CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Joe Burrow threw for 232 yards and two touchdowns, Chase Brown ran for 80 yards and two scores and the Cincinnati Bengals held on to beat the Carolina Panthers 34-24 on Sunday for their first win of the season.
Ja’Marr Chase had three catches for 85 yards, including a 63-yard catch-and-run touchdown as the Bengals avoided a potentially disastrous fourth straight loss to open the season. Of the 155 teams to start 0-4 since the merger, only the 1992 Chargers were able to rebound and make the playoffs.
Zack Moss had 78 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown reception for the Bengals (1-3).
Andy Dalton threw for 220 yards with two touchdowns and one interception against his former team, but couldn’t quite match the magic he displayed in his first start a week ago when he led the Panthers to a 36-22 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
Chuba Hubbard ran for 104 yards and a touchdown and Diontae Johnson had seven catches for 83 yards and a score for Carolina (1-3), which fell to 0-2 at home.
Burrow showed outstanding command and pocket presence, at one point avoiding three pass rushers by circling around in the pocket and finding Moss for a 21-yard gain to move the chains on third-and-5.
The Bengals also rediscovered their running game, picking up 130 yards on the ground in the second half after being held to 11 yards on six carries before intermission.
The Bengals took a 21-14 lead into the locker room after Burrow connected on a 1-yard touchdown pass with Moss with a second remaining in the first half.
The Bengals got a boost early from their much-maligned defense, which allowed 38 points to the Washington Commanders last week. After stuffing Carolina on four plays from the 2-yard line on the game's first series, Trey Hendrickson hit Dalton's arm and Vonn Bell returned the interception 32 yards to set up the game's first score.
Cincinnati carried the momentum over to the second half when Brown capped off an eight-play, 71-yard drive with his second touchdown run of the game and pushed the lead to 17 when it cashed in with Evan McPherson's 56-yard field goal after Johnny Hekker's fake punt pass on fourth down was dropped by Feleipe Franks.
Still, the Panthers showed no quit.
Dalton led Carolina quickly down the field and connected on a 21-yard touchdown strike over the middle to Johnson. Xavier Woods then picked off Burrow in the red zone, leading to a Carolina field goal to make it 31-24.
But the Bengals defense stiffened and forced a key three-and-out late in the fourth quarter and McPherson put the game out of hand with a 46-yarder with 1:14 left.
The Panthers honored defensive end, Julius Peppers, at halftime with his ring of excellence after he became the first player drafted by the franchise to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame earlier this year.
“Our time is coming, you just have to believe in it,” Peppers told Carolina fans. “Let's stick together and support our team and keep pounding.”
Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson injured his neck in the fourth quarter and did not return.
The Panthers lost linebackers Shaq Thompson (heal) and Josey LB Jewell (hamstring/groin) in the second half to injuries.
Bengals: Host Ravens on Sunday.
Panthers: Visit Bears on Sunday.
