Offense dazzles in Bengals winners and losers from Week 7

Well, that was fun. The Cincinnati Bengals rolled through the Atlanta Falcons for a 35-17 win in Week 7, and the offense in particular looked the best it's ever been this year.

481 passing yards and no picks for Joe Burrow. Touchdowns for Joe Mixon, Tyler Boyd, and Ja'Marr Chase. Almost three 100-yard receiving games for the Bengals' wideout trio. What more could Bengals fans ask for?

The Falcons put up a good fight to avoid a humiliating blowout, but they were no match for a fired up Bengals side.

Here are the biggest winners and losers from Week 7.

Winners

Joe Burrow

Joe Burrow has officially entered the MVP conversation in 2022. The star quarterback put together his best performance of the year by far with a jaw-dropping 501 scrimmage yards and four total touchdowns.

Burrow made a bit of history this game, becoming the first player to check all of the following boxes in one game: at least 450 passing yards, three padding touchdowns, 80-plus completion percentage, and a rushing touchdown.

He's the only player in NFL history to have achieved that stat line.

He also leads the league with the most 400-yard passing games in the first three seasons of his career, passing Dan Marino with five total.

Joe Burrow absolutely balled out today, and it seems his pick-prone performances are now a relic of the past.

Wide receiver corps

Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd all brought their A game on Sunday, combining for 378 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Boyd surprisingly enjoyed the most success this game, getting on the scoreboard early and leading the receiving corps with 155 yards.

Chase showed why he was the Offensive Rookie of the Year last season, breaking tackles and going for yet another crazy touchdown run; Tee Higgins paled in comparison to his peers, yet his five catches for 93 yards is nothing to scoff at.

It's one thing to see a big game from a single wide receiver, but for the Bengals' receiver trifecta to each record a super productive 100-yard performance? Just, wow.

Chase had a brief injury scare where he appeared to reaggravate his hip injury, but he seemed healthy for the rest of the game. Opposing defenses simply have no chance when those three guys are clicking with Burrow.

Run defense

The Bengals' run defense held Falcons running back Tyler Allgeier to 50 yards and one touchdown and largely controlled the game on the ground.

Atlanta has been known for its dangerous rushing attack, yet Cincy's stout D-line and linebacker corps forced the Falcons to make plays in the air. Even with Logan Wilson sitting out this game, the Bengals' defense continued its dominant streak (no second half points allowed!), and the run defense especially shined.

Some big impact players include Sam Hubbard, Jay Tufele, and Joseph Ossai.

Losers

Eli Apple

Eli Apple got burned badly on Sunday, and everyone took notice.

At the end of the first half, Marcus Mariota launched a deep pass that was caught by wide receiver Damiere Byrd, who had Apple beat in the open field.

Apple has long been criticized for his pass coverage with his worst gaffe arguably occurring in last year's Super Bowl. The cornerback didn't play his best on Sunday and eventually got substituted for rookie Cam Taylor-Britt, who made his debut against the Falcons.

Zac Taylor

Another week, another instance of Zac Taylor's questionable play-calling. While Taylor didn't have to do all that much given Burrow's stellar performance, he made a controversial decision to go for it on a fourth down, and he also neglected to challenge a somewhat obvious play.

In the third quarter, Tee Higgins made a catch and landed close to the Falcons' end zone. Video replay showed how close he was to breaking the plane, but the refs called him down at the 1-yard line. Had Taylor opted to challenge instead of rushing to the next play, he likely would have won it.

Of course, this is just one minor mistake in an otherwise error-free game. Taylor doesn't deserve too much criticism for it, though it remains to be seen if he can make smart decisions in crunch time scenarios.

Trey Hendrickson

The Bengals' star pass-rusher makes the list only because he unfortunately got injured. At the end of the third quarter, Hendrickson ran into his own defender and had to be escorted to the locker room by training staff.

Hendrickson was ruled out for the rest of the game due to a neck injury. Prior to the incident, Hendrickson had recorded a sack on Mariota.

Hopefully, the injury isn't serious and Hendrickson can rejoin the starting lineup in Week 8.

It looks like Joe Burrow and the Bengals are just getting their season started, and if the offense continues to dominate like they did in Week 7, the team has nothing to worry about.