Burrow Does Not Mind Flying After Clipping the Falcons Wings

AFI | American Football | 11/10/2026

Photo: Ryan Meyer/Cincinnati Bengals

Joe Burrow treated the NFL’s second Madrid Game as another stop on his international tour, throwing three touchdown passes and running for another as the Cincinnati Bengals beat the Atlanta Falcons 34-17 at the Santiago Bernabéu.

MADRID, SPAIN – Joe Burrow crossed the Atlantic, traded jerseys with a Real Madrid star, borrowed a celebration from Neymar, completed 82.8 percent of his passes and then began asking about Tokyo. If the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback was suffering from jet lag, he hid it considerably better than the Atlanta Falcons hid Ja’Marr Chase.

Burrow completed 24 of 29 passes for 271 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, added a one-yard touchdown run and finished with a 140.1 passer rating as Cincinnati defeated Atlanta 34-17 in front of 78,660 spectators at the Santiago Bernabéu.

The Bengals improved to 6-2 and provided the second Madrid Game with exactly what the first edition lacked: a genuine offensive headliner playing like one. The journey, unfamiliar stadium and closed Bernabéu roof did nothing to slow Burrow. Cincinnati scored on all four of its first-half possessions and did not punt until the opening series of the third quarter.

Chase makes himself at home in Madrid

Atlanta initially looked ready to make a game of it. Michael Penix Jr. directed an 80-yard opening drive and found tight end Charlie Woerner for a one-yard touchdown. The Falcons then forced Cincinnati to answer immediately.

Burrow needed five plays. Facing the single-high coverage the Bengals had been expecting, he found Chase downfield for a 47-yard touchdown. Chase played matador afterward while Tee Higgins volunteered for the less glamorous role of the bull. When in Spain, somebody has to wear the horns.

Atlanta moved back in front on Nick Folk’s 31-yard field goal, but the Falcons had already begun stepping on their own cape. A holding penalty erased a Penix scramble to the Cincinnati one-yard line, and a false start followed. Four points disappeared before anyone could shout olé.

Photo: Ryan Meyer/Cincinnati Bengals

Burrow takes command before halftime

Burrow took control in the second quarter. He finished an 11-play, 70-yard drive with a one-yard sneak, then marched Cincinnati 88 yards on its next possession and hit Higgins for a four-yard touchdown. Evan McPherson closed the half with a 57-yard field goal, giving the Bengals a 24-10 lead.

The Falcons committed 12 penalties for 88 yards, including a collection of holding calls, false starts and delays that head coach Kevin Stefanski called self-inflicted. Penix’s assessment was even simpler: ‘We can’t do that.’ Against Burrow on this afternoon, Atlanta could not afford to do much of anything twice.

Atlanta rallies, but Higgins delivers

The Falcons did produce one serious response after halftime. Bijan Robinson carried the offense on an 11-play, 76-yard drive and scored from one yard to cut the margin to 24-17. Robinson finished with 100 rushing yards and another 47 receiving, while Penix added 50 yards on the ground.

Burrow answered before Madrid had time to consider the possibility of drama. He drove the Bengals 73 yards and found Higgins for an eight-yard touchdown, Higgins’ second of the afternoon and the 50th touchdown reception of his NFL career. Cincinnati’s lead was back to 14, and Atlanta never threatened again.

McPherson added a 43-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. The Bengals defence supplied the punctuation when Barrett Carter intercepted Penix with 3:59 remaining. Penix finished 20 of 31 for 162 yards, one touchdown and the interception. Cincinnati outgained Atlanta 388-319 and converted six of 10 third downs.

Chase was the principal beneficiary of Burrow’s comfort abroad. He caught 10 passes for 155 yards, including eight for 142 in the first half. Higgins had only 32 receiving yards, but his five catches included the two touchdowns that separated the teams.

Photo: Taylor McLaughlin/Atlanta Falcons

From the Bernabéu to Tokyo?

The Madrid experience did not end with the scoreboard. Burrow and Chase exchanged signed jerseys with Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, whom Chase called the best in the world. Burrow also met Spanish international Ferran Torres before kickoff. His touchdown celebration after the quarterback sneak was apparently a nod to Neymar, proving that the Bengals had done at least some cultural homework beyond locating the nearest steakhouse.

More revealing was what Burrow said after the game. Rather than complaining about the flight, the disrupted routine or losing a home game to another continent, he was already volunteering for another international assignment. With the NFL considering its first regular-season game in Tokyo, Burrow said he would love to play in it, although he sensibly suggested putting it in Week 1.

The Bengals are expected to serve as the home team for an international game in 2027. Madrid therefore may not have been Burrow’s final overseas appearance. Considering what happened to Atlanta, the rest of the league may prefer that Cincinnati’s next passport stamp comes during somebody else’s schedule.

The second Madrid Game was designed to show Spain the best of the NFL. Burrow returned the favour by showing the NFL that Spain – or almost anywhere else – suits him just fine.