MADRID, Spain — Joe Burrow threw for 271 yards and three touchdowns and ran for a fourth score Sunday, Nov. 8, leading the Cincinnati Bengals past the Atlanta Falcons 34-17 at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in the NFL’s 2026 Madrid Game. The win was Cincinnati’s fourth straight, lifted the Bengals to 6-2, and gave the franchise its first victory in an international game after a tie and a loss in London in 2016 and 2019, according to reporting by the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Atlanta struck first, scoring on the game’s opening drive on a 1-yard touchdown pass from Michael Penix Jr. to Charlie Woerner, but Cincinnati answered in five plays. Burrow found Ja’Marr Chase on a 47-yard touchdown pass to tie the game in the first quarter, and the Bengals never trailed again after Burrow’s 1-yard scoring run early in the second quarter. Chase finished with 10 catches for 155 yards, while Tee Higgins caught five passes for 32 yards and two touchdowns, according to the game summaries published by the Cincinnati Enquirer and by KNBR’s report of the game.
Cincinnati scored on all four of its first-half drives and led 24-10 at halftime. Atlanta cut the margin to 24-17 in the third quarter on a 1-yard touchdown run by Bijan Robinson, who rushed for 100 yards, but Burrow responded with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Higgins. McPherson added a fourth-quarter field goal, and linebacker Barrett Carter intercepted Penix late to seal the win. Penix finished 20-for-31 for 162 yards, and Cincinnati outgained Atlanta 388-319.
The Chase touchdown carried a place in the record book as well. According to Joey DeBerardino of WDTN, whose reporting was cited by Heavy.com, Burrow and Chase have now tied Joe Montana and Jerry Rice for the third-most touchdown passes of 40 or more yards in NFL history since 1980, trailing only Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison (21) and Steve Young and Rice (20).
The announced crowd was 78,660 at the Bernabéu, home of Spanish soccer club Real Madrid and more than 4,000 miles from the Bengals’ Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported. The win pulls Cincinnati into a tie with the Pittsburgh Steelers atop the AFC North, with Atlanta falling to 3-6. Burrow will also enter next week leading the NFL with 23 touchdown passes this season, according to Heavy.com.
What happens next sets up quickly: after the long flight home, the Bengals host Pittsburgh on Sunday, Nov. 15, in a nationally televised Sunday Night Football matchup that will break the AFC North tie, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. A win would give Cincinnati sole possession of first place and a fifth straight victory heading into the second half of the season.
Photo: Antony-22, CC BY-SA