Joe Burrow has Bengals in playoff race again. Rough stretch of division foes ahead

The first eight games of the season brought panic, disappointment, bewilderment, hope and elation for the Cincinnati Bengals and their fans.

Often, it was a combination of all those things.

At the center of all that, as usual, was superstar quarterback Joe Burrow. His play usually dictates the fortunes of the Bengals.

The 26-year-old Burrow started the season rusty because of a lingering calf injury that caused him to miss all of training camp. The Bengals looked rusty too.

Cincinnati lost its first two games and got off to a 1-3 start on Oct. 1 after a 27-3 rout at Tennessee.

As Burrow’s calf got better, so did the quarterback, who now was more mobile in the pocket, able to scramble and turn broken plays into positive yards.

Behind a strong, experienced, turnover-forcing defense, the Bengals beat Arizona and the outlasted Seattle, 17-13, before their bye.

They roared out of the break and — with Burrow now completely healthy — beat San Francisco, 31-17, before showing a national TV audience they are still AFC playoff contenders with a 24-18 victory over Buffalo before a record crowd on Sunday night in Cincinnati.

"There’s a lot more out there for us," said receiver Tee Higgins, who had eight catches for a season-high 110 yards against Buffalo. "I feel like we still haven’t gotten to our peak yet."

In the past four games, Burrow has thrown for 1,113 yards and 10 touchdowns. In the first four, he had 728 and two TDs.

"The character of this team, these are the stages they want to be on," coach Zac Taylor said after Buffalo game. "They don’t shy away from it. That confidence is earned. It’s not anything phony."

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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