Ask for an entertaining Monday Night game, and Joe Burrow will serve it to you! The Cincinnati Bengals came to the Cowboys’ home turf and snatched a 27-20 win in Week 14. The loss ended Dallas‘ winning streak, but the spotlight shone brightly on the Bengals’ QB as he added another feather to his cap.

Joe Burrow was on fire during the game, tossing three touchdowns and racking up 369 passing yards. But the win wasn’t the only thing to celebrate. Talk about being consistent, and the QB will show you how it’s done. Burrow made history by becoming one of just six NFL players to rack up 300+ yards and at least three touchdowns in four straight games. The Bengals star is the first QB to hit that mark since Patrick Mahomes did it back in 2018.

And here’s the kicker: Burrow hit this personal achievement on his birthday, making it extra special! The Bengals now have 5 wins in their winning column. Although the playoffs seem a distant hope for Zac Taylor’s squad, a win is still a win. The QB has been playing great football lately, throwing 33 TDs and running for 3,706 passing yards. But here’s where it gets crazy: 33 touchdowns and only 5 wins? Burrow has more TDs than Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, who’s at 20 in 13 games, and Lions QB Jared Goff, who’s recorded 25. While for Burrow, it is a record-breaking stat, 5-8 may be a concerning reflection of Bengal’s defense.

Peyton Manning, the former NFL player, feels the Bengals’ defense has been the weak link, not doing enough to back up Burrow’s efforts. “Joe Burrow is playing at an MVP level; his defense is going to prevent him from getting that award,” said Peyton.

The Bengals’ defense has been inconsistent throughout the season, that’s known. Monday night’s game saw missed tackles and the inability to stop players in the backfield. Sure, they won. But whether it was a collective performance from the team is debatable.

A victory for the Bengals, thanks to Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase

While Monday night’s game had several intense moments, one stood out. The Cowboys’ special teams blocked a Bengals punt, only to mess up the recovery. One moment, they had it, and the next, they fumbled it. And voila, the Bengals got a fresh set of downs. Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase came through big in the last quarter with a 40-yard touchdown, leading their team to a win. Burrow and Chase were unstoppable in the last game. The QB was throwing darts, hitting 75% of his passes for 369 yards, and Chase grabbed 177 of those with two touchdowns. They were straight-up balling.

But the question remained. Should it have been a final-moment win against a team that had their starting QB, Dak Prescott, on injured reserve? The defense was visibly stuttering on both sides. But Burrow faced the brunt of pressure from the Cowboys. The hits kept coming, and eventually, the QB had to put a compression sleeve on his leg. And fans were not happy.

After the game, a video of Cowboys LB Marist Liufau face-masking Joe Burrow while carrying the ball was taking rounds on X. “Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: The refs miss a very clear & obvious facemask on Joe Burrow… No flag. Not sure how you can get any more obvious than this. I’ve asked it before & I’ll ask it 1,000 more times… What in the hell is going on @NFLOfficiating ?” commented a user on X. Fans have been on about how things might’ve been different if it were Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, or Josh Allen getting face-masked instead of Burrow or Caleb. The chatter is that the referees would’ve flagged it right away if it were one of those guys.

Whether the fans have a point or not, one thing’s for sure. The Bengals’ defense needs to step up if they want to keep a post-season hope alive!