The Cincinnati Bengals have been looking forward to this for months. Ever since it was announced that they'd be facing the Atlanta Falcons in Madrid in Week 9, Joe Burrow and basically anyone who's gone on record about this international voyage seemed pretty jazzed about it.
Well the day is finally here. Or rather GAME DEY. And while there's some concern about this Bengals team after barely beating the 1-7 Titans in overtime, that was an expected letdown before three grand-stage games, starting with Sunday's showdown at Bernabéu Stadium.
It's worth diving into some of the finer details of this imminent matchup, as it kicks off the Week 9 Sunday slate in epic fashion.
How to watch Bengals vs. Falcons Week 9 matchup
- Time: 9:30 a.m. ET
- TV Network: NFL Network
- Streaming: NFL+ (NFL app or via browser) / NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube TV
- International: DAZN Game Pass
Bengals vs. Falcons injury updates in Week 9
Cincinnati has a rather clean bill of health. Safety Kyle Dugger's nagging quad injury will keep him out yet again, while defensive end Cedric Johnson is questionable with an ankle injury.
If Johnson can't go, the edge group will be a little thin for the Bengals with Cashius Howell undergoing wrist surgery this week. Al Golden may have to get creative with how he shuffles around the front seven rotation. Might need some off-ball linebacker snaps from Boye Mafe, Demetrius Knight Jr. playing some edge, or Shemar Stewart doing literally anything of consequence.
After a lengthy suspension for legal issues, Falcons pass rusher James Pearce Jr. is eligible to make his season debut but is questionable due to a back injury. Linebacker Divine Deablo is another notable Falcon who's questionable for today, which would be a huge loss in the heart of Atlanta's D.
Two major Falcons role players are officially ruled out: Dynamic return man Zachariah Branch and second-string tailback Brian Robinson Jr., who's just been placed on injured reserve, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Storylines to watch for Bengals in Week 9
- Will Joe Burrow's torrid MVP pace continue?
- Is Madrid the change of scenery needed to avoid slow starts?
- Can the Bengals' defense recover from some rocky recent outings?
- Jessie Bates and Divine Deablo headline potential postgame trade targets
It's so awesome to see Joe Burrow get such great pass protection and remind people who the heck he is. Burrow is the most lethal pocket passer in the sport, and all due respect to some of his peers, I don't think it's particularly close at the moment.
Joe Burrow in his last 3 games: 944 passing yards, 14 total touchdowns 😳
— NFL (@NFL) November 7, 2026
CINvsATL – Sunday 9:30am ET on NFL Network
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/eNo2irZaCi
Yes, Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase are awesome weapons to have, but the degree of difficulty that Burrow operates with is quite something. No running game, no play-action to keep defenses honest. Just straight dropbacks and hurtling lasers all over the gridiron. Methinks his hot streak will continue in Madrid.
Bengals defensive tackle Jonathan Allen recently discussed how the team has struggled to string together a complete game. This has been a years-long issue in the Zac Taylor era.
Here's hoping Madrid will shake things up enough for Taylor to, I don't know, run a little uptempo? Come up with a better first 15 plays? Because I'm really not into seeing Cincinnati fall behind 13-0 for a third straight game. That's a little excessive.
If we look at the Bengals' defense, minus the huge plays Dexter Lawrence and Boye Mafe often make up front, they get gashed very often. They're yielding 4.8 yards per carry versus the run, and in the last two games, they've let Cam Ward throw for over 300 yards and had Tyler Huntley throw for over 200 in the opening half of Week 7.
...Al Golden might want to, I don't know, stop being so freaking lazy. He has the fourth-lowest blitz rate. It seems to actually work when he does send a blitz or at least dials up some simulated pressures. More of this, please, today and the rest of the way.
And last but not least, yeah, I would love for Jessie Bates to not leave Madrid without the Bengals trading back for him. Bring Jessie home, Duke Tobin. I will settle for Divine Deablo to stabilize the linebacker corps, though, despite his injury-questionable designation for Week 9.
Final score prediction
- Bengals 37, Falcons 27
Lots of folks will be low on Michael Penix Jr. after his dreadful Week 8 performance in the inclement conditions of Tampa Bay. It'd just be nice if Penix doesn't have, you know, a career day.
It's going to be hard enough for the Bengals to stop Atlanta's superstar running back Bijan Robinson. The fact that the Falcons are an outside zone-based run scheme and Cincinnati gets exposed on the perimeter time and time again, I'm more than a little worried that Bijan is gonna go for like 200 yards.
But no matter how well Penix and/or Bijan play, I believe the Bengals can get it done in a shootout. Burrow is on fire and I refuse to believe anyone will stop him or prevent him from winning until further notice.
Let's get this "W", come back stateside 6-2 and get ready to prove to the Steelers who the best team in the AFC North is on Sunday Night Football.
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