Three Takeaways From Cincinnati Bengals' 34-24 Win Over Carolina Panthers

The Bengals are 1-3 on the year following the win.

Sep 29, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown (30) celebrates with guard Alex Cappa (65) after scoring a touchdown in the first quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

CINCINNATI — The Bengas beat the Panthers 34-24 on Sunday to improve to 1-3 on the season.

Cincinnati desperately needed a win to keep their season alive. Here are three takeaways following the Bengals' first win of 2024:

Versatile Offense

It's official: the Bengals have their most versatile offense of the Zac Taylor era. This team is comfortable lining up in empty with Joe Burrow in shotgun, under center or with two or three tight ends on the field.

They can also run the offense through their running backs, which gives them another dynamic that they hadn't consistently had in the past. Chase Brown and Zack Moss combined for 131 rushing yards on 30 carries. They also had six receptions for 39 yards. The 36 touches led all position groups by a significant margin. Burrow only threw 31 passes, finishing with 22 completions for 232 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

Good teams can win in different ways and this Bengals' offense a plethora of options. Everyone knows about Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, but guys like Erick All, Mike Gesicki and Andrei Iosivas are perfect fits in their respective roles. The Bengals have scored 67 points in their last two games.

The offensive line is another major reason why they can be so multiple. Burrow wasn't sacked on Sunday and the Bengals averaged 4.5 yards-per-carry. Frank Pollack's crew deserves a ton of credit for their performance and it's something they can build on moving forward.

Related: Cincinnati Bengals Double Down With Historic Feat Not Seen in 8 Years

Key Plays on Special Teams

The Bengals' offense led the way on Sunday, but Darrin Simmons' crew came up big throughout the game.

Ryan Rehkow had a great day, putting two of his thee punts inside the 10-yard line, including a key punt late in the fourth quarter that pinned the Panthers at their own 7-yard line.

Tycen Anderson had a great tackle on punt coverage and Daijahn Anthony came up big on the Panthers' fake punt attempt in the third quarter. He knocked the ball away from Feleipe Franks to prevent Carolina from converting the attempt and keeping possession of the ball.

Evan McPherson also had a great day, making a 56-yard field goal in the third quarter and a game clinching 46-yarder late in the fourth quarter.

WHAT a play by Daijahn Anthony... The rookie with a heck of a play to knock it away. #Bengals pic.twitter.com/c7Zf52TZw7

— James Rapien (@JamesRapien) September 29, 2024

Questions on Defense

The Bengals picked up their first win of the season on Sunday, but plenty of questions remain—especially on defense.

Cincinnati still had far too many tackling issues, with guys like Jonathan Mingo, Chuba Hubbard and Myles Sanders turning what should've been short gains into much bigger plays.

The Bengals blitzed more often than they're accustomed to, but didn't sack Andy Dalton. The veteran quarterback completed 25-of-40 passes for 220 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. They also gave up 155 rushing yards (5.3 yards-per-attempt).

It wasn't all bad. Trey Hendrickson pressured Dalton in the first quarter, tipping a Dalton pass, which allowed Vonn Bell to make the easiest interception of his career. Kris Jenkins Jr. stepped up on the opening drive of the game to make a key stop on fourth down. Dax Hill had great coverage on Diontae Johnson that helped Cincinnati force a fourth down.

There were some bright moments, but this defense had too many missed tackles, they took too many bad angles, and clearly have plenty of work to do if they're going to become a playoff level defense.

Final Thoughts

Overall, a win is a win. The defense generated a few splash plays and a key stop late in the game and the offense continues to grow every week. Burrow is playing at a high level and this offense has a chance to be one of the most dynamic, hard to defend units in the NFL.

The Bengals still have to grow and get better, but it's much easier to do that after a win than after a loss.

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