525 yards worth of bombs on decimated defenses like the Baltimore Ravens were last December, nor are they just relying on pure talent to get by. Of course, their talent matters a whole lot, but this is a more composed and more complete team than the one that got hot last season. Head coach Zac Taylor has revamped his offense this season to give his playmakers easier opportunities to do what they do best, and this time it played a major role in Cincinnati's win Sunday.
The Bengals still have the talent that the Super Bowl team did, but they have a higher ceiling because the product is a bit more cohesive. While the Bucs' offense has been largely ineffective this season, their defense is still one of the best in the league and posed a formidable threat to the Bengals in the first half. Yet the Bengals were able to prevail and play such a complete second half that the game felt like a blowout by the time it was over.
The Bengals' offense is likely going to be their driving force in any playoff success, but the defense deserves credit as well. Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo has this unit playing smart football and they were able to generate four turnovers against Brady and the Buccaneers. This isn’t just a story about Cincinnati's offense coming back to life in a way that looks more sustainable for postseason play. The whole team looks ready to atone for its Super Bowl loss to the Rams, and if the Bengals can continue to put up performances like this, they might get a chance.
There might not be a hotter team at this point in the season. They toppled the Kansas City Chiefs for the third time this calendar year a couple weeks ago and were able to shut down Brady in the second half as they raced off to a victory. The Bengals are 10-2 since dropping their first two games of the season and have begun to transform into what the grown version of this team is supposed to look like. The young core of talented players is starting to come of age at the best time possible.
The Bengals are here to stay. They’re talented, resilient and a more complete product than the one that made it to the Super Bowl last February. This might be the team Bengals fans have been waiting for.
