Despite a solid start from the Bengals, Washington rallied and won the game 20-9.
The day started off optimistically, but took a very sudden turn early in the third quarter.
Joe Burrow finished after two quarters and change with 34 attempts, 22 completions, 203 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions. During the third quarter, he suffered a horrific injury that sidelined him for the rest of the game, if not longer.
Ryan Finley took over, but did not play close to the same level. Finley went three-for-10 with 30 yards and one interception. After Burrow avoided did his best avoiding sacks, Finley was sacked four times.
Washington struck first in the afternoon. Terry McLaurin set up the offense with a great catch against William Jackson for 42 yards. Washington ran the ball in from the one-yard line on third-and-goal for the opening touchdown. Dustin Hopkins hit the extra point with 1:38 left in the first quarter to give Washington a 7-0 lead.
Burrow was in control for the entire first quarter, going 13 for 17 with 199 yards on his first two drives. That being said, the Bengals got into the red zone on both of their first possessions, but had no points to show for it. A missed field goal from Randy Bullock and a fumble off a Burrow scramble kept the Bengals scoreless early.
The Bengals reached the red zone for a third straight possession and finally scored. Burrow tossed a short play-action slant to A.J. Green for his first touchdown of the season. Bullock missed the extra point, so the Bengals were behind by one, down 7-6 with 7:32 to go in the second quarter.
Adriel Jeremiah Green pic.twitter.com/p7TCaUbpD3
— AllBengals (@AllBengals) November 22, 2020
On that play, Green passed Carl Pickens for second-most touchdown receptions in franchise history.
Bullock had missed two kicks, but finally connected after to the two-minute warning. He missed a 34-yard field goal and an extra point, but made a 53-yard field goal with 1:39 to go in the half to put the Bengals up 9-7.
Even though the Bengals were dominating, they only led at halftime by three points. The two early red zone possessions without points kept Washington in the game, despite having only one drive that gained more than 24 yards. By contrast, the Bengals gained 68 or more yards on three of their five possessions.
What little luck the Bengals had vanished early in the third quarter. Burrow took an ugly high-low combo hit after the throw and had to leave on the cart. Ryan Finley played quarterback for the rest of the game.
The Bengals were doing so well, but the injury demoralized the Bengals and they were a different team after that.
Washington responded quickly. Alex Smith, who knows a thing or two about season ending injuries, handed the ball off to Antonio Gibson to get to the red zone. Smith passed to Stephen Sims for a short touchdown pass for his second of his miraculous season. After the extra point, Washington moved back in front 14-9 with 9:04 remaining in the third quarter.
The Bengals defense was completely deflated. On the next drive two drives, they gave up a 32-yard field goal and 50-yard field goal. Washington outscored the Bengals 13-0 after Burrow left the game, leading 20-9 late in the game.
All of the energy from this game was gone, so after taking the lead, Washington was content to run out the clock. The Bengals would go on to lose 20-9.
The Bengals dropped to 2-7-1, while Washington improved to 3-7 and moved to half a game back in the division.
The Bengals will return to Paul Brown Stadium for Week 12 to play the Giants.