Thee seventh week of the National Football League seven is now complete. There were two underdogs that came through with victories. Let’s look at the wins for the Cincinnati Bengals and Indianapolis Colts.
Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals entered the week at two wins and four losses, and a 5.5 point underdog against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Well, the Bengals did not just cover the spread, they won outright as they defeated the AFC North Division leaders by a score of 33-31. With the loss, the Steelers dropped to 4-2.
It was a record breaking performance by Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase of Harvey, Louisiana. Chase set the Bengals franchise record for most receptions in a game with 16. Interestingly, Chase had the previous record for most receptions in a Bengals game as he had 15 catches in a 34-20 Cincinnati win over the Arizona Cardinals on October 8, 2023.
What has been very surprising in Cincinnati is the immediate chemistry that we are seeing between Chase and Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco of Voorhees, New Jersey. Flacco has only been the Bengals quarterback for two weeks. Cincinnati made a quarterback switch because star Joe Burrow had turf toe surgery after an injury against the Jacksonville Jaguars in week two, and Bengals backup quarterback Jake Browning of Folsom, California was ineffective as the interim starting quarterback, as he was a loser of three straight games.
Flacco completed 31 of 47 passes for 342 passing yards and three touchdowns. Chase had 161 receiving yards and a major score, while Canadian running back Chase Brown of London, Ontario had 11 rushes for 108 rushing yards. Bengals kicker Evan McPherson of Fort Payne, Alabama kicked the 36-yard game-winning field goal with seven seconds left.
Indianapolis Colts
The Colts were actually a surprising 2.5 point underdog on Sunday heading into southern California where they faced the Los Angeles Chargers. The Colts entered the game with a record of five wins and one loss, and now they have the best record in the entire NFL at six wind and one loss after a 38-24 win. With the defeat, the Chargers fell to four wins and three losses, and no longer lead the AFC West, as they are one game back of the Denver Broncos.
What we saw on Sunday, was a Colts franchise that is continuing to receive excellence from running back Jonathan Taylor of Salem, New Jersey. He had 132 total yards and three rushing major scores.
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