Joe Burrow, Bengals defense fend off Seahawks to get back to .500 on the season

Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals may finally be back on the right track.

After a rough start to the season while Burrow has battled a calf injury, the Bengals held on late to beat the Seattle Seahawks 17-13 on Sunday afternoon at Paycor Stadium. That brought the Bengals' record to 3-3 as they head into their bye week.

The Bengals got off to a hot start Sunday afternoon, and responded perfectly after the Seahawks took the lead with a Kenneth Walker touchdown on their opening drive.

Burrow mounted a 13-play, 69 yard drive and found Tyler Boyd for an eight-yard touchdown pass right away to even the score. He then led another seven-play, 73-yard drive with a three-yard pass to Andrei Iosivas to take a seven-point lead. The Seahawks kicked a field goal before halftime to cut the deficit back to four.

That, however, is when things got a bit messy. The Bengals punted four times and Burrow threw an interception to begin the second half as their offense stalled almost completely. It wasn’t until Evan McPherson drilled a 52-yard field goal that the Bengals scored again early in the fourth quarter.

Thankfully, though, Cincinnati’s defense came up big. Mike Hilton intercepted Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith deep in the red zone early in the third.

Then, after limiting the Seahawks to a field goal on their next drive, Cam Taylor-Britt picked off Smith again on a deep ball intended for D.K. Metcalf — who seemed lost on his route. Britt ran the ball well back into Seattle territory, which set up the McPherson field goal.

The defense came up huge in the final minute, too, with a late red zone stop to secure the four-point win.

Smith went 27-of-41 for 323 yards and two interceptions in the loss for Seattle. Walker had 62 rushing yards on 19 carries, and Tyler Lockett had 94 receiving yards on six carries. The loss was Seattle's first since its season opener last month, and snapped a three-game win streak.

Burrow went 24-of-35 for 185 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in the win. Joe Mixon had 38 rushing yards on 12 carries, and Ja’Marr Chase had 80 receiving yards on six catches. The Bengals have won three of their last four games now headed into their bye week. While their offense wasn't great in the second half, the defense picked up the slack and got the job done.